Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-08-27

N~AO " opoOhb ~ ~
"Oh, ] know" responded Winnie. color
ing and smiling. BESIDES, Captain Tired.
ennick, we could not expect you to care
for tea just at your dinner-hour.n
Mrs. Caerlyon turned sharply round, dis
closing the flannel petticcat aud stockings
to full view-thc angry pink lush on her
checks rising to her temples, and her light,
hard-looking brown eyes sparkling with
displeasure.
Il think, Winifred," she said-she called
her Winifred very often when she was
vexed-"you might allow Cappun Treden.
nick to choose whether he would stay for
tea with us or not. We shall be very
pleased to have his company II he cares
to stay; and, il not, why, we must do with
out him"
And Mrs. Caerlyon, as she spoke, flung
the flannel on one side, and, rolling the
pairs of stockings into woollen balls, flung
them with a loud "thud'' one after the 9th.
er into a basket, by way of emphasizing
her final clause.
Not this evening, thank you, Mrs.
Caerlyon," said Captain Tredennick, pleas
antly; II may come in some other after
noon, when | have given Madam notice
that sne is not to expect me home at SIX"
90 hNfDOoNANA
Very well, Captain ~Tredennick; we
shall all be most happy TO see you, l am
sure"
Mrs. Caerlyon said nothing, but pelted
the stocking-balls harder, if possible, arch
ing her light eyebrows, and pursuing her
mouth it'll an air of what she considered
to be cold hauteur.
You had better see after tho kettle.
Winifred, and cut the hread-and- butter,
for the children; the maid can't be back
from Thomas yet this half hour" she said
at longth, in an elaborate manner, ignor-
ing Captain T~redennick's presence, and
giving him ut the same time n broad hint
to hasten his departure.
"Good-evening, Mrs. Caerlyon, p he said,
with a slight bow,
"Oh," she cried, turning round from the
cupboard, "oh, good-evening, Cappun
Tredennick."
She was ignorant enough, in spite OF her
cold hduteur, to expect that her strange
malo visitor would offer her, his lady
hostess, his hand to be shaken in farewell,
after the custom of Mr.. Thomas pascoe,
Mr., John Williams, Mr.. Edward Johns,
and the other gentleman OF her previous
acquaintance. The slight bow and cold
''A''S wy ohShNt Ntig NbIt, ~ nlAlSU NO
confessed-although no breaches of ETH
quette, were to Mrs, Caerlyon nothing less
than a "srrant insult.
And John Caerlyon to stand by and see
his wife sighted in her own house in that
manner! Wait until she talked TO him!
Bringing his grand, stuck-up visitors in
there and inviting them TO tea; and Miss
Winni., with her airs and her impudence,
Ynohipr litfla nf Iar F,,ha,', l.,., al
her fathers table before her fine MADAM
Vivian's nephew! 1t was nothing from
morning till night, with that %gad-about of
a maid, but Madam Vivian, and Madam
Vivian's style and splendor. Never mind,
but she would put an end to that some
day! Making the girl as empty-hcaded
and idle and stuck-up as she could be-"
The narrow-minded woman's petty ieal,
ousy against her step-daughter's strivfngs
and longings after me of the beauty and
grace Of existence had not half exhausted
itself, as she stood there angrily muttering
her ire against ''stuck-up" people into the
sugar-jar and tea-caddy In the cupboard,
whilst Captain Tredennick and her hus-
band stood talking on the doorstep out
side, when she heard n familiar voice
greeting them, n stamp and rush Of boots
on the door-mat, and "Ha! evening, 'LeZa-
BETH" announced Mr.. Thomas Fuscoe's
unceremonious entrance,
Evening, Thomas said Mrs. Caerlyon,
beginning to lay the table with a noisy
clink and ~clatter, intended as n final hint
TO Captain misunderstanding about
there" as she phrased it, in her displeasure
AS well as a token of hospitality where
with to cheer Mr.. Thomas Pascoe's hun
cry inner man.
He was apt to be hungry after his one
o'clock dinner Of 'pasty'' or pork-pie, and
relished with an exceeding appetite "cous,
in 'Lezabeth's'' hot-buttered barley-scones
with occasional treats of ''heavy-cake," OF
sweet saffron-cake, at six O'Clock, when
the work-bell had rung and the mine-work
on the upper earth at least was over for
the night.
BE it understood, however, among the
honorable ones of the earth, that Mr.. Pas
coe had no intention Of meanly living up
OF his Cousins substance as he would nave
expressed it, Of thus %devouring cousin
'LeZabeth's" barley-scones and "heavy.
cake" and libations Of the peculiar fluid
which she designated tea without in.
tending to make her some return. Away
with such n base idea! Mr.. Pascoe would
have Indignantly secuted it. His cousin
Iezabeth" understood him, and he un.
derstood her, and they had settled Il
quite pleasantly and conveniently between
them.
In returning thanks for past favors he
had informed "cousin 'Lezabeth'' of his
generous resolve for the future-possibly,
continuing the tra~desman-simile, hoping
to merit a continuance of the same"-of
taking off her hands, out of the over
crowded home, and away from the charges
on the o~vercrowded income, too burdened
two mouths TO be fed, two bodies to be
clothed and housed at his expense, and
not hers, from the moment he took pos
session OF them. Surely no wonder that
"cousin 'LeZabeth," with this hope and
incentive to generosity before her, buttered
for Mr.. Thomas Pascoe the best and hot
test barley-sCone on the dish, did not more
han half Oil his emp with water when she
poured out tea, and cut such thick rich
wedges of "heavy cakes'' for his refresh
ment.
Generously and good-naturedly he had
promised cousin 'Lezabeth' that he
meant to take her step-daughter, Wini-
fred, and her own daughter, Sarah Matil-
da, eldest of the seven, into dependence on
him. He had rather a hard battle to con-
test about Sarah Matilda, though; as TO
Winifred, there was of course no difficulty
beyond saying, Eyes, you may nave her"
But Mrs. Caeriyon perslsrently tried to
substitute Louisa Harriet, the puny, sick
ly, peeyish babe, for Sarah Matilda, rising
eight, land as smart a child as need be-"
But Mr.. Pascoe had no notion of being
foolishly generous in the midst of his lib
erality Of spirit. The slckly infant could
be of neither use nor profit to him-Sarah
Matilda might be both.
He meant to take the two sisters, and