The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-03-05
CHAPTEI, VII.

hS iIitliiINi III "llltiI vi is. Il IdllCeS
McLanc secured her invitation to visit
the Gruftons reflects credit on her gen
eralship if not on her general char
acter. She was dccI, in widows weeds
and woe the lovely summer of '9i SO
long as she remained i'll the neighbor-
hood of the nlausoleun of the dear
departed, and Mrs. Grafton twice or
thrice ran down from the Point to
pour out sympathy and consolation, but
dear Fanny had sustained too severe a
shock. This dreadful, this mysterious,
this murderous assault upon Mr.. Nc
Lane had unncrvcd her completely, said
Mrs. Grafton, ON her return to her Iiege,
and she does not seem to rally. Mt all.
Later, as we have seen. Charlotte took
her sister west, and later still the
Graftons, ell route to Sedgwiclx ut last,
stopped five days in Chicago OH their
way, and Fanny was at the station to
meet them on their arrival, and insist
ed then, as she had before by letter,
upon their being her guests at her own
apartments at the Clarendon. She had
lovely little room oil ready for them.
Now Grafton was n provi,lcnt man, an
economical man, and five days hotel
bills made certainly big hole in
months pay. Something even then
whispered to him that this extrava-
gance We're better than that to which
acceptance of the widows invitation
would lead. But he banishcd the
thought as unworthy and uncharitablc.
Fanny welcomed them with infinite
tact and taste-made them feel that
their coming was blessing to her, so
sad and lonely was her life now that it
was no longer blessed by the compan-
icnship and devotion of the incompar-
could not accompany them to the opera
or to concerts and thcutcrs, but she
had the best seats secured, and Ned
and Charlotte were properly attentive;
and when it was time for the Graftons
t. move on the ladies actually parted
with tears, Fanny looking so white, so
pathetic, SO fragile, and protesting that
Mrs. Grafton was the one friend to
whom her heart chung in it's bcreave-
mcnt and dcsolation. A hacking lit
tie cough had already set in (his was
late i'll the falD, and the rigors of the
Lake Michigan climate seemed telling
severely upon the Gotham born girl,
and urgently did Mrs. Grafton press
her to leave this clustering shore and
TO come to her in that land where
coughs and bronchial and catarrhal
troubles are unknoNn, to baslt in the
sunshine and drink in The delicious air
Of southern New Mexico; and Fan de-
clarcd that could she but be with liar
riet her cough would never worry her,
butt could not bet could not be!
There were important legal matters to
be settled. She must fight her battle
alone. She could not yet go so far from
that sacred dust.
All the same the Grafton were not
fairly settled a, scdgvitl when Fans
legal difficulties seemed to have been
settled and her consh ericvously aug
mcntcd. The doctors td.lird of Rcrmu-
da or San Diego, but The idea of going to
Bermuda, among sttanytrs, was hor-
ror, so she wrote; and Is for Coronado
where, less Than year nponc, she had
been so happy. so blrst"-rn! no! it was
d. o'iS ''i'' tlhii dl d!iO'hc: Is tHc Vdfl-
alton dui to atmospheric conditions OUT
side OF those recorded by the thermometer?
Does the great internal generator of the
fuel turn out better gas at one time than
at another? Is the variation due to at
m sphcric conditions; outSid,: Of those re-
corded by the thermometer? Docs the
great internal generator of the fuel turn
Qua better gas at one time than at another?
Are VIC at the mercy of "!crn"ntal prin
ciplcs thu. have eludcd us through the
age! Are the fluctuations Of gas stock
subject to cratic moods Of nature? 1T IS
n grand problem. Don't permit anJ one
to disturb me until fu:th"r notice.
"i'ossibly the mystery IS concealed In the
gas meter" suggested INC head hook
keeper. who Is Of :, practical turn OF mind
"By Jovc. Never thought OF that. I'll
look into it, If anr0na call; IN not en-
gaged."-Dctroit Free Press.