The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-08-12

uoppin.
The Lowdens were in the library when
| called-a coy little den, which was
usually sacred to Max and his friends;
but on this occasion Mrs. Lowden was
there, seated at the desk, with writ
ing-pad before her.
You are just in time" she said, sig
mailing at me with lead pencil, ito help
us determine who beside yourself shall
come to dinner here next Wednesday,"
Besides myself" repeated; truly
am in time, if my presence has accom-
| plished that much"
You are just about always on the list,
old man." said Lowden. Il should
think you would grow weary of our
dinners"
| | started to say something about
| GASES in the arid desert of social life,
when Mrs. Lowden interrupted;
Come; give me name"
PUT down little Roach said /.
Mrs. Lowden pressed the pencil
against her lips. ''Do you really like
him-pretty well?" she asked, doubt
fully. Besides" she continued, with
/ ht tihNN
here only last week; so it would not do,
you know"
"Of course" said L; ''lct me see. How
about Mrs. Hopping"
Mrs. Hoppin." cried the lady at the
desk, and her voice suddenly took on
a shrill quality, quite foreign to it. "Oh,
no, not Mrs. Hoppin. We had her, too,
last week"
l meditated for a mopeht in silence.
Gen. Grumm," said, at length.
Max Lowden started up and looked
at me suspiciously. His wife laughed.
Isn't that funny, Max" she ex-
claimed. mir. Robinson has pitched
upon three out of the ten people that
we had to dinner last Thursday"
PUT down Count Won Haasse," said |,
seriously.
Mrs. Lowden dropped her pencil and
stared Max rose from his chair near
the fireplace and brought decanter of
Scotch and a bottle of settler and Il
glass, and placed them on the tabour-
cite at my elbow.
THE drinks are on us" he said. who
told YOU about it,
"Oh, several said |, inditferently.
where do you get this Scotch" There
was faint cry from Mrs. Lowden.
Are people talking" she asked.
Mr.. Max grabbed the poker, and began
hammering lump of coal in the fire
place.
what difference does it make?" said
|. People must have something to
talk about, and peculiar affair like
that"
But it was not peculiar at ALL" ex-
claimed Mrs. Lowden, and then added.
incoherently; that was why it was so
strange"
Il see" said I, though | really did
not see at all, but was, in fact, entirely
mystifed Whose idea was it, in the
first placer
~ will tell you all about it," said
Max. waving the poker in a threaten
ing way. probably l was more to
blame
Max, you mustn't" cried Mrs. Low
den, with great vehemence; I'VE ought
not to talk about it. Mr.. Robinson will
excuse us, | am sure
"Of course" said /, with great dig
nifty: II did not suppose it was so bad
as that"
Nonsense, Marie" said Lowden. Il
am going to make Il clean breast of
the whole business to Ned he may be
able to help us out. But tell me, first
of all, do you think any of them sus-
pect?"
Not one said |, with splendid con-
fidence.
THANK Heaven for that!' said Mrs.
Lowden. You may tell him, Max"
"You are bachelor, Ned said Low
den, land you probably have very lit
tie idea of the many and complicated
social problems that people who enter
tain even as little as we do must meet
and solve. Now / used to think, in the
innocence of my pre-marital days, that
the whole social scheme was based on
the desire of certain people to make
things pleasant for certain other peo-
pie whom they like and admire. But
bless your heart, my boy, that has no
more to do"
"Oh, Max" interrupted his wife,
"you are not telling this story the
right way. Mr.. Robinson understands
well enough that every social set has
attached to it, inevitably, a class of
lpeople that are somehow not exactly
what you might call" She hesitated
for the word.
Desirable" | suggested.
"She means the bores," said Max.
81 mean" said Mrs. Lowden, with
dignity, "those people that do not seem
to mix well with others.D
Exactly" / assented; ''the disinte-
orators"
ut is perfectly mysterious" con-
tinued Mrs. Lowden, 'how many peo-
pie of that sort manage to get strings
on you. That is what Max calls it..
Some of them are distant relatives of
your own, others are near relatives of
your dearest friends. Sometimes they
do things for you, before you can head
them off, and they place you under OBJ
legations that way, and sometimes they
just cold-bloodedly make demands that
/ Al r..