Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-12-02
MON
A LOVE STORY or moDERN DAYS.

us that the old woman who called here
the day before yesterday?' asks Terence
ireverently. They are all sitting in the
drawing-room, Terence being rather on the
balcony perhaps.
"Yes,-l regret you were not i'm to receive
her. should have liked you TO make her
acquaintance, Monica, before going to Aghy-
ohillbeg."
"Oh! | saw her." says Terence contemptu-
ously.. '.She's got an eye like lance, and
mans iigure. She drove herself and held
the reins like this" throwing himself into
position.
''lf You are going out, Terence, you may
as we'll go ut once, says Miss Priscilla, with
dignity, pretending neither to hear nor see
hin. Whercupoa Terence gladly departs.
"Go OH auntie," says Monica, slipping
down cn footstool close to Aunt Penelope,
and leaning both her arms across the Old
lady's knee. "Who else will be thcre?'
Yes, tell her everything, Priscilla" says
Miss Penelope, smoothing the girls hair
softly, and feeling a strange thrill Of pleas
ure In her heart rs she notices the little con-
hdent gesture with which the girl nestles TO
aer.
well, there will be her own guests, of
course, mean those staying with her, for
sac alawys has her house full" says Miss
Priscilla, after slight pause, being still
somewhat rufilcd by Terry's remarks. ''The
FitZgeralds will be there, of course. Bella
is considered very handsome girl, but /
don't think you will like her much"
NO, no, she is not at all our Monica's
style says Mss Penelope, strokmg the
pretty cheek near her with her mitteneJ
hand. Yet she has fine skin"
"Ay, and a fine temper under it, or Pm u
Dutchman," says Miss Priscilla. "And she
more peculiar than handsome; but men
admire her, so lcc say nothing"
as she tall? asks Monica, anXiously,
who is little thing herself, aad looks even
smaller than she really Is because of her
slender, girlish figure She wonders in a
vague, uncomfortable fashion whether
whether m st men like tall women best.
Tall? yes, and large In proportion: and
rs for her manners > says Miss Priscilla, in
her sevcrest tone, "in my opinion they are
simply unNcarable. Modesty in my days
was & virtue, nowadays it is as RduJJa. Bella
Fitzgerald is never content unless she has
every man in the room at her side, and good
ness alone knows what it is she says to
them. The way she sets her cap at that
poor boy Ronayne, just because he has fall
en- in for that property is quite revolving"
And mere lad, too" says Miss Pene-
lope.
Monica draws q breath of relief. Perhaps
IL Miss Fitzgerald likes Mr.. Ronayne she
will not care to practice her fascinatons up
on-any other man.
''lIow old is she" she asks, feeling deep
ly interested in the conversion.
'She says she is twenty-four," says Miss
Priscilla, with an eloquent sniff. There is
nothing easier to say than that. lCO1lt be
uncharitable, my dear Penelope,-you
needn't look at me like that,-b this l
must say, she looks every hour of eight-and-
twenty"
Her mother ought TO know" says Miss
Penelope.
"She ought, indeed" grimly. but as
from the way she dresses we may reason
ably conclude she thinks herself nineteen,
suppose she has lost her memory on all
points"
Her father, Otho Fitzgerald, was the
same," says Miss Penelope, rehectively.
"ie never could bear the idea of age. lie
was one who saw nothing honorable In 1t.
Gray hairs with him were a crime
$50 he used TO dye them" says Miss Pris-
ella, maliclously; land when he got warm
the dye used tomelt, and (unknown to him)
run all down his che H."
"Oh, Priscilla, how you remember things
Dear, dear, ! think ! see him now," says
Miss Penelope. And here the two old ladies,
overcome by this comical recollection, laugh
until the tears run down their faces. MOni-
ca joins in from sheer sympathy; but Kit,
who is sitting in the embrasure of distant
window, and who has been strangely silent
ever since the invitation came from Aghy-
ohill5eg, maintains a stern gravity.
Poor man." says Miss Penelope, wiping
her eyes, Il shall never forget the night
your sweet mother, my dear Monica, most
unntentiOnally offended him about the dia-
mond-you recollect, Priscilla? Tell MOni-
ca of it,"
"llc always wore huge diamond ringup-
OIL his little finger" says Miss Priscilla, adj
dressing Monica, "of which he was very
proud. He was at this time about fifty-three,
but used to pose as man of thirty-nine
One evening showing the ring to your moth
er then quite girl, he said to her, in his
sti!ted way, This jewel has been in our
family for fifty years. 'Ah! did you buy it,
Mr.. Fitzgerald" asks your mother in her
sweet innocent way. Ha, ha, hal" laughs
Miss Priscilla, ''you should have seen his
face. 1t was picture! and just when he
was trying to make himself agreeable TO
your poor mother, and acting as if he was a
A)uthful beau of twenty-five, or at least as
young as the best of us"
''rhat was like mother" says Monica, in
low tone. ''She always knew where to
touch people,"
"Oh, no, my dear, not at all like her" says
Miss Penelope, hastily. "She didn't mean
Ii, you must understand; she was the very
soul Of sweetness, and would not willingly
effront any one for the world"
For just an instant Monica lifts her eyes
and gazes earnestly at her aunt; but the old
face is so earnest and sincere that with a
faint sigh she lowers her eyes again, and
makes no further remark.
After that he married his cousins wife,
q widow with one child, this girl Bella"
says Miss Priscilla, still full of reminis-
cances, as old people will be. "A most un-
pleasant person thought her, though she
was considered quite belle in those days"
"She always appeared TO me such a silly
woman says Miss Penelope.
"Shc is worse than that n0w," says Miss
Priscilla, who seems specially hard on the
Fit2geralds. "She is shocking old woman
with nose like a fower-pot won't say
she drinks, my dear Pen .lope, because /
know you would object to it; but hear she
does, and certainly her nose is her betrayer."
do you remember" says Miss Penelope,
''how anxious she once was to marry George
Desmond?' This she says in very low
tone.
Yes, remember" The bare mention Of
enemy's name has sent a flush of Grim
into Miss Priscillas cheeks. But he
never bestowed thought upon her."
"Oh, no, never" says Miss Penelope, after
which both The Misses Blake grow silent
and seem to be slowly sinking into the land
of reverie.
But Monica, having heard the "enemy's
name mentioned, becomes filed with de-
termination to Sift the mystery connected