Arizona republican., 1899-03-25
Breaking the News.
"no YOU think he'll take it very
 badly, Nora?"


 ders.
 My dear Betty, you ought to know more about MT. Markham's powers of endurance than I"
 But what do you think he'll do: What do you suppose"
 '.Why waste our time in supposition He'll be here most likely this after noon, and you will be able to judge for yourself"
 Betty Oakhurst sprang to her feet.
 Ted is coming here this afternoon Why on earth didn't you tell me be- fore?" And she fidgeted nervously with her hat before the glass as she spoke.
 But you knew. Betty, where are you going?"
 Anywhere out of this," cried the girl, laughing nervously as she stopped to kiss her friend.
 Nora, however, caught her arm. Nonsense, Betty! You'd much better tell him straight out now and get it over. ttywill be ever so much more awkward for you if the news reaches him from outside.''
 "I don't see that at all, ," returned Bet ty, quietly, as she drew away from her companion. "I am sure that Tiff you"
 She paused tentatively.
 You don't mean to say that you ex- pect me to tell Ted Markham that you've tilted him?" >
 ''I certainly don't expect you to put i+ in that way" replied Miss Oakhurst, with a little laugh; "but I am quite certain that you would explain it to the poor fellow much better than any one else"
 "Explain!" exclaimed Nora, impa- tiently. "I don't know that there's anything to explain, except that you've put yourself and me in a most ridicu- lous position"
 Moral"
 ''I wish I'd never had anything to do with it. never felt so uncomfortable in my life as I have done since you dragged me into this precious scheme of yours"
 Poor old Moral" murmured Betty, sympathetically while she cast furtive glances at the clock.
 You came here and shed any num- Der of tears; declared that you adored Ted Markham; that your father wouldn't hear of an engagement, but that if you only had a little time be- fore you, you were sure everything would come right
 ''So it has," remarked Betty, sotto voce. "It's only question of point of view''
 Nora flashed all indignant look at her.
 ''L think you might be serious now, and at least pretend that you're ashamed of yourself. You begged me to help you to getmy aunt to ask him here, to act as screen in fact, so that your people might imagine it was all over and that you had both changed your minds, and now-now-"
 The sound of q bell broke in upon Miss Helmsley's eloquence, and Betty caught up her gloves.
 I'm awfully sorry, Nora. Abuse me as much as you like. Good-by!"
 And before Nora could stop her she had darted through the door and was on her way downstairs. She let her go. After all. it was never any use to argue with Betty; she was one of those de- lightfully irresponsible creatures who always manage to shift the blame of their shortcomings on to other peo- ple's shoulders, and whom no one-no man, at any rate-ever dreams of judging by ordinary standards. Nora wondered, as she estood there idly look ing into the street, how she could ever have been foolish enough to take Bet tvs love troubles seriously. Meantime that same folly of hers was going to bear some very unpalat- able fruit. In less than ten minutes young Markham would be there. He had arranged to call for Miss Helmsley and her aunt, Lady Hewitt, to escort them to an afternoon concert. The elder lady had declared at luncheon that the weather was far too depress- ing for it not to be madness to risk i the probability of a further fall in ones moral barometer by a couple of 1! hours of orchestral music, and that i Nora must give him some tea and her excuses. Nora was conscious that this was | neat preteXt for giving the young man | the chance of tete-a-tete with her self. Lady Hewitt was too indolent. 1 not to be heartily weary of | her duties as chaperon to her niece. An attractive heiress was responsibility | little to her taste, and the girl felt that, ineligible as most mothers and people would have termed Ted Markham, with his post in the foreign office and his meager personal | fortune, Lady Hewitt would open her arms to him gladly if he would but re- lieve her of her onerous duties of
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