Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-12-23
MONICA.
A LOVE STORY OF MODERN DAYS,

| iClt ~ ~ HOHc, Says dCb
| Is" affectedly, Il didn't think tennis was
known over here Didn't fancy you had
court In the land"
This speech fires the blood of the O'Tooles'
| last descendant.
Madame 0'Connor uprears naughty
crest, and fixes the luckless lieutenant with
| en- eagle eye, beneath which he quails.
Where is no doubt we lack much," she
| says, taking his measure with lofty scorn /;
| "but we have at least our manners"
With this she turns her back upon him,
| commences most affable discussion with
| Miss Penelope, leaving her victim speech
| less with fright.
Have brandy-and-soja, Ryde?r says
Mr.. Kelly, who Is always everywhere, re-
| garding the wretched marine through his
eye-glass with gaze Of ineffable sadness.
Nothing like II, after an engagement of
| this sort"
II thought Ireland was the land for
jokes" says the injured Ryde, Indignantly,
"stock-in-trade sort of thing over here !;
| and yet when give em one of mine they
turn upon me as If / was the worst In the
world. / son't believe any one understands
| 'em over here"
You see, your jokes are too fine for us"
says Mr.. Kelly, moumfully. I'VE miss the
| point Of them"
You are all the most uncomfortable peo
| pie ever met" says the wrathful marine.
I'VE are, we are" acqulesces Kelly. I'VE
are really very stupid people. Anything
delicate or refined is lost upon us, or is met
in an unfriendly spirit. give you my word,
L have known fellows head smashed for
less than half what YOU said to Madame
O'ConnOr just now. Prejudice runs high in
| this land. You have, perhaps" in friend
| ly tone, "heard of shillalah?'
NO, haven't" sulkily.
mo? redllyf 1t is quite an institution
here. It's Il sort of a big stick, a very un-
pleasant stick, and is used freely upon the
smallest difference of opinion. You'll meet
them round every corner when you get more
used to US you'd Ike to see them, wouldn't
you?"
mo, shouldn't" still more sulkily
"Oh, but you ought, you knoS. If YOU are
| going to live for any time In a country, you
should study its institutions. The best way
to see this one Is to make cutting remarks
about Ireland In loud voice when two or
three of the peasants are near you. They
| don't like cutting remarks, they are so stupid
| and jokes such as yours annoy them fearful.
| ly. Still, you mustn't mind that; you must
tion and annoy them, IL you want to see the
shillalah."
II said nothing to annoy Mrs. OConnor,
at any rate" says Mr.. Ryde. ''She needn't
have taken simple word or two like that"
you see, we are all so terribly thin-Skin-
ned" says Mr.. Kelly regretfully, II quite
| blush for my cOuntry-people. OF course
| there are noble exceptions TO every rule.
am the noble exception here. don't feel
in the least annoyed with you. Now do try
some brandy, my dear fellow; it will do you
all the good in the world"
Il don't know this moment whether UOlL
are laughing at me or not" says the marine,
| eying him doubtfully.
VI neUer laugh" says Mr.. Kelly, reproach-
| fully. Il thought eren y0u could see that.
| Well, will you have that B. and S.Y'
| But Mars is huffed, and declines TO accept
| consolation in any shape. He strolls away
| with an injured air to where his brother
| officer, Captain Cobbett, is standing near the
| hall door, and pours his grefs, into his ears.
Captain Cobbett being very spare little
man with a half-starved appearance and a
| dismal expression, it is doubtful whether
poor Ryde receives from him the amount of
sympathy required.
MAY l see you to your carriage, Miss
Blake?" says Desmond, finding she and Miss
Penelope are bert on going; and Aunt Pris-
ella, who has taken quite fancy to this
strange young man, gives her gracious per-
mission that he shall accompany them to the
fossilzied chariot awaiting them.
WHO is lie, my dear Priscilla?" asks Miss
Penelope, in stage whisper, as they go.
Don't know, my dear, but q vastly agree
able man, very superior to those Of his own
age of the present day. He is marveously
polite, and has, think, quite a superior
| air."
Quite" says Penelope, "and very sweet
expression besides,-so open, so ingenious.
wish all were like him." This with sigh,
Terence having proved himself open to sus-
picion with regard to plain dealing the past
few days.
Now, it so happens that at this instant
they turn corner leading from the shrub
berry walk on the gravel sweep before the
hall door; as they turn this corner, so does
some one else, only he Is coming from the
gravel sweep to the walk, so that conse.
| quently he is face to face with the Misses
Blake, without hope of retreat.
The walk Is narrow at the entrancet to it,
| and as this newcomer essays to pass hur-
riedly by Miss Priscilla he finds himself
| fatally entangled with her, she having gone
| to the right as he went to the left, and after.
ward having gone to the left as he went to
the right, and so on.
Finally q passage Is cleared, and the
stranger-who is an amazingly ugly old
| man, with rather benign though choleric
| countenance-speeds past the Misses Blake
| like a fash of lightning, and with haste
creditable to his years, but suggestive rather
| Of fear than elasticity.
my uhcler says Brian Desmond, in an
awe-struck tone, to Monica, who literally
| goes down before this terrible annuncation
| and trembles visibly.
1t is re-encOunter fraught with morta
horror to the Misses Blake. For years they
| have not so much as looked upon theil
| enemy's face, and now their skirts have
actually brushed him as he passed.
Come, come quickly, Monica" says Miss
| Penelope, on this occasion being the one t
take the initiative. do not linger, child
| Did you not see? 1t was our enemy thai
| passed by"
II she had said lit was the arch-fend,
her voice could not have been more tragic
II am coming, Aunt Penny" says Moni
| ca, nervously.
Now it is at this nauspicious moment thai
| MI. Kelly (WhO, as have said before, Is al
ways everywhere) chooses to rush up t.
Brian Desmond and address him in louC
| tone.
my dear boy, you are not going yet, are
| your he says, reproachfully. Il say, Des
mond, you can't, you know because Miss
| Fitzgerald says you promised to play in the
next match with her."
The fatal name has been uttered clearly
| and distinctly. As though petrified, the two
| old ladies stand quite still and stare al
| Brian; then Miss Priscilla, with stately
movement, gets between him and Monica
and, in tones that tremble perceptlbly, say
| to him.
II thank you for the courtesy already re-
| ceived, sir; but we will no longer trouble
.x1rn tA nII,