The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-11

~ youF you Po s'S'e' " wiz"
They had come up
on one another sud
denly round an angle in the hall and
they had greeted one another in the
above words in accents of indignant
CONSERVATION. Their CALCULATIONS,
having been simultaneous, were fol-
lowed by a pause. and then by COM
mon consent they moved into the emp
ty library, the door of which stood
conveniently ajar. She spoke first.
She was dark girl short and sturdy
looking, but with that nameless air
about her which is only produced by
a long line of well-bred ancestors.
"Why have you not taken him
yachting?" she demanded brusquely.
Because he would not 60" he re"
turned. His tone was as hostile as
her own, and his face showed his an
noyance even more clearly. He was
a man of about thirty. apparently Just
off a tourney. why are you not at
Davos?"
"Because-oh what does it natter
she answered wrathfully. We re do
ing these country house visits first.
How long are you staying here"
"a week"
80 are we," she returned what
an abominable nuisance!"
His face blushed slightly, even
though his expression conveyed a
hearty endorsement of the words In
truth. the pair were somewhat to be
pitied.
The case was this: Ralph Adams
and his brother Valentine were new
comers into the London world. They
were fabulously rich, we'll educated and
we'll bred; and the fact that their
wealth had been bequeathed to them
by more or less impossible father
long deceased-who had made his for
tune in what was vaguely alluded t.
as "oil or tallow, or something of that
kind" did not prevent their being eX-
ceedingly popular. Pamela Knollys
and her sister Sylvia were by no mean:
newcomers in London society. Bu
various causes-their fathers death anl
their mothers illness among them
had kept them from regular LondoT
seasons. This year charitable aur
had reused herself to declare tina
something must be done and haC
taken the girls for a season." as sh'
expressed 1t.
What law of attraction operated be
tween Sylvia Knollys and Valentino
Adams it is impossible to say. Th
fact remains that they 'spooned'
through the season like a pair of chill
dren in their teens. 1t would hav
been an xcellent match from som
points of view-he had money and sh
had family; he was a dear fellow
and she was "a sweet girl" All tn
friends on either side smiled a littl
broadly, perhaps, on the prosperity
engagement, with the exception of hi
elder brother and her younger sister
In Pamela's eyes Sylvia was tn
most beautiful and charming creatur
on the face of the earth. In consider
ing the adams affair" her mind neve
dwelt upon the fact that Sylvia wa
even-and-twenty. All her energie
concentrated themselves on the fac
that Valentine Adams was barrel
twenty-one.
"a mere boyw she had eXpostulate
Indignantly with her sister, "Svlvit
you would be utterly wretched. Yo
shan't do it,
Ralph Adams, on the other hand, ha
no illusions with regard to his brothe
He was we'll aware that he was i'm
pusive, Uniformed and tickle. But
passed over these items as compara
lively unmportant compared with tn
fact that Sylvia was seven years Va
entines senior.
IT'S Madness" he declared hotl'
why, she will be a middle-aged VIC
man while you are still a boy!' Don
be an ass, Val!'
Pamela Knollys and Ralph Adam,
early became aware of their commo
sentiments on the subject. That is I
say, they became aware that eac
was determined to prevent the MAJ
riage But neither cared to give forl
TO the motive underlying his or her d.
termination. 1t was reserved. there
fore. for the gossip of mutual frien
10 supply a motive, thus: Miss Ps
mela Knolly considered, it appear
that Mr. Valentine Adams birth NJ
him altogether out of court as a suite
for her sister; and Mr.. Ralph Adam
on the other hand, had strong feelins
as to the mistaken policy of allyir
oneself with old and worn-Out familie