The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1900-12-07
ONLY A SKIRMISH,

"Ready? l was not going to wal;
much longer.'
'Sorry! I shall be later than you will,
l have half mile to go after I have
dropped you, and l know the Nenneke:S
expect me 70 DC punctual.'
The porter at Blessingham chambers
had a hanson at the door, and they got
into it quickly and drove off-two men
who had lived together for ten years and
knew each other we'll enough to do with.
out conversation Oh trivial topics. After
a minutes or two, however, one Of them
became unusually talkativc. Saw an
old flame of yours today, Dick"
$50 did -
1.-THE deuce YOU did, The Nennekers
used to know her. didn't they? | don't
suppose they can raise dinner party in
the slack season without asking all their
friends. You'll meet her there tonight ~
II SHALL"
dick Templar' said his FRIEND
you re a secretive devil. Two years ago
tions over the girl till l got sick of her
name. Each time you proposed to her
You told me what YOU said and what she
said when she refused YOU: and now she
comes to London as the wife of the other
fellow, and you slip off to tea with her.
instead of coming to the club to play
whist-you know that is where you were.
blessed word about it. Not even to me.
May l ask what is the difference between
your feelings for Miss Rose Castertor
and your feelings for Mrs.--Mrs. Rose
"OBriep: husbands captain in an
Irish regiment. He'd need to be with
such a name" grunted Dick TemDlar.
"Phew! Poor devil! And you told me
nothing, about it! What makes the dill
ference*fOr YOU are different'
don't be- goat" answered Dick.
Il am not different. There was nothing
to tell. that's all. I've called on her
twice, and she remembers that she liked
ane, rather. an0-she is glad to see some
one she knows and can talk to-she quite
forgets how l loved her She will never
understand how l love her still don't
mind telling you all this, cd chap-all
she talks about and thinks about is her
husband. It's what Pat saws and what
Pat does and what Pat thinks about
everything. and she looks ut his photo
graph all the time if you can't get her
with her back to it. She's safe enough
and so am |. for that matter. l feel just
the Ssame-,only different, you know
''1ime heals''
Time makes the wound Tester l love
hcr more than ever. | hate meeting her,
but I'm so fond of her I can't even hate
her husband when she talks about him:
| believe I'd bring him back to her if
l could. just to make her HAPPIER
Poor old Dick What a good chan
you are! Here's my dinner Waiting FOR
me and brougham in front of the door.
so I'm not late.''
He got out, and Dick Templar opened
the little trapdoor in the roof and shout
cd to the cabman to drive fast.
The Vennekers live somewhere north
OF the MaryIcbone road. in a quiet ter
race of big houses. There was no car
only vehicle in the Terrace, driving slow
~ Off. with the man in the dickey exam
lining the fare that had Just been paid
him as If he were dissatisfied with the
quality as well as the quantity of the
coins. Dick wondered if Mrs. O'Brien
had driven alone in the cab in front of
him all the way from Elbury street, paid
his fare and jumped out.
A small boy had straycd up with q
bundle of evening papers, but trade was
slack. and he dashed forward, apparent
ly with the forlorn hope that something
might be gained by helping an able-bod-
led gentleman late for dinner to alight
from a hanson cab. Dick Templar
pushed him ON one side, ran up the stems
and rang the bell.
The footman who should have opened
the door must have been carrying in the
soup, for no one came for fully a minute.
Dick tapped his foot impatiently on the
white doorstep and scowled at the small
boy half hidden behind an orange con-
KILLED and Wounded at Battersberg,
,jS
item Of news promised by the bill.
Dick tried in vain to remember what it
was that had happened some days before
at Observation-Disclosures the Beers HAD
captured convoy or saved their own
guns and decamped. and, as no one came
small boy and rang again.
The "Ohicial List was plain enough
in the StopPress kilograms: Dick had
found it before the footman opened the
door,
Yes. sir?' said the man aloud. to at
tract the attention of the gentleman
Dick was keeping dinner party of fully
room while he read the newspaper.
Officer killed: Capt. G.. c.. O'Brien
Dublin Fusilers' That was what he
had read: one or two other names fol-
lowed, but he did not see them. Mechan-
ically he folded the paper and thrust it
uetp INTO the pocket or the OVcrcOlt
which the footman was taking from him
as rapidly as he could.
You are late, and have had no one to
bring me downstairs" said voice that
brought Dick to himself with a start
They had resolved tc go into dinner with
out him, and he had been standing in the
hall staring at them in dazed way, al
most without acknowledging his hosts
nod. as they all filed by, until Mrs
O'Brien came past alone. She slipped
her arm into his and he went in, vague
ly. wondering what it was he had to do
with the widow of a man forty-eight
the heat and the flowers, twitting him
with trivialities as to what might have
made him so late, and rallyiAg him on his
dullness.
II suppose it is being married to a
soldier" she said, that makes. me ac-
late for anythinr''