Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-03-31

A LOVE STORY OF MODERN DAYS.

see many princes il you stay In Ireland, /
fancy; they don't banker after the SOIL"
Poor Ireland!' says Mrs. Bohun.
"And compliments, / should say, will be
almost as scarce"
"Ah! now,u there You are wrong; they fly
beneath these murky skies. We absolutely
revel i'm them. What true Irishman but has
one tripping freely from his mouth on the
very smallest chance? And then, my dear
Hernia, consider, are we not the proud
possessors of the blarney-stone?'
II wish, dearest, you would bring your
self to think seri sisly Of Ros5moyne."
~ do think seriously of him. 1t would be
impossible to think Of him in any other way,
he is so dull and pompous."
ale would make an excellent husband"
IL have had enough of husbands. They
are very unsatisfactory people. And be-
sides"
''Wel.?'
"Rossmoyne has a temper"
"And forty thousand a year"
"Not good enough"
IF you are waiting for al angel, you will
wait forever. All men are"
ooh, Hernia! really, ! can't listen to such
naughty words, you know. really wonder
at your
Il wasn't going to say anything of the
kind" says Hernia, with great haste, not
seeing the laughter lurking in Olga's dark
eyes. Il merely meant that"
Don't explain don't" says Olga; Il
couldn't endure any more OF it," And she
laughs aloud.
"Rossmoyne Is very devoted to You. Is
there anything against him, except his tenn
peru
Eyes, his beard. Nothing would induce
me to marry n man with hair all over his
face. 1t isn't clean"
Give him five minutes and a razor, and
he might do away with it."
Give him five minutes and a razor, and
he might do away with himself too says
Olga, p~rovokingly. Really, | think one
thing would please me jest az much as the
other"
ooh, then, you are bent on refusing him?'
says Hernia, calmly. With very few peo-
pie does she ever lose her temper; with
O.ga-ncvcr.
~ am not so sure Of that, at ALL" says
Olga, airily. at is quite within the posi-
bilities that | may marry him some time or
othcr,-SoOner or later. There is a delight
ful vagueness about those two dates that
gives me the warmcst encouragement"
1T is n pity you cannot be serious ono
times SAYS Mrs. IIerrick, mildly.
A little hand upon her gown saves further
eXpos,ulatiOn. a little face looking up with
n certainty of welcome into hers brings
again that wonderful ~softness into Hermia's
eyes.
rs it you, my sweetest?' she says, fOndly.
"And where have YOU been? / have watch
ed in vain for you for the last half-hour, my
EFay."
Il was in the dining-roOm. But nurse
called mc;and now have come toSay good
night" says the child.
Goodnight, then, and God bless you, my
chick. But where IS my Georgie?'
"Imhere," says George, gleefully, spring
ing upon ner in q violent fashion, that one
would have believed hateful to the calm
Hernia, yet is evidently most grateful to
her. She embraces the boy warmly, ndlets
her eyes follow him until he is out of sight.
Then she turns again to the little maiden at
her side.
81 must go with George" says the child.
$50 you shall. But first tell me-, what
have you got in your hand?'
Something to go to bed with. See, mann
my! 1t is a pretty red plum" opening her
delicate pink fist, for her mothers admira-
ton.
"Where did you get it, darling"
an the din'ng-roOm.'
Prom Lord R~ossmoyne"
"No. From Mr.. Kelly. | would not have
the one Lord Rossmoync gave me-
Olga laughs miSchieyously, and Mrs. Her.
rick colorS.
"Why?' she says.
Because | like Mr.. Kelly best"
"And what did you give him?'
"Nothing."
"Not even a k,Ss?' says Olga.
NO." somewhat shamefacedly.
"lIer mothers own danghtcr!' says Olga,
caressing the child tenderly, but laughing
still. "A chilly MORTAL
Goodnight, my own," says Hernia, and
the child, having kissed them both again,
unS away.
Olga follows her with wistful eyes.
II almost wish l had had a baby?' she
says.
"You? Why, you can'ttake care of your
self You are the least fitted TO have a
child of any woman | know. Leave all such
charges to stain people like me. Why, you
are a baby at heart, yourself, this moment
THAT would be no drawback. 1t would
only have created sympathy between me
and my baby. | would have understood all
her bad moods and cOndoned all hel
crimes"
"If you had been a mother, you would
have had Il very naughty child"
Il should have had a very happy child, al
least" Then she laughs. Fancy me with
a dear little baby!' she says,-''a thing al
my own, that would rub its soft cheek
against mine and love me better than any
thingp'
And rumple all your choicest Partisan
gowns, and pull your hair to pieces.
couldn't fancy it at ALL
Here the door opens TO admitthe men, The
celestial half-hour after dinner having cont
to an end. With one consent they all con
verge toward the window, where Olga ano
Hernia are standing with Monica, who haC
joined them to bid goodnight to little Fay
Miss Fitzgerald, who has returned TO the
drawing-room freshly powdered, seeing how
the tide runs, crosses the room too, and min
giles with the group In the window.
"How long you have been! We feared
you dead and buried" she says to Kelly
with elephantine p~'ayfulneSs.
1--WE have, indeed. / thought the Othe'
men would never stir. Why did you no
give me the chance of leaving them? TIL,
faintast suggestion that yoU wanted M,
would have brought me here hours ago."
IF l had been sure of that, | should havI
sent you a message 1t would have saved m,
a lecture" says Olga, flashing a smile a
Hernia.
II should diseain to senda message say
| the proufBella. II would not compel an,
mans presence. Come if you will; sta.
away if you won't is my motto; and | can
not help thinking | am right"
''You are, indeed, quite right. Coercion il
of small avail in some cases" says O,ga, re
garding her with the calm dignity of on
who plainly considers the person addressed
of very inferior quality indeed.
"A woman can scarcely be too jealous o
her rights nowadays" says Miss Fitzgerald
IF she has a proper knowledge of her posi-
ton, she oughtto guard it carefully"