The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-01


They had FIRST met when he was thirty
seen each other since he had turned forty.
aud she had awaited herself OF her major
ity TO marry foolishly, so their early rela-
tions. If familiar, were unromantic Thanks
to the line of forebears wearing in sue
cesslon the wig OF Jurisprudence. he had
been already bald and serious when she
had cast her childs glance upon him. and
now. quarter century later. her widows
scrutiny found him much the same. save
that the frame of his badness. like his
mustache. was gray. and the seriousness
| OF his face had become gravity. almost
| sternness.
II he had charged not very greatly in
the shaded light of her own strategieally
! planned drawing room she seemed to him
to have aged not AT all The girl was
grown fun woman and indeed. widow
of forty cannot properly affect ingenious
ness; but her weeds were rather becoming
to her beauty than illuminative of her
sorrow
They we're alone. and would. intention.
ally, remain alone; for the game of hide
and seek Of chastened hearts is not to be
played in company.
/ You are hooking well" she observed
Better than when | saw you last"
The occasion to which she referred was
! her wedding breakfast: and certainly the
then captain of foot was not looking his
best that day.
Thank you. said he, nodding stifiiy;
/ I'm pretty 1T. And you-you're as well
as ever. suppose
She smiled at the awkward speech. You
are as ironical as ever, | perceive"
Me ironical." he blurted-"not l. But
1 I thouphf Won seemed so we'll and 1 re-
member you always seemed we'll Were
you not always well?"
She had not intended herself to open a
Irritation with him. but this temptation was
| Irresistible
She was silent. with fire cast eyes be-
fore she answered Yes. when you knew
me | was WELL. little pause. Since
then have not always felt so very. very
we'll" Another Erief pause. Then. as the
eyes travelled gayly from the fire TO his
face to fall demurely on his watch chain:
But you see | am quite myself again
Colonel Jemmett was entranced; wrinkles
of twenty years standing faded from his
countenance, and he tried to recall
speeches imagined before his wrinkles
came: but the futility of the phrases
crushed him now. and he said with a very
little emotion so you missed grandpapa,
after all?"
Used l 10 call you grandpapa?" she
asked; she really had forgotten it. Why
should l have called you grandpapa?"
His right hand assembled to his crown
Il think. at first, it was because of that,
he said.
She stared Because of what?" she
begged.
Colonel Jemmett writhed in his ehsir
Because of not having any hair on the
top of my head | wasn't so very bald.
don't you know" he answered.
Laughter rippled from the window. you
are avenged" she said; my own hair
is growing thin now. and I'm only thirty
nine"
In spite of himself. he started; he had
Just ordered a bracelet to be given her on
her forty first birthday.
She saw she had made a slip. and
hsstened to recover her balance. Don't
tell me you know better" she rallied him
since my birthday is in February I may
be forgiven for keeping it only in leap
year. But truly, l shall very soon have
less hair than you. Don't you believe
me?"
He shook his head ncredulously.
She deliberately loosened some half
dozen pins and took from the center of
her couture plat of not very great pro
portions. 1T is my own, she remarked !
very-not very. very WE'LL had it made |
up. Now. come and look at my bald spot"
AS one who approaches shrine, Colonel !
Jemmett did her bidding. Two OF her long
fingers diving into her hair discovered to /
him a perfectly bald disk, certainly not
bigger than a sixpenny piece; perhaps it
had been once tenanted by a coutumacious |
patch of gray.
Can you give me nothing TO make it
grow again." she asked pitifully.
Colonel Jemmett's heart futtered as he
stopped and kissed the place but the kiss
itself was reverential The widows sur
prise was divided evenly between his gal
lantry and his austerity. She wondered
what he would do next.
Il hope you are not offended with me"
he said.
"Oh. no, dear grandpapa," she answered
with a trace of malice. sit down and
tell me all about yourself: about your ex-
ploits in the East. | want to hear particu-
larly about them; for the newspaper re
ports are so stupid I never can understand
them"
"Exploits," said The colonel; II never /
had one to my name
Don't be modest with an old crony,' !
she returned. Il heard Of what you did !
in the Black Mountains-or we're they !
confess | could not make (
out exactly what it was
Upon my honor" declared the colonel. /.
Il never did anything at all.
WHAT" exclaimed the widow laugh (
ingly. You never marched from some /
place to the relief of some other place, |
carrying your guns over snow noun
tain?"
"Ah, know what you're thinking of. -
said the colonel. 1T was a man called
Whippett did that. splendid chap he is.
too: YOU really ought to know him.
The papers said you did il" persisted
the widow.
That was a confusion in the names.
Iemmett and Whippett. Whippett said
nothing about it, but it was corrected as
soon as possible
Il don't see that Jemmett and Whippetj
sound at all alike" protested the widow.
NO. but on the Geographic code They're
much the same.
How STUPID OF these horrid newspa-
)ers!" the widow calculated disgustedly.
We'll, II really was not so stupid, the
colonel argued. For it might, in sense.
nave been l. instead OF Whippett. hat did
IT,"
How do you mean asked the widow
sharply.
well. you see" replied the colonel. "a
trife nervously, Ali Pindah. where was
Ben Williamson. Who had to be relieved.
was at the apex of an isosceles triangle
Of which a line drawn between Fort Duff
erin. where Whippett was, aud Fort Mich
olson, where l was, would have been the
base"
That conveys no idea to me. returned
The widow pettishiy. cant you U.s. plain
English?''
Il mean to convey" said the colonel des
perately. that Whippett and | were equi-