Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-05-12
CHAPTER xxvt

k1hIlEn AAfl
"Well," says Kelly, twas 1t Miss Beres-
ford?''
eyes, and her sister. I saw them back to
the boundary fence, but they would let me
| go no further. Ii was rather"
'What on earth have you got there2' SAYS
his friend, sticking his e~yeglass in his eye.
and staring with bent head and some suspi-
cion at the mysterious thing in Desmond's
arms.
"This! hol an yes." Then, desperately,
"kelly, If you laugh at IL I'll never forgive
YOU"
Mr.. Kelly drops the eyeglass and looks af-
flicted.
MY dear fellow, do Lever laugh~ he
says.
"Well, tits q cIker' says Brian, who
Tin spite of the warning Just delivered to
his friend) is now indulging in wild mirth
and can scarcely speak for laughter. "She
-Monica-heard we were boycotted, and,
thinking we were starving, the dear angell
she brought this up herself to u.s.
Desmond, I'm ashamed of you," says
Kelly, who has not moved a muscle of his
face. "Such an action as hers calls for rev.
erence, not this unseein.y gayety."
"It's not the action I'm laughing at" says
Brian, still convulsed; ats the cake. The
/ urlIUU Is ulNlIlt-lnt Cuht UOts I1PIt lit
sinks upon the garden-seat again, as IL eX-
hausted, and dries his eyes.
II see nothing TO laugh at in that, either.
II seems excellent cake, AMI, as you say,
hot" says Mr.. Kelly, prodding it meditative-
ly with his tinger,-"a merit In a cake of
this sort, | should say; and nicely Drowned,
too, as far as l can see. | can see, too, that
It is quite the biggest cake l ever made ac-
quaintance with. Ano'hcr merit! Did she
carry II herself all the wayY'
"All the way, poor darling! and just be-
cause she was afraid we should b, hungry"
Mr.. Desmond's laughter has subsidized, and
he now looks rather absent. 1T quite
weighed her down." he says, in q low tone.
Poor child! / said yesterday, you re-
member, that ] thought her one of tie incest
girls l have met. The cake has finished me.
/ think her now the incest" lie says this
with a cheerful cspscience. Between girls
and widows q deep margin lies.
But what are we 10 do with IT." says
Brian, regarding the cake, which is now ~
ing upon the garden-seat, with a puzzled ex-
preston.
"Say a repentant tenant-no, that sounds
like tautology-s say q remorseful tenant
brought il to YOU"
''That wouldn't do at ALL"
"Then say you found II in the garden"
Nonsense, Kelly they d%on'tgrotO. Think
OF something more plausible"
"Give me time, then" As he speaks he
absently breaks off a piece of the cake and
puts it in his mouth. Desmond, in quite as
distracted a manner, does likewise. Silence
ensues.
~ think the idea was so sweet" says Des-
mond. presently, his thoughts being (as they
should beg with Monica
"As honey and the honcycomb y says Mr..
Kelly, breaking off another piece, with a
far-off, rart expression.
'She said she couldn't be happy, thinking
we were hungry. Her dear heart is too big
for her body"
Her cake Is, certainly" says Mr.. Kelly;
here he takes a third enormous pinch out Of
II, and Desmond follows his example.
I'll didn't tell her we had had our din
nerS," says Brian. ut would have taken
the gloss off it,"
OFF his?" pointing TO the smoking struc-
ture between them. II don't believe it."
mo, the deed"
Another silence.
"It's a capital cake" says Mr.. Kelly, pen
sively, who has been eating steadily, since
the first bite. after all, give me a good,
ONtCl, uOIlt-Ildlt ttht llkt lIlSl Il IlOSb
bought ones aren't to be named i'm the same
day with it. There is something so light
and wholesome about a cake like this"
Wholesome y doubtfully; Il don't know
about that. What | like about it is that it
is hot and spongy. But, look here, you
haven't said yet what we are to do with i"
II think we are doing ~Uncommonly well
with it," says Kelly, breaking off another
piece.
But what are we to do with the remains,
provided we leave any, which at present
seems doubtful"
keep them, Of course. You ought to,
considering she gave 1t you whole as a pres
ent."
"You are right no one shall touch acrumb
of 1t save you and me-" says Mr.. Desmond,
as though inspired. Let us smuggle it up
to my room and keep 1t there till it is finish
ed"
IL feel as if l was at school again with q
plum-cake and a chum,' says Mr.. Kelly.
well, come and follow me with 1t now,
and distract my uncle's attention If we meet
him."
ITO my room or yours?' insinuatingly.
"To mime firmly.
"Ill take the greatest care Of il If you like
to trust ii to me-" with what Kit would GER
tainly have termed IAN obliging air"
II don't doubt you,'' sardonically. But
certainly not. 1t was given to me, and / feel
myself bound to look after it,"
'Pity we can't have it pe:rified," says Mr..
Kelly, thoughtfully. "Then you might hang
it round your neck as a trophy" At this
they both laugh. and finally the trophy, af.
ter much difficulty, is satisfactorily stored
away.
y
1t is a fortnight later, and desOlation has
overtaken Monica. Brian has passed out of
her active life, has ceased from that seeing
and hearing and that satisfactory touch that
belong to a daily intercourse with one be.
loved. Only In thought can she find him
now. He has gone upon that threatened
Journey to those detested estates of his in
Wcstmeath.
She had gone down TO the riverside to bid
him farewell, and had been calm, almost
careless, throughout the interview,-so calm
that the young mans heart had died within
him, and a latent sense Of hope deferred
had made 1t sick.
Butjust at the very last she had given way,
and had flung herself into his embrace, and
twined her arms round his neck,-dear,
clinging arms,-and had broken into bitter
weeping. And
Don't be long, Brianl don't be IOngP'
she had sobbcd, with deep entreaty, and
with such a tender passion as had shaken
all her slender frame.
So they had "kissed and kissed" and,
parted. And Desmond, though sad as man
may be at the thought hat he should look
upon her face no more for four long weeks
still left her with n bladder heart than hf
had ever known. Her tears were sweet t.
him, and in her grief he found solace fol
his owR
And, indeed, as the days flew by, they
found the pain of absence was checkered by
dreams of the reunion that lay before them
and each day, as it was born, and grew, anC