The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-12-22
clean-cut lips and firm jaw. and eyes
that seemed to look you through, so

clean-cut lips and firm jaw. and eyes
that seemed to look you through, so
piercing was his gaze.
Courtly and polished in manner, and
yet always giving one the idea that
one had to do with a volcano Of a man.
who might blaze out at any moment
las no doubt he had done when he sur
prised Nora in his ROOM, I judged
him to be over forty, but though pas
sion had left some lines on his face,
his glossy black hair showed never a
trace Of grey.
He greeted me pleasantly. and,
choosing for his topic Of conversation
a subject in which I was particularly
interested, he impressed me most
favorably, for he gave me the oppor-
tunity of airing my views; and confined
himself to remarks that served to
draw me out farther and farther.
There are many, I know, who would
have found too much of the French
man in him to please them; but, to
my mind, he seemed to have taken the
better part Of his nature from his
mother-that is, so far as one regarded
him specifically. Els manner may
Nave ECSu llOLIlI1lS lllOlS IAoA NAAS
but how much better this than that
he, OF anyone else for that matter,
who has an ugly exterior. should be
for ever showing 1t. I like plain,
straightforward folk: but If a man has
a temper, I think all the better Of him
IL he does not show it on any and
every occasion.
I had very little chance of speaking
to Nora alone. and indeed we exchang-
ed but a few commonplace remarks,
so as 7 kade them Good afternoon" l
could not help feeling that this legiti-
mate method Of seeing my late pupil
might be all that propriety allowed,
but that it was not half so pleasant
as when we two were together, away
yonder iii the woods.
Still, I must take the good the gods
sent me, and so I planned a little
dinner-party for a day in the following
week, and I dispatched Graves with
invitations to MI. and Miss Courtney
and friends, and to the rector and his
good lady, who had been kind enough
to lcok me up several times, and l was
delighted when the Irish party accept
I'd ell masse, and felt that ] should
get over the non-acceptance of the
Church rarity, who pleaded q previous
engagement.
Then I found that Mrs. Graves and
I had very different views with regard
to dinners in general, and this n IN
particular, and she must have such
and such help in the cooking depart
ment, and someone to wait at table be-
sides Graves, and I don't know n
paraphernalia in the kitchen to get
through her culinary efforts in a cred
liable manner I didn't stint her n any
way, and as the day drew nigh h be-
came as autocratic as If the whole
place belonged to her, and as though
the lives of all in 1t We're at her dis
posal.
Then came my first disappointment
with regard to what I intended to be
a recherche repast that should hnger
long in the minds of those who par
took of it.
Mcguire had a letter from a firm In
Edinburgh, who seemed to be nibbling
at his book, and who offered to pay his
expenses if he would go to see them,
and as this was only the day before
the great event, and as I could not
persuade him to put off starting, even
for an hour, away went with him the
fun and the witty conversation that
had looked to him to supply.
But a still greater blow was IN store
for me. It was four o'clock on the
afternoon Of the eventful day. I had
gone over the wine list, and had wor-
ried Graves until disgust was writ
my, large upon his face. I had arran-
ed anr r~e-arranged my guests at table,
and had laid my plans for their amuse-
ment afterwards, and finally had set
tied myself down to a comfortable
smoke, when I heard the bell announ-
cling a visitor, and, wondering what
caller had chosen this particular day
to look me up, I awaited the appear
ahce Of Graves with some curiosity.
""Mise Courtney, sir, wishes to speak
to you. She's in the drawing-room."
Nora! What could she want? ] had
to wait but a very short time to know,
for even before I had released her hand
she had entered into explanations.
I've brought you a letter, Mr.. Ire
mayne, from my cousin. He has had
to leave us in a great hurry, and he
hadn't been out of the house five min
utes before father went off to his club,
as he calls 1t. I could sit down and cry
my eyes out, for I've the loveliest
dress you ever saw, and he's been
bothering me all the week with his
dress clothes, getting them aired n
that, and now we sha'n't be able to
come at all. Read Maurice's letter. 1
think he's done It all to spite us. I hate
his black face and his evil eyes, and II
1t wasn't that he's spoilt it all. I'd be
glad that he's gone"
It was a most polite epistle with
which I had been favored. The writer
regretted tht his. mother had received
an urgent message calling her to the
North Of Ireland, and as the matter
did not admit of Of the slightest de-
lay, she was starting at once, and ne
must needs accompany her. as n was
not strong enough to undertake Sc
long a Journey alone, Would I there
fore accept their apologies, and believe
that the loss would be theirs, n mine!
They hoped at some future date to re-
new 80 pleasant an acquaintance. and
he was ETC.. etc.
"But why. can't you and Mr.. Court
ney Gomez" I asked.
Her face flushed as she answered me-
''I've told you,'' she said, :" where he's
gone TO. Maurice has driven him there
with some words they had. You've
servants to wait on you that don't
know his ways, and I'd die OF shame
IL they saw MIN like he will be at sew
EN- O'Clock"