Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-10-20

these tort1llas, NOM knOW--wlth ST.
gar and cinnamon sprinkled on top
and | tied on an apron, and brought
'em up to you On a tray with a glass
OF that old Catalan wine you used
to like. Then / sorter felt frightened
when l got here and I didn't hear any
noise, and ] put the tray down in
the hall and peeped in and found you
asleep. Sit still, I'll fetch EN-"
She tripped out into the passage,
returning with the tray which she put
OH the table beside Clarence, and then
standing back a little and with her
hands tucked soubrette fashion in the
tiny pockets of her apron, gazcd at
Linn with a mischievous smile.
1t was impossible not to smile back
as he nibbled the crisp Mexican cake
and drank the old mission wine. And
Susy's tongue trilled an accompani-
ment to his thanks.
Lord! it seems SO nice to be here
just you and me, Clarence--like i'm
the old days-with noboy naggin' and
snoopin' round after you. Don't be
greedy, Clarence, but give me a cake"
She took one and finished the dregs
of his glass.
Then, sitting on the arm of his
chair, she darted a violet ray of half
reproaeh and half mlschievousness In
TO his amused and Retrospective eyes.
There used to be room for two in
that chair, Klarus."
The use of the old childish diminu-
tive for his name seemed to him as
natural as her familiarity, and he
moved n little sideways to make room
for her with an instinct of pleasure,
but the same sense of Irresponsible
ty that has characterized his reflec-
tons. Nevertheless, he looked crit
ically into the mischieyous eyes and
said, quietly:
"Where is you husband""
There was no trace of cmbarrass-
ment, apology or even of conscious
ness in her pretty face, as she re-
piled, passing her hand lightly
through his hair:
ooh, Jim?-l've packed him Off"
Packed him off" echoed Clarence,
slightly astonished.
"Ies-to Fair Plains-full tilt after
your wife's buggy. You see, Clarence,
after the old cat-that's your wife,
please-left, | wanted to make sure
she had gone, and wasn't hangin'
round to lead you off again, with your
leg tied to her apron string like a
chickens. Mol said to jim: Just
you ride after her until you see she's
safe and sound in the down coach
from Fair Plains, without her know
in it, and il she's inclined to hang
back or wobble any, you post back
here and let me know!' ! told him /
would stay and look after you, to see
you didn't bolt, tool" She laughed
and then added. "But | didn't think
/ should fall into the old ways so
soon, and have such n nice time. Did
you, Clarence?"
She looked so irresponsible sitting
there with her face near his, and so
chiidishly or perhaps thoughtlessly
happy, that he could only admire her
levity, and even the slight shock that
her fippant allusion to his wife had
given him seemed to him only n
weakness of his own. After all was
not hers the true philosophy Why
should not these bright eyes see
things more clearly than his own?
Nevertheless, with his eyes still fixed
upon them. he continues:
And jim was willing to go?"
bllt CIoDDNhs Will llNI IhlSClS elll
lifting a lock of his hair. "Why, yes,
you silly-why shouldn't he? I'd like
to see him refuse. Why, Lord, Jim
will do anything ask him." She put
down the lock of hair, and suddenly
looking full into his eyes said:
That's just the difference between
him and me and you and-that wo-
mani"
"Then you love him?'
about as much as you love her."
she said, with an unaffected laugh,
''only he don't wind me around his
finger"
mo doubt she was right, for all her
thoughtlessness, and yet he was GO
ing to fight about that woman to-
morrow! No!-he forgot-he was go-
ing to fight Captain Pinckney be-
cause he was like her!
Susy had put her finger on the
crease between his brows which this
supposition had made, and tried to
rub it out.
"You know it as well as | do, Clar-
ence," she said, with n pretty wrink-
ling of her w brows, which was her
nearest approach to thoughtfulness.
You know you never really liked her,
only you thought her ways were
grander and more proper than mine,
and you know you were always n lit
tie bit of a snob and a prig, too, dear
boy! And Mrs. peyton was-bless
my soul!-a Benham, and a planters
daughter, and II was only a picked
up orphan! That's where Jim is bet
ter than you. Now, sit still, goosey!
even if | don't like him as much.
Oh, 1 know what you're always think
ing-you're thinking we're both ex-
aggerated and theatrical-ain't you?
Don't you think it's a heap better
to be exaggerated and theatrical
about things that are just SEN
timental and romantic than to be
SO awfully possessed and over
come about things that IRE only real?
There, you needn't stare at me so.
It's true! You've had your fill of
grandeur and propriety, and-here
you are! And" She added, with q lit
tie chuckle, as she tucked up her feet
and leaned a little closer to him,
"here's mel"
He did not speak, but his arm quite
unconsciously passed around her
small waist. you see, Clarence she
went on, with equal Inconsistencies
of the act, "you ought never to have
let me go-never! You ought to have
kept me here, OF. run away with me.
And you oughtn't to have tried to
make me proper. And you oughtn't
to have driven me to firt with that
horrid Spaniard, and you oughtn't to
been SO horribly cold and severe
when | did. And you oughtn't to
have made me take up with Jim, who
was the only one who thought me his
equal. l might have been very silly
and capricious; / might have been
very vain, but my vanity isn't a bit
worse than your pride-my love of
praise and applause in the theater
isn't a bit more horrid than your
fears of what people might think of