Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-12-08
ONLY A SKIRMISH.

L
l have half mile to 20 after | have
dropped you, and | know the Vennekers
expect me TO De punctuai."
The porter at Blessingham chambers
had hanson at the door, and they got
into it quickly and drove off-two men
who had lived together for ten years and
knew each other well enough to do with
out conversation on trivial topics. After
a minutes or two, however, one Of them
| became unusually laxative. Saw an
old fame of yours TO-DAY, Dick"
80 did L.
The deuce you did, The vennekers
used to know her, didn't they? / don't
| suppose they can raise dinner party in
the slack season without asking all their
| friends. You'll meet her there tonight"
II shall"
Dick Templar," said his friend,
| you're a secretive devil. Two years ago
your worried me with all your lamenta-
| tons over the girl till | got sick of her
name. Each time you proposed TO her
you told me what you said and what she
said when she refused Won; and now she
comes to London as the wife of the other
fellow, and you slip off to tea with her,
instead of coming to the club TO play
whist-you know that is where you were,
so don't deny it.-and You say not a
blessed word about it. Not even to me.
May ask what is the difference between
your feelings for Miss Rose Casterton
and your feelings for Mrs.-Mrs. Rose
"O'Brien; husbands q captain in an
Irish regiment. He'd need 10 be with
such name" grunted Dick Templar.
I'm Africa"
"Phew! Poor devil. And you told me
nothing, about it! What makes the diff
ference!-fOr YOU are different.
Don't be a goat answered Dick.
Il am not different. There was nothing
to tell. that's all. I've called on her
twice, and she remembers that she liked
me, rather, and-she is glad to see some
one she knows and can talk to-she qaite
! forgets how | loved her. She will never.
understand how | love her still II Gofi
mind telling you all this old chnp-all
she talks about and thinks about is her
| husband. It's what Pat saws and what
Pat does and what Pat thinks about
everything. and she looks at his photo
graph all the time if You can't get her
with her back TO it. She's safe enough
and so am /, for that mGtter. | feel just
the same-only different, you know
Time heals"
Time makes the wound tester. | love
her more than ever. ! hate meeting her,
| but I'm so fond Of her | can't even hate
/ ner Husoauu Wnen She talks about nm,
/ | believe I'd bring him back to her if
/ | could, just TO make her happier"
/ Poor old Dick! What a good chap
| you are. Here's my dinner waiting for
me and brougham in front Of the door.
/ so I'm not late"
He got out and Dick Templar opened
the little trapdoor in the roof and shout
ed to the cabman 10 drive fast.
/ The Nennekers live somewhere north
of the Marylebone road, in n quiet ter
race of big houses There was no car
rage at their door. A hanson was the
only vehicle in the Terrace, driving slow
~ Oft, with the man in the dckey eNam-
ming the fare that had just been paid
him as If he were dissatisfied with the
quahty as well as the quantity of the
coins. Dick wondered if Mrs. O'Brien
mad driven alone in the cab in front of
him all the way from Elbury street, paid
his fare and jumped out
\ small boy had strayed up with a
bundle of evening papers, but trade was
slack, and he dashed forward. apparent
" with the forlorn hope that something
might be gained by helping an able-bod-
led gentleman late for dinner to alight
flonl hanson cab. Dick Templar
pushed him on one side, ran up the steps
and rang the bell.
The footman who should have opened
the door must have been carrying in the
soup. for no one came for fully a minute
Dick tapped his foot impatiently on the
white doorstep and Scowled at the small
boy half hidden behind an orange con
tents bill.
Killed and Wounded at Battersberg,
Official List" was the most prominent
item of news promised by the bill.
Dick tried in vain to remember what it
was that had happened some days before
at Battersberg-wh whether the Beers had
captured convoy or saved their own
guns and decamped, and, as no one came
TO the door, he held out a penny 10 the
small boy and rang again.
The Official List was plain enough
IN the Stop-PreSS kilograms; Dick had
found it before the footman opened the
door.
Yes, sir?" said the man aloud. TO at
tract the attention OF the gentleman.
Dick was keeping dinner party of fully
twenty people waiting in the drawing
room while he read the newspaper.
Officer killed: Capt. @. e. O'Brien,
Dublin FuSiliers." That was what he
had read; one or two other names fol-
lowed. but nc did not see them. Mechan-
ically he folded the paper and thrust IL
deeu into the pocket Of the overcoat
which the tootman was taking from him
as rapidly as he could
You are late. and | have had no one 10
bring me downstairs" said a voice that
brought Dick to himself with a start.
They had resolved 10 go into dinner with
out him, and he had been standing i'm the
hall staring at them in a dazed way. al
most without acknowledging his host :
MOI. as they all filed by. until Mrs.
O'Brien came past alone She siinpeG
her arm into his, and he went in. vague.
~ wondering what it was he had to do.
with the widow OF man forty-eight
hours dead prattling beside him about
the heat and the flowers. twittins him
with triviahtieS as 20 what might have
made him 50 late, and rallying him on his
dullue>S.
Il suppose it is being married 10 n
soldier she said. that makes me ac-
eu>'omed to punctuality. PAT is never
late fer anything"
1t was the first time she had mentioned
her husband 10y name that evening. and