New Ulm review., 1901-01-16
II couldn't help laughing at him. ].

skilled in millinery. I thought en-
gineering was in your line He
looked silly, and fattered, too.
was repeating what my moth
er said,' he apologized. 'Besides,I con-
fess I take an interest in everything
connected with Nannette. If you had
such a beautiful woman as that be-
longing to you, I dare say you'd take
an interest in the way she was at
tired, wouldn't you?'
81 admitted that I might.
''We heard, too, that Miss Averill
was studying French and music and
some other things. She became an
enthusiastic horse woman and she
took up with her social opportunities
with enthusiasm. Word came about
the trousseau that was being pre-
pared. There was an excitement
about. Tom wherever you met him.
He was an enviably happy man. He
seemed to take such an interest in
all the incidents of his romance as a
girl might, and at the same time his
love appealed to him like a religion.
Well, 20 of us went to see him off on
shipboard, and we each sent a souyen-
ir of CapetoWn to Miss AverilL Mrs.
Henly sent up a great chest of linen,
and old friends of the girl added
their remembrances. We all waited
with curiosity to hear the details Of
the wedding, and the day set for it
we were quite a sentimental lot. You
know how hideously homesick a man
gets away at the ends Of the earth
like that, and everyone of us drew
mental picture Of the old hall, and
the church, and the people and the
beautiful bride, and Toms insane
down and brought no mail. At first
we thought the Curzons were simply
too happy to write, and we didn't
resent their selfishness particularly.
But as time went by and still no word
came, and no account of the wedding
appeared in the society papers which
came to Mrs. Henly, we began to grow
anxious. Finally, our gifts came back
to us without comment and each one
was dispatched from New York.
Then we knew there had been trag-
edy, but the nature of it did not come
to us for some time.
"This was what had happened to
poor Tom. He reached Southampton
in a furore of expectation, his we'd
ding but three days away, and was
met by telegram from his brother.
This is what it said: You asked me
to take care of Nannette. I have
done so and I am going to do so for
life. We will be married by the time
this reaches you. Try to forgive us.
We could not live without each 9TH
err"
ing the tale.
''Poor devil!" I sighed. 81 under
stand now why his eyes narrow with
suspicion when anything affectionate
is said to him.
ssWell, the wretch never went near
home. He took steamer for New
York and never crossed the Atlantic
again. His father and mother were
hurrying down to meet him, but he
didn't know that, and got away few
hours before they arrived. They
fairly raked the world before they
found him; and they did so at last,
through an account of a big bridge
he put up across the Columbia. Then
they sent word to him that his broth
er Norman, who was the elder, had
been disowned by them because of
his treacherous conduct, and that
his brothers place and fortune were
awaiting him at home. He wrote to
them very tenderly, asking to be for
given for having neglected them so
long, but said that he couldn't return.
He added that he had married an
American girl who did not care about
leaving her own country.
''The truth was, Curzon had gone
into matrimony in a perfunctory way.
He wanted a home, and a wife was
the first constituent of it. You know
Mrs. Curzon, I think? A very brave
woman, and digniied one. She
never lets Curzon's sneers irritate
her. She is above suspicion in every
act of her life, and if he likes to
suspect her of any motive not above
board, so much the worse for him.
She's independent in a way, but she's
devoted to him, too. She knows that
Curzon's people are not well inclined
toward her and that her husband has
never taken the pains to give them
a pleasant idea of her. But she's
too busy living her life to worry.
In fact, she's my idea Of well-bal-
anced woman. But Curzon doesn't
appreciate her. suppose he can't
get the angelic face of Nannette Aver
i'll out of his mind''
"Mrs. Curzon looks much more at
tractive to me than an angel" I in
terpolated. ga good, wholesome,
high-spirited, humorous, kind-heart-
ed woman. I wish Toms people could
see her and her boys
eyes. Tom refused to take cent
of his brothers money, you know.
It's still waiting for him.
''You never heard what became Of
Norman Curzon and his wife?''
ssNO They 1nft Fnr1an1 r hove