Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-06-28

ScapegOat, very SupAnAoSisoAJ' OCAne 81
far down on his luck" just now as to
ronder him patient toward any indig-
,itv even when administered by a
Younger sister. So he took his scold-
tho with meekness, and made no open
snow of resistance or disapprOval,
Enough in his Utmost soul he resented
The treatment holly; only he turned
away from Mabel, and addressed him
Golf once more to his first confessor.
.Why don't you abuse me, Mildred?"
he said. Am beyond even your CEN
sure. that you refuse to say anything
harsh to me? Have you given me up
altogether? If you have, know it is
only what deserve"
Miss Trevanion moved abruptly
away from the side Of the oaken win
dow frame, against which she had
been leaning, and went up to where he
was standing, rather apart. She laid
her hand upon his shoulder.
Poor old fellow!" she said, softly;
yhereupon Eddie Trevanion, in spite
Of his twenty years, fairly broke down,
and buried his face on his arms, and
burst out crying.
This was too much even for ''the
oueen's'' stoicism; she repented her
righteous anger Immediately, and, put
ting her arms around his neck, pro-
ceeded to press her lips lovingly to the
only portion Of his ear at all visible,
while Mildred, with tears in her soft,
blue eyes, told him to cheer up and
have courage, and maybe they'd man
age it somehow, you know with
good deal more to the same purpose.
AS the girls hung round him in this
fashion, and patted the SHINING Eddie,
until a looker-on would have deemed
him suffering angel at least, Denzil
Younge sauntered upstairs in his mud
stained, scarlet coat. Entering the
slcture gallery on his way toward his
Messing room, and not seeing very
dearly, in consequence of the fast
approaching darkness, he came upon
the tableau at the end of the apart
/ ment almost before he had time to col
lect his senses.
The three figures looked gray and
/ ghost-like to his bewildered eyes. but
one thing was distinctly evident, and
81 ludl was IIuu1S AACNoAASAA p uA1AAAAoSo~AA
able distress
81 beg your pardon Denzil said
hastily. I'm awfully sorry, Miss Ire
| yanion, to have intruded in this rough
manner, but unfortunately did not
perceive you until I was quite close.
| However, as have committed my
5lunder, can may try to be OF
Eme assistance?"
Mabel looked up eagerly. Here was
e golden opportunity. Here was rich
young man with nothing on earth to
do with his money, and unquestion-
ably good-natured!
s, Gould he be of some assistance?'
OF course he could-the greatest-if
Mildred would only look up and an
swer him. Mildred did look up and
answered him-answered him very dis
tincty indeed, though scarcely in the
1 spirit that Mabel had hoped for, hav-
ID ing intercepted "the queens" glance
Il and interpreted it correctly
"You are very kind" she said, stead
LIVERY kind indeed; but this is
matter in which, I fear, you can be OF
no help to US
Let me try" he implored, eagerly.
Impossible" she returned, coldly;
you do not understand; it is case in
which no stranger can take part.
Thanks very much all the same.
Il When Miss Trevanion said that, of
course there was nothing left for the
young man to do but to bow and go
on his way, which he accordingly did,
with bitterly hurt feeling in his
breast, engendered by that one word
Stranger"
What a stress she laid on it! How
obnoxiously it had sounded as applied
by her to him. How coldly distinct had
been her voice when speaking it!
Well, it wasn't her fault, he supposed,
she was gifted with neither heart nor
gracious manner, nor anything else
tender and womanly-only with glo-
rious face and figure, which of course
did no good to any one and only made
one Where the deuce had Conner
put his brushes? That fellow was
growing more confoundedly careless
every day; and how abominably that
brute of horse he had given one hun
had taken that last water jump this
morning, just when the entire field
was looking on, too! On the whole, it
hadn't been so very pleasant day, as
he had fancied il the first heat Of the
/, moment, when it was all over and he
was discussing it during the homeward
/ ride with old Appleby. Hanged old
nuisance that old Appleby was, by the
bye!" And so on and on indefinitely
sped Denzil's reflections, while the
cause of them all stood still in the
gallery where he had left her, with
her kind little white hand> on Eddie's
shoulder.
Hadn't you better go and get your
self ready for dinner, dear?" Mildred
suggested, tenderly.
And then Eddio told her that III va 5