Water Valley progress., 1902-08-09
anything of his for quite while.

think his next book"
'He's dead, you goosew whispered
Jack, suddenly finding it necessary
to help me to the salted almonds.
"What-what's that?" said Mr..
Darling.
II was just going to remark" said
|, "tha$ his next work would proba-
bly, have been an improvement on
his earlier efforts if he had lived to
write it,
"Quite so, most certainly" he re-
piled. 'sBy the way, Miss Merrill, are
you fond of writing?"
eyes, indeed, said /, and / was per-
fectly innocent in my answer, as l
thought of my dear, new Dutch writ
ing desk in my room, with my name,
Elizabeth, carved in old English
across the top of the lid, and all those
adorable little compartments, and
the drawers stocked with tinted writ
ing paper with my monogram on it.
Why, only this very morning l had
written nine letters, just to try the
new wax, and pens and blotter, and
what fun to get the pens out of that
beautiful, unhandy little stamp box
Jack gave me.
When we got home, Jack said:
"Well, you nearly did for yourself
this time. Lucky thing l was SO near
when you started to tell all you didn't
know about Nye You were a calm
one, though, and it's the only thing
that saved you"
"But, jack" l asked, eff folks will
persist in inquiring what I think
about this, that and the other, I've
got to tell them. And why on earth
do they ask me so many terrible
questions?'
81 don't know, sis, I'm sure" he
replied. cts your misfortune to
possess an awfully clever face, and
by George, you are all right when
it comes to tight pinch, but 60 slow,
Bess, or you'll come to grief"
Jack says | ought to study French;
that every society girl who amounts
to anything must know something Of
that tongue. But somehow | never
was good at languages, though / can
understand few phrases now and
then. At the Gibson ball, the other
evening, | was almost cornered, Jack
being off duty in another part of the
room. Mr.. Darling and | were sit
ting out a dance in the conservatory,
when in came those awfully brainy
Prescott girls just bristling with
French, which they let fly at their
partners in truly horrifying man
ner.
"Parlez vous francais, aussi, made
moiselle?" said Mr.. Darling to me-
knew that Martha Prescott was
listening, with superior smile on her
face. She rather envied me for
dancing so often with a rising young
author like Mr.. Darling. Therefore
rose and, making a most sweeping
bow to my partner, / said sweetly:,
ooh, non, m'sieu! Nev-air in re
presence of him who, one day, will
make re beautiful Eeng-leesh Ian
guage to be honored far above so poor
a tongue as re Frinch Is eet not?"
''That shrug was perfectp' declared
Jack, when rehearsed this scene
for his benefit later, in our own IL
brary, "and you always were great
on those minuet-ike curtsies. What
did Darling say?"
"Well, he didn't say much of any
thing, only that he didn't deserve
any sort of tribute as a writer, but
he looked awfully pleased 2 Ian
swered, "and Miss Prescott spoke
nothing but the plainest English as
long as we were there"
1t was ordained that the very next
week should blunder into brillian-
cy, and this, without Jacks assist
ance, and wholly without any inten-
tion on my own part. Again l found