Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1902-03-13

/ thrown open to the street in TINS DlaAe
| of light"
"St down, Miss st. George" said the
! lady Of the house, in y mixed tone, com
pounded Of the desire TO be genial ana
please her sOn--whOse veXation had been
I very apparent at dinner through NOra's
on-appcarance--anl the desire to be
frigid aud please her daughters. How
long did you say it was since your grand
father diedT
"Two weeks" answered Nora, with an
icy stiffness in her voice.
"rwo weeks repeated Mrs. Foster,
! placidly. "Thcu think you should have
crepe on your dress-indeed, that even.
ing dress might have been entirely of
crepe. like consistency"
yes" said Nora. IL thought it would
! be inconsistent to have crepe when
could not afford it,"
at is inconsistent not to have It,"
murmurcd Mrs. Foster, looking kindly
into the girls face, though rather pub
zlel; II do not go into further particu-
! lars Has Miss Archer discovered how
very backward you areF
Yes" returned Nora, smiling, as
Helen raised her eyes for moment. "She
could not be with me two minutes with
out discovering that"
You do not seem to take the fact much
to heart" observed Genevieve, lying back
in her easy chair.
Perhaps the things we take most to
heart We talk of least" said Nora, in her
quiet, direct way.
Then are we to understand that you
do really greve over your ignoranceW
Il don't know" she answered, still
with deep consideration. Sometimes
I'm afraid that, if were not obliged to
learn, | should care to do SO; and then
sometimes I'm so ashamed that long to
learn all day and night. /"
Victoria Foster had sat down to the
piano, and dashed into brilliant waltz;
so Nora stopped, listening in silence from
that moment until the last note was
struck. Helen Archer from her distant
seat, watched the girls face and Won
dered.
Miss st. George" said Geneveve,
claiming her attention deliberately, just
as someone came into the room and APP
preached her chair, surely you play
yourself? Every girl plays in these
days"
mo. they don't, Miss Foster" contra
dicted Nora, simply, for cannot"
Then" returned Genevieve, clearly
and slowly, you sing of course"
"l--dOn't know"
Nora had been going to say she could
sing Irish ballads, and a few airs she
had picked up from Ceia-and viii, too
in the old times; but somehow, when
she had begun her answer, and Mr..
Poynz had come up to her and offered
her his hand, the warm, amused greeting
in his eyes stopped the explanation; and,
though she fancied at that moment that
possibly it might not matter whether she
could or could not sing as educated girls
did, yet the color crept into her face
when the explanation failed her.
I'm afraid you will find it very diff
cult to learn to play now," observed Vic
toria, turning on the music stool. Ones
fingers never grow nimble on the keys
unless one begins to practice quite early
in life"
And that" observed Mark, "is the
soul of music-for ones fingers to be
nmble on the keys"
Nora" said viii, in a lowered tone,
as he eagerly appropriated a seat next
to her, I've been so mad with my moth
er. When, before dinner, | just made
the time to rush into her room to ask
her how she liked you'll beg your par
don, but, of course, | knew she must like
you mmensely-she never said o word
about your sneaking out of dining with
us, l didn't enjoy the meal a bit"
Il enjoyed mine" said Nora. Miss
Archer, didn't you enjoy your teaY'
This was too much for any wel-organ-
lied family to stand, and the very mark
ed silence and stiffness which were in
tended to Quench the governess' possible
reply proclaimed the fact at once. Miss
Archer, without looking up, went on with
her knitting in her seat on the borderund:
Nora was keenly conscious of having in
voked chill upon the atmosphere; and
win moved his eyes uncomfortably I'M
der his mothers gaze.
"Dr. Armstrong
The announcement came acceptably
now, if never before within Noras men,
DRY. She greeted him just as the others
did, and then she found herself wonder
ing ut his courtly manners, never guess
ing how carefully he had studied them
for this night, when, in his own imagina-
ton, he was to stand in competition with
the man against whom the worst passions
in his nature We're ready to rise in revolt.
She watched him accost all the ladies in
their turn, and then seat himself beside
the younger Miss Foster, and entertain
her easily, in his bland, fluent way. She
saw that Will was pleased to see him.
and that Mrs. Foster smiled when he
spoke to her; and so she wondered wheth-
err she could have known Nuel all her
life, and yet have been blind to his ex-
| cellence.
CHAPTER IN.
The dingy school room in Great Cum
herland Place was very silent this morn
ing, not only because its two occupants