The Opelousas courier., 1902-04-26
" were in the west-bound cars.

radiant, expectant and happy, going te
| the club, and sure Of the OLD camera
derie, when Ingham, seeking for q
topic, said:
by the way, Miss Marie"
"Just Marie will do" she corrected.
"All right, Marie; but talking OF
Hughes-you said he was on to-night's
programme you remember the medal
he got for that essay junior year?'
Eyes, indeed; it was about woman,
wasn't it,"
"Well, yes; about mothers-the title
was THE Christian Mother How did
you like that?"
"It was grand! Don't you remember
how everybody carried on over it!
Why, I never did take any interest in
| Char-Mr. Hughes till he delivered
that grafton. Don't you know how
mamma cried ver it? 1t was a glor'
ious thing! I never suspected he had
so much soul, did you?"
"Wel he never had, as a matter of
fact" whispered Joe Ingham, handing
the conductor a dime. ''Fact is, I wrote
that Grafton myself, wrote 1t for him
because he was eaten up with a desire
Erget a medal. You know he never
had much ability, and his fasser was
everlastingly nagging him to distin-
guish himself. He did distinguis him
self that night-wRh my oratidA I
don't begrudge him the honor, bu{ he
never showed me any gratitude. On
the contrary, he. always boosted t lat
no man of '99fGould have written such
a masterpiece"
"Why, joe" said Marie, eominsi
closer, and with her face drawn and
her eyes abroad. "Joe, you don't mean
it? Why, it wasn't honest; 1t was a
fraud; surely Charley Hughes wouldn't
have stopped"
"Oh! 1t was all right to palm off the
grafton, Marie, but it was the way he
acted afterward that hurt me. You
know the last time he was at Creston
he never SO much as called to see me-"
And little Marie, wondering and fut-
tered, waited till they were off the car
before she said:
"Joe, I'm sorry I didn't know you
and Mr.. Hughes were on bad terms.
I've promised to let him escort me
home tonight, and"
"Why didn't he take, you to the en-
tertainment also?" Mr.. Ingham was
nettled.
"He said he'd be too busy-a lawsuit
or something. Oh, he's dreadfully
busy, Joe. But I told him I'd go to
supper with him afterward and-and-
I hope you'll not be offended"
"Not at all, Marie" he said coldly.
$50 ahead. I'm accustomed to getting
left"
And poor Marie was most unhappy
when they entered the crowded hall.
The usher could not find two chairs to-
gether for them, SO Marie sat in the
front row and Joe Ingham, in a sullen
mood, sat three rows behind her. When
the time came for Charles Hughes to
appear the chairman of the meeting
stepped forward and said:
"The next number on the program is
a paper by Mr.. Charles Hughes. the
eminent young lawyer. Is Mr.. Hughes
in the house?"
There was a hustle about the doors
and directly Mr.. Hughes-"Stupidity"
Hughes, as the college boys used to
call him, entered and rushed forward
with a great show of hustle. He
mounted the stage, took a sip Of water
and said:
Ladies' and gentlemen of the Brown
ing Club, friends and fellow citizens:
| have been SO busy with numerous
new and old law cases within the past
few days that I've been unable to pre-
pare a set address. However, in a few
moments of leisure this afternoon I
dashed off a little paper, entitled The
Mother"
around and her blue eyes hlazed when
Joe Ingham smiled a knowing smile.
Then Mr.. Hughes, "the eminent young
lawyer" launched into the resonant
and rounded periods of his "dashed-of''
address.
.
Joe and Marie met in the crush at
the door when the show was over. Mr.. |
Hughes was yet the lion Of the dissolv-
ing audience. Women were weeping
as they shook his hand.
swell, goodnight, Marie" said Joe |
with a quizzical look in his eyes.
was 1t your oration?" she whis-
pered, looking resentfully at the crowd
about Hughes.
"Word for word" answered Joe.
lets go home, Joe, DEAR" she MUIR
INJURED.
And when the orator of the evening
for the praise that was to be the
breath of his nostrils the hall was