The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-04-09
! BEHIND THE SCREEN. {
a Hdle Of Harmless EEaTGSlI1Dping.
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hasn't come yet?'
"Yes'm, and they said they'd wait.
I've shown thcm into the drawing
room"
Very well, I shall be down in a
moment"
"The gentlemen tcld me rot to dis
turb you, but I thought you would
like to know they were here
Thank you. Mary"
"Wiil the gentlemen stay to dinner?
"No, Lcpe-l r.can l think not.
You may sound TIC song a. the usual
time. Don't forget, please"
Nom, won'G forget" and Mary
smiled significantly to herself as she
retired to the kitchcn. This would
not be the f-ct time she had been
called up?a to sound the dinner gong
at Holly Lodge as a gentle hint to
visitors that it was time for them to
so.
Nary had discovered long ago, that
hospi, ality to masters friends was
not one Of her young mistress vir-
tues.
And I dent blame her, neither"
said Mary to herself; its only nat
up-al she shouldn't want them always
hanging around and taking masters
attention eff CT herself, and she only
married six months
Mrs Mowbray gave a little pctu'
lent sigh.
Il suppose I must she murmurcd,
addressing her looking glass with a
frown. And then she began to smile,
half reluctantly, at the face she saw
reflected there.
1t was a pretty face. The frown
clouded the prettiness, but the smile
made it bewitching. Yet Mrs. Now
bray frowned almost as often as she
smiled. But then things happened to
annoy her.
Harry was >oear boy, OF course,
but-well he certainly had his faults.
What made him so late tonight, for
instance? Surely he hadn't gone Off
again to play chess with that hcrrld
Bob Jollibois, as he did only the other
week.
But, no, he wouldn't be so selfish
and horrid when he knew perfectly
well how unhappy 1t would make her
She had told him so when he came
home at $50 o'clock the o;her night,
and he had vowed never to do it again.
Harry was man of his word; she
would say that for him. He had
promised before they were married
to give up that hateful volunteering
and football that always took up so
much of his time, and he had kept his
promises so lar. though she was quite
sure Bob Jollihois ard the others were
doing their best to tempt him to break
it.
What was keeping him this evening?
She had never felt quite easy in her
mind since she found cut that Harry
was still a member Of the Jackday
club. He had agreed with her when
she declared that married man with
a comfortable homo of his own had
no business to 90 to a club, but all
the same be had not resigned his
membership. He had explained to her
that it would be shabby 70 do so, and
that paying a subscription to club
was a mere matter of form. He had
never been near the place since, it is
true. Still, she would have been hap
pier had he severed his connection
with the Jackdaws altogether.
The club was link with his bach
elor days, in which she had had no
part, and resented it as such.
The two men waiting down stairs
were links of the same sort. They
had know larry when he was still a
stranger to her, and they would talk
to him Of things that had happened
before he had ever met her. 1t made
her feel vaguely aggrieved. She would
not have admitted it in so many words,
but it always panied her a little to
think that Harry could ever have had
any absorbing interests and thoughts
outside of herself.
Though she laughed to herself, she
liked to cherish a delusion which
Harry's friends always seemed to de-
stroy-to wit, that Harry's life had
been a dead and dreary blank before
she came into it.
Mrs. Mowbray seized her silver.
backed air-brush-Harry's latest
present-and administered half doz-
en- impatient and quite unnecessary
dabs to her pretty, fluffy hair.
81 suppose l must" she sighed
again, and tripped lightly downstairs,
prepared to be civil to her husbands
visitors.
Poor cid Mowbray! Take warning
by him, Bundy, and don't get mar
ried."
81 don't mean to. But hey about
yourself, eh?'
"Oh, Nell's one in thousand She's
not like Mrs. Mow-but, I say. l sup
pose one mustn't abuse a mars wife
in his own house. And daresay she's
a charming little woman, really-but a
bit jealous. Anyway, he adores her
Evidently. A man must be pretty
far gone to give up everything, as
Mowbray does. You don't think he'll
come to the smoker?"
"No-I'm afraid he won't. Since
he's been married he can't be induced
to spend an evening away from her
Poor old Mowbray. He's bound tc
get tired of it."
"Yes, q man wants little change
even if he's married an angel. Human
nature cant stand monotony."
adams relying on Mowbray tc
sing. The fellows will be horribly dis
appointed if he doesn't
$50 will Mowbray himself. He used
to be uncommonly keen on it. o.
course, he'll refuse, simply because
he's afraid of hurting his wife's feel
irgs."
1T strikes me he's carrying devo
ton a bit too far. Why. he seems K
have thrown over every blessed thing
he ever cared for. The Growers are
I 1Nc,