The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-03-26
; BEHIND THE SCREEN. !
A Tale Of Harmless EaYGSdrOpping.

.D;dr't yuu tell them, Mr. MowDray
hasn't cone yct?
.ycs.m and they said they'd wait.
..hnvn them into the drawing
room
moment" :.
..TI,, gentlemen told me not to dis,
turb YOU, but thought you would
Iino tn know they were here"
"Thank YOU, Mary
"Will tho gentlemen stay to dinner?'
"No. horc--l mean | think not.
You may sound the gong at the usual
time. Don't forget, please
"No'm. | won't forget And Mary
smiled Significantly to herself as she
retired TO tic kitchen. This would
not be the frs; time she had been
called anon 10 sound the dinner gong
n, Holly Lodge as gentle hint to
visitors tina, il was time for them to
go.
Mary had discovered long ago, that
hospitality 10 "master's friends" was
not one OF Icr young mistress vir-
tucS.
And dent blame her, neither"
said Mary % herself; Its only nat
upral she shouldn't want them always
hanging around and taking masters
attention eff of herself and she only
married six months"
Mrs MOwhray gave little petu.
lent sigh.
Il suppose | must" she murmurcd.
addressing her looking glass with a
frown And ,hCn she began to smile,
half Reluctantly, at the face she saw
reflected thor".
1t was a pretty face. The frown
clOudcd rhc Nrcttincss, but the smile
made it i"wi'cning. Yet Mrs. Now
bray frownod almost as often as she
smiled Bat CHgn things happened to
annoy her.
Harry "as Il dear boy, of course,
bnt-w"!!. be certainly had his faults.
Wha, made MIN SO late tonight. for
instance? surely he hadn't gone off
again to play chess with that horrid
Bob JollibCis, as he did only the other
week.
But. no, he wouldn't be SO selfish
and hOrrd when he knew perfectly
we'll how unhappy it would make her.
She had told him so when he came
homo at $50 o'clock the other 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 Oi his time. and he had kept his
THOmiscs so ar. though she was quite
sure Fob .Ic.lihois and the others were
doing 'h"!r best to tempt him to break
1t.
What vas keeping him this evening?
, S5.c had never felt quite easy in her
mind sine" snc found out that Harry
was still a mcmbcr of the Jacliday
club. He had agreed with her when
she declared tnat a married man with
y comfortable home of his own had
no business 30 20 TO a club, but all
tho same he had not resigned his
membership. lie had explained to her
that it would be shabby 20 do so, and
that paying q subscription to q club
was a mere matter o! form. He had
never been near Tic place since, it is
true. Stil! she would ave been hap.
pier had he severed 'Nis connection
with ihC jarNGaWs alt )Gcther
The club W&S a link with his bach
e!Or days. in which she had had no
part. ana resented it as such.
The two n"n waiting down stairs
were links OF tho same Sorj They
had knew ls@r:E when he was still a
- foil
to him OF thugs that had happened
before he had ever met her. 1t made
her feel vaguely aggricvcL. She would
not have admitted it in SO many words
but ii always panied her a little to
think that Harry could ever have had
any absorbing interests and thoughts
outside Of herself.
ThoLgh 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 drcary blank before
she came into it.
Mrs. Mowbray seized her silver
backed ir-brush-Harry' latest
present-and administered half a doZ
en- impatient and quite unnecessar,
dabs to hcH pretty, fluffy hair
L suppose | must" she sighe,
again, and tripped lightly downstairs
prepared to be civil to her husband.
visitors
Poor old Mowbray! Take warnin,
by him, Bundy, and don't get mar
ried." e0' MAJ
p don't mean to. But how abou
yourself, chg" '
On, Nclfs one in thousand Sho,
not like Mrs. Mow-but, 7 cav nur
pose one mustn't abuse a mans wif |
in his own house. And daresav shn, hl,
charming little woman, reallv- H.,
bit jealous. Anyway, he adores hou
"Evidently. A man must be nrot,
far gone to give up everything q
Mowbray does. You don't think he'
come to the smokcr?"
"No-I'm afraid he won't Sinc
he's been married he can't be induce
to spend an evening away from her
Poor cid Mowbray. He's bound
get tired Of it,
Yes. man wants a little chang
even II he's married an angel. Huma
nature can't stand monotony."
~ RI n ",