River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-07-09

they are mostly dispensed with by has
associates. Just the man L
would like to know. He is
probably going on visit to that aris
tocratic English colony in the Tennes-
see mountains founded by that son of
that Lady Somebody or other, al
though the mans own title is merely
'honora ble,' being a younger son only"
Now, while the lady was thus agree
ably engaged in sizing up the Person
able Man he had as evidently been
reciprocating the attention, a fact
which did not strike her until she had
encountered his eyes and each had
hastily carried the gaze on to some
other object a number of different
times.
She forced herself to sit motionless
while she collected her thoughts and
decided what to do next.
81 begin to see where the trouble
lies and must reason a way out" she
went on. "To become a Mrs. Aber-
crombie, of Georgia, is tantamount-
in the state of Georgia-to becoming
princess, is it? 1t has either given
me what they call the big head down
there or it has scared me into imbecil-
ity-lilse the timid child, bid show
himself off. All, have
practical idea at last. Per-
haps if L throw away my man of the
sea- l may be able to rise to the occa-
sion. A princess travels in
cognito. will do the same"
No sooner said than done. With a
gracious air all her own, the young
woman got up and requested the Per-
sonable Man to turn the seat.
He did so with alacrity.
Then she found herself saying:
envy name is Mrs. Wilfred Percy
apparently the name said itself)
perhaps an exchange of cards would
facilitate"
She got no further, for she suddenly
recollected that the visiting cards of
! Mrs. Thomas Abercrombie could
scarcely be rendered available for the
use of Mrs. Wilfred Percy. More
over, the sight of the effect upon the
PersOnable Man of what she had al
ready said would have arrested her in
her wild career, anyway; for in the
moment before he could pull himself
together she had detected upon his
speaking countenance mild contempt,
following unbounded amazement, to
be Immediately displaced by an i'll
concealed smile of amusement, Is he
pretended to be making a vigorous
search for his card to avoid looking
at her until he had regained compos-
ure.
ooh, have used the name of some
one he knows! He despises me for a
fraud; he is laughing in his sleeve all
the time. The horrid thing!"
she reflected miserably. "Where did
l get the name, anyway? Inever heard
it in my life. 1t belongs to somebody
who is known to this man."
By this time her vis-a-vis had both
himself and his card in hand.
In a voice from which all objection
able features had been carefully elm
mated, and without a CLEAN of the
amusement which he must have been
actually scarce able to conceal, he be-
gan tentatively watching the effect as
he proceeded:
81 fear, my dear Mrs.-a-er-Percy
that I have greatly discomposed you
by my-er-ill-conceal astonish-
ment-my-ah-I may say, rather sur
prising demeanor. Before you con-
denim me-my conduct-utterly-you
must listen to my explanation of it.
Actually"-he broke off with an at
tempt at a laugh-"I am half afraid to
give YOU my card until | have shown
YOU the name plates on my travelling
things. Really, / am at loss whether
to believe that-ah! l beg your par
don!-I see by your expression that |
must prepare you for a revelation
which will surprise you as much as it
did me-" He laid down the card and
reached up for the Gladstone bag, silk
| hat, and handsome umbrella.
The eyes of the wretched woman had
| fallen on the bit of pasteboard on the
seat, and, having done so, she saw
nothing, heard nothing, further.
She recalled peculiar pricking SEN
sation of few moments before-like
Farradic electricity = and realized
that it was a case of telepathiC
sympathy. The two had been think
ing the same thoughts-the name was
on the end of the mans tongue, so to
speak. But it was not possible to ex-
plain this. And meanwhile she was
| open to a, serious misinterpretation
which froze the blood in her veins and
rendered her eyes as immovable in
their sockets as if they had been in
the head of a china image-or better
corpse. She felt like corpse, anc
she fervently wished she were corpse
Then she heard herself saying, in ar
unnatural voice:
"Ah, a remarkable coincidence"
1t certainly was "a remarkable coin
cidence"; for the bit of bristol boarc
and no doubt the silver name plates
-(she had not looked at them)-bort
this legend:
i HONORABLE WILFRED PERCY.
OBTAINS DnCTAT DANVS