Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-02-27

"Isnt this" she said, Ito do with the
city and not Park lane? AS Mrs. Shelf
says, we're ordinary society heathens
when we're here, and as she sent Hamil-
ton his card ! don't see that 1t matters
It's Mrs Shelf's at home
And not mine, Amys You are tight in
the word, my dear, but not in the spirit
AS a Christian, Of course, l have already
forgiven the wrong Mr.. Fairfax has done
me in doubling the pureness OF my mo-
tiyes. But this humble roof is mine, Amy,
and it would grieve me to receive under 1t
apy one with whom am not on terms OF
brotherly amity. But perhaps you can as
sure me, my dear, that Mr.. Fairfax has
already repented him Of his hasty and I'M
lust words"
mot that, said Miss Rivers. Pm sure
he hasn't"
"Then," replied Mr.. Theodore Shelf,
with sorrowful flrmness, Il cannot re-
ceiye him. l couldn't do it..
II suppose you know" the girl retorted
sharply, that If Hamilton does not come
here tonight I shan't either"
You are my ward"
II may be. But you've never tyrannized
over me, and you ne not going to begin
now. / tell you fatty that if it's no
Hamilton it's going to be no me- shall
90 to Hampstead to stay with my cousin. "
II cannot give way in this Amy. My
conscience will not permit me-"
Very we'll. May have carriage, or
must order a hansom5"
MY dear child, can refuse you moth
ING in reason. The brouGham is now, as
II always has been, entirely at your dis
posal.
Miss Rivers left the room, and Mr..
Shelf scrubbed his dogs ragged head
"Shes angry with me now, George, he
said, with fat, satisfied smile, but l
think she'll change her mind afterward.
She's clever girl, and she'll see So with
that young beggar Fairfax, confound
him''
Then Mr.. Shelf put George on com
Portable chair and turned to his table. he
had as may be imagined, good deal OF
writing to get through, and considerable
deal of burning, and the work took him
till very late. Then he dressed, slipped
out for dinner and returned by II o'clock
to stand behind his wife and watch her as
she received her guests. He thought he
had never seen the woman look SO hand.
GO q1ccury, anu once OF tWice no
nan IepTeUUeu Int DlON W IlNH Ht was ko-
ing to bring down upon her. But then his
eyes would fall on the walls of the room,
and the silver lamps, and the flowers, and
the items of that gorgeous display would
60 into his soul and wither up any morsel
of compassion which might have been
there.
"A mans impelling motive is not al
ways under his own hat, he overheard
some one saying as they passed him, and
he applied the words to himself, and when
he remembered the ruthless extravaganza
which no words or entreaties OF his own
could stay, and which alone-so he be-
lieved-had forced him into knavery, he
felt that social death was poor requitai
to the woman who had worked his ruin.
A knife was more her due, And yet--and
yet she was such monstrous fine woman
and so thoroughly clever In the role she
had set herself to play!
1t certainly was gorgeous assembly,
not made up exclusively of the very best
people perhaps, though many OF them
were there, but it looked wealth unspeak-
able Men in evening dress cannot show
this. If thcv fail to appear like walters,
that is thoV they can expect. But
the women. They carried 1t on their
shoulders and backs, as they have done
since the beginning Of time. Their dresses
were a dream of cost and loneliness, their
jewelry chain of ranbows.
'Oh Lord!" said one young man with
predatory instincts who propped wall,
why aren't l practicng bushranger
Just now? There's some of the finest dia-
monds here in all the world, and two
Johnnies with pistols could stick up the
whole house. Why's England such
beastly safe placer If there was hard
wooden chair anywhere here to sit on and
think, believe I'd turn anarchist on the
spot.
Don't reduce the crowd to C. 8. d."
said fellow prop. 1T spells the poetry
of the thing Now find them good enough
to look at
Never said they weren t" reioined the
other. 'Only thing is they aren't mine.
Now 1 could do very well with the lot of
Them
"This isn't Turkey" said his friend re-
provingly.
"Oh, not the women. I've got one wife,
and she's enough for me. But I'd like the
dresses. And the diamonds. I'd sell 'em
secondhand and riot on the proceeds. Talk
ing of sales, come and find some burgundy
oup."
They went away from the ballroom,
passing down the broad shallow stairway,
and were going to cross the hall when a
man stopped them and told them the way
was closed.
whats the matteri Has there been an
accident'"
"Well, perhaps it might be an accident,
sir. 'Tisn't for me to say"
"Who the devil are you anyway"
"a member of the metropolitan police |
force, sir; plain clothes man, at your
service. Stand back, sir, say! You can't |
come down here. The police are searching
the lower part of the house."
my aunt Has there been burglary"
''They are looking for Mr.. Shelf" said .
the policeman shortly. There's a war
rant out against him for embezzlement.
But that needn't affect you gentlemen
and ladies up stairs. You can go on with
your dancing"
The two guests looked at one another
and broke into a strained laugh. Then
they Gained their faces again and went
back up the stair.
''And was envying that man a minute
ago., ~ said ene of them. Well, all flesh
Is hut grass, as the poor bcggar would say
himself. Shows how little You can gauge
q mans finances from seeing what he
spends. 1 say, bet You flyer my wife goes
to the trial She knows judge
The music stopped at the end of a polka,
and the gable of talk burst promptly out
and was carried about all over the house.
But by degrees it hushed, and in its place
grew the rustic of whispers. The scandal
travels quicker than his cousin of
,holera.