The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-26
CHAPTER x,exlI.-continued.

CHAPTER k><1ll.-Continued.
Devotion to Business and i Chance
Meeting.
Thruout the dinner their entire Absorb
ton in each other was all but unbroken.
Percival never could remember who had
sat at his left; and Miss Milbrey's right
hand neighbor saw more than the winning
line of her profile but twice. Percival be-
gan
do you know. I've never been able to
classify you at all never could tell how
to take you.
'I'll tell you secret. Mr.. Bines; / think
I'm not to be taken atsall. I've begun to
suspect that I'm like one Of those words
month, you know. -
But you find poetry in life? I do.
/. PLENTY of verse-not much poetry.
How would you order life now, II the
little old wishing-lady came to your door
and knocked p #
F And they plunged forthwith. buoyed by
youths divine effrontery, into mysteries
that have vexed diners not less than her
nit ssages, since .'the fog Of old time"
first obscured truth. OF life and death
the Augliness Of life, and the beauty Of
DEATH
even as death might smile,
PettinE the p1unes of some Surprised soul = s
quoted the girl OF loving and hating,
they talked; of trying and failing of the
implacable surge under which men must
strive in the face Of certain defeat-of the
probability that men are purposely born
fools, since, if they were born wise they
would refuse to strive; whereupon life
and death would merge, and
naught would prevail but a vast indiffer-
ence. In fact, they were very deep. and
affected to consider these grave matters
seriously They affected that they never
habitually thought of lesser concerns. And
they had the air Christening to each other
as if they were weighing the words ju-
dicially, and were quite above any mere
sensuous considerations of personality.
Once they emerged long enough to hear
the hostess speaking, as it were of yes
terday, of day when the new German
cotilion'' was introduced, to make sem
sation in New York; of time when the
best bathrooms were heated with wood
stoves and lighted lamps; and of a later
but apparently still remote time when the
assemblies were really, quite the smart
est function of the season.
In another pause, they caught the kernel
of story being told by Uncle Peter:
1.-THE girl was half breed, but had a
fair skin and the biggest shock of hair
you ever saw-bright yellow, hair. She
was awful proud Of her hair So when
priest, Father McNally, and complained
that she would run away from the shack
and hang around the dance-halls down at
this mining camp, Father McNally made
up his mind to learn her a lesson. Well,
he goes down and finds her just comm
out Of Tim Healy's place with two other
women. He rushes UP to her, catches hold
of this big shock of hair that was trailin
behind her, and before she knew what was
comm he whipped out a big pair Of sharp
shiny shears and made as If he was going
to give her a haircut! q At that she begins
to scream, but the priest he wouldn't let
go. TIL cut 1t off. he says close he
says, If you don't swear on this crucifx
to be a good squaw to Glenn Dewler, and
feet in these places again. She could
feel the shears against her hair, and she
was that afraid Of losin' her fine yellow
hair afterward, KNOWN Father McNally
was a man that didn't make no idle
threats. that she kept prim and proper
fur half-breed.''
That poor creature had countless sis
tors. was Miss Mflbrey's comment to
Percival. And they fell together once
more In deciding whether after all, the
| brightest women ever cease to believe
that men are Influenced most by. surface
beauties. They fired each others enthus-
1asm for expressing opinions and they
| took the opinions very seriously. Yet; Of
| their meeting, to an observer, their talk
would have seemed the part least worth
recording.
Twice Percival caught shepler's regard
bent upon them. It amused him to think
he detected signs Of uneasiness back of
the survey. cool, friendly, and guarded as
| 1t was on the surface.
| AT parting, later, Percival spoke for
the trst time to Miss Mi1brey Of her en-
i gagement.
You must know that wish you all the
happiness you hope for yourself: and II
l were as lucky in love as Mr.. Shepler has
, peen' = surely would never dare to gam
pie IN anything else-you know the say
1 ing. Z ga
And YOU, Mr.. Bines. I've been hear
ing SO much OF your marriage. hope the
rumor 4 heard. to-day is true, that your
engagement has been anndunced.''
He laughed. IA
Come. now! That's all gossip, yo,
know; not a word Of truth in 1t, and it's
peen very annoying to us both. Please
demol1sh that rumor on my authority next
time you hear 1t, thoroly, SO they car
make nothing out OF the pieces,
mis- MISS Milbrey showed genuine disap-
| pointment. a ii
I had thought, naturally
Inc only member Of that household
could marry is not suited TO my age
Miss .Milbrey was puzzled.
i But. really, she's not so Old
4 NO, not so very old. Still, she's coins
on i've. and you know how time flies ani
SO much disparity In our ages-twenty
one years or So; no, she was no wife fo1
me. altho I don't mind confessinE tha,
there has been an affair between us, but
really you can't imagine what a friyolou.
and trif1ing creature she is.''
Miss Milbrey laughed now. rather pain
fully he fancied
dear?'' - = 2
III tell you something, just between u.
the baby's mother is-well, I like her
but she's joke. That's all, a ioke.''.
beg your pardon for talking of it. Il
had seemed 50 definite. They're waitins
4 for n1e-good night so glad to have seer
you-and. nevertheless. she's very prac.
teal joke!'' 8ssss
He watched her with frank, utter long.
Ing, as she moved over to Mrs Oldaker
tender, girlish, appealing, with the ole
aid OF timid wistfulness. kept guard ovel
i by her wonan's knowledge. His fingers
still curved, as II they were 10th ito forge,
4 the clasp OF her warm, firm little hand
She was gowned In white fleece. and she
wore one pink rose where she could bend
1 her blue eyes down upon 1T
And she was doing to marry Shepler fol
his millions. She might even yet regre,
that she had not waited for him, when his
own name had been written up as the wiz.
ard Of markets, and the master OF millions
4 Since money was all she loved, he woult
show her that even in that he was pre-.