The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-08-22

they are mostly dispensed with by his
associates. just the man ]
| would like 10 know. He is
probably going on visit to that ar's-
tocratic English colony in the Ten,,es.
see mountains founded by that son OF
that Lady Somebody or other, al
though che mans own title is merely
honorable being ayounger son only
Now, while the lady was thus agree
ably engaged in sizing up the Person
able Man he had as evidently beer
reciprocating the attention, fact
which did not strike her until she had
encountered his eyes and each hao
hastily carried the gaze on to some
other object number of different
| times.
She forced herself to sit motionless
while she collected her thoughts ane
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
| l.
me what they call the big head dowr
there or it has scared me into imbecit
ity-like the timid child. bid show
himself off. All, / have
practical idea at last. Per
haps il i throw away my man OF the
sea- may be able to rise to the occa.
sion. 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:
my 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 ill.,
concealed smile of amusement, as be
pretended to be making a vigorous
search for his card to avoid looking
at her until he had regained compos-
ure. ~tss.
i "Oh, / have used the name of some
one he knowsI He despises me for a
fraud; he is laughing in his sleeve all
the time. The horrid thing!"
she reflected miserably. "Where did
Iget 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 voice from which all objection
able features had been carefully elm
mated, and without 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 have greatly discomposed you
by my--er-ill-conceale astonish-
ment--my-ah- may say, rather sur
prising demesnor. Before you con-
denim me-my enthusiastically
must listen to my explanation of it.
Actually"-he broke of with an at
tempt at a Taught 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! ! beg your par
don!-I see by your expression that
must prepare you for 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 china image-or better
corpse. She felt like corpse, and
she fervently wished she were a corpse
Then she heard herself saying, in an
unnatural voice:
"Ah. remarkable co-incidence!"
1t certainly was ga remarkable coin.
cidence"; for the bit of bristol board
and no doubt the silver name plates
-(she had not looked at them)-bore
this legend:
HONORABLE WILFRED PERCY.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..