Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-03-29
SHORT STORY FOR
EVENING HOURS
The ELOPEMENT OF VICKERS

81 you mean u marry tHe llttIe
brute
"My dear Augustus, how crude you
are. | certainly mean to marry Mr..
Moody Vickers--if he will consent to
marry me-"
why don't you ask him."
The girl dropped him low, mock
ing courtesy. There will be no neces-
siiy to do that, thank you," she re-
torted.
AS they stood together in a partly
dismantled room, with the noise of
rapid talking and quick laughter and
the pushing about of furniture going
on all around them. they were GER
tainly curious looking couple. Cur
ious looking, that is so far as the man
was concerned; the girl, for her part
was as bright and sweet and winsome
as a fair. healthy English girl should
re, and she was, moreover. very ex-
quisitely dressed. The man under
ordinary circumstances would probably
have been an equal ornament to his
own particular sex, but Just at the
It was ultsStu
quite another way, and somewhat lu-
Ucrous way at that.
To put the matter quite plainly, GER
tain theatricals were to take place that
night at Travers hall. The noise and
the talking and the moving of furni-
ture all belonged to the business. and
Augustus Bayfield,. undergraduate of
Oxford university, and good fellow
generally, had been pressed into the
service to play the part of a woman.
And, as a matter of fact, a very pre-
sentable woman he made, II a stalwart
one His fair faxen wig was of the
brightest and the curliest, his dress
was perfect wonder in the way of
i frills and furbelows. and the only point
about his personal appearance which
might have betrayed him would have
appeared in a certain thickness in the
waist and (if one dared to look too
closely In the ankle. For the rest
he appeared to be a very presentable
buxom woman, indeed. Just at the
present moment the bright blue eyes
| hau ah5iy heht hV
appeared, by the movement Of his
arms, to lie longing for pockets into
which he might thrust his hands.
Its this beastly dress that's upset
you he grumbled. You used to be
awfully fond of me, but consented to
make an ass Of myself for the benefit Of
the public, and this is the result. II
once get out Of these things I'll kick
that little brute Vickers into the middle
Of next week."
Augustus Bayfield,. you are no
lady!" exclaimed Amy Travers, with
her eyes dancing.
81 never said was" retorted Angus
tus, savagely. MY sex is down on the
program-that's enough for anyone.
But say, Amy" he spoke In a softer
tone, and took most unfeminine
stride nearer to her, you're not going
to give fellow the go-by like this.
are you You know I've been awfully
fond of you ever since l was a kid,
aud I'd work for you and do all sorts
Of righteous things II you'd only say
s"e u s"aoW osSh thio ittic anu
stick to me. You know you really can't
marry him; he's too awful"
I'm not sure about that. II marry
Mr.. Vickers-"
"You said H." broke in Augustus
quickly.
"A mistake on my part. When
marry Mr.. Vickers l think I shall be
able to have my own way. He is GER
tainly rich-which is an advantage; at
least SO mamma says"
"Oh, yes. know; your mother
thinks that's the only thing to be con-
sldered. And so you don't mind
breaking my heart, and smashing me
up generally, because this little brute
happens to have had a rich father, who
has left him half a million? Well, you
clearly understand, | hope, that this
finishes me-"
~ don't understand she replied,
with sudden seriousness in her voice,
"What do you mean?"