The San Francisco call., 1904-02-07
CHAPTER TX.

THE RULE OF THE REGENT
Betty never forgot her first sight Of
the old friend of her family. Return
ing with a sad heart, she was walking
the colt slowly through the carriage
gates, when an extravagantly stout
lady, in green muslin illustrated with
huge red flowers. came out upon the
porch and waved fat arm to the girl.
The visitor wore a dark green turban
and Cashmere shawl, while the ex-
panse of her skirts was. nothing short of
magnificent; some cathedral dome
seemed to have been misplaced and the
lady dropped into 1t. Her outstretched
hand terrified Betty: how was she to
approach near enough to take it?
Mrs. Tanberry was about sixty,
looked forty, and at first sight you
might have guessed she weighed nearly
three hundred, but the lightness of her
smile and the actual buoyancy which
she somehow impaired to her whole
dominion lessened that by at least
hundred weight. She ballooned out to
the horse block with a biIlowy rush
somewhere between bounding and soar
ing; and Miss Betty slid down from the
colt, who SHE'D violently, to find her
self enveloped, in spite of the dome, in
a vast surf of green and red muslin.
my charming girl" exclaimed the
lady vehemently, in a voice of such
husky richness. of such merriment and
JUNCTION of delight that 1t fell upon Miss
Betty's ear with more of the quality of
sheer gayety than any she had ever
beautiful child you are."
She kissed the girl resoundingly on
both cheeks; stepped back from her
and laughed and clapped her fat
hands, which were covered with flash
ing rings. "Oh. but you are true blue
beauty! You're a princessi l am Mrs.
Tanberry-Jane Tanberry-young jamie
Tanberry. 1 haven't seen you since
you were a baby and your pretty moth
er was girl like us!'
"You are so kind to come" said
Betty. hesitatingly. Il shall try to be
very obedient."
"Obedient!" Mrs. Tanberry uttered
the word with a shrek. You'll do
nothing of the kind. / am the light
mindedest woman in the universe, and
any one who obeyed me would be en-
broiled in everlasting trouble every sec
ond in the day. You'll find that L am
the one that needs looking after, my
charmerl"
She tapped Miss Betty's cheek with
her jeweled fingers as the two
mounted the veranda steps "It will be
worry enough for you to obey yourself;
a body sees that at the first blush. You
have conscience in your forehead and
rebellion in your chin. Ha, ha, hal"
Here Mrs. Tanberry sat upon and oblit-
Grated large chair. Miss Carewe TAX
ing a STOOL at her knee.
People of our age oughtn't to be
bothered with obeying; there'll be time
enough for that when we get old and
can't enjoy anything. Ha, hal"
Mrs. Tanberry punctuated her obser-
vations with short volleys Of husky
laughter, so abrupt in both discharge
and cessation that until Miss Betty be-
came accustomed to the habit. she was
apt to start slightly at each salvo. 81
had a husband-once," the lady re-
sumed, but only once, my friend! He
had ideas like your fathers-your
father Is such an imbecilei-and he
thought that wives, sisters, daughters,
and such like ought to be obedient;
that is, the rest of the world was wrong
unless 1t was right; and right was just
his own little, teeny-squeeny preju-
dices and emotions dressed up for a
crazy masquerade as facts. Poor mani
He only lasted about a yearl" And
Mrs. Tanberry laughed heartily.
'"They have been at me time and
again to take another" She lowered
her voice and leaned toward Betty con-
fidentially. mot 1! I'd be willing to
engage myself to Crailey Gray (though
Crailey hasn't got round to me yeti,
for don't mind just being engaged, my
dear: but they'll have to invent some
thing better than a man before I
marry any one of 'em againi But I
love 'em. 1 do, the charming Billiesi
And you'll see how they follow mel"
She patted the girls shoulder, her
small eyes beaming quizzically. well
have the gayest house in Rouen, LADY,
bird The young men all go to the Ba-
reauds'. but they'll come here now, and
we'll have the Bareauds along with 'em.
I've been away long time, just fin
ished unpacking yesterday night when
your father came in after the fire
Whooi what a state he was in with that
devilish temper of hisi Didn't 1 snap
him up when he asked me to come and
stay with you? Ha. ha! I'd have
come even IL you hadn't been beautiful:
but was wild to be your playmate, for