Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-07-26
the heart, but il was an agitation that

the heart, but il was an agitation that
was very carefully concealed Brew
ster was certainly unconscious of t.
To him the position of guest was like
disguise, and he WAS pleased AT The
prospect of letting himself Sc uu.lcr
the mask without responsibility Rut
1t took on a different color when the
butler handed him a card which signi-
fed that he was to take Miss Drew in
TO dinner. Hastily seeking out the host
ess, he endeavored to convey to her
the impossiblity Of the situation.
Il hope you won't misunderstood
me- he said But is 1t too late to
change my place at the tablei"
1T isn't conventional. ! know. Mon
ty. Society's chief aim is to separate
engaged couples at dinner, said Mrs.
Dan. with laugh. 1T would be pos
| itively compromising if a man and his
wife sat together.
Dinner was announced before Monty
could utter another word. and as she
led him over to Barbara she said BE
hold a generous hostess WHO gives UP
the best man in the crowd SO that he
and some one else may have happy
time. leave it to you. Barbara. il
that isn't the test of friendship"
For d moment the two rivotcd their
eyes on the floor: then the humor of
the situation cant to MONTY.
Il did not know that we were sup
posed to do Gibson taljcauN tonight. =
he said drSiy as he profcreti his arm.
Il don't understand And Rarba-
ra's curiosity oVtT..,i.,e her Netermina-
ton not to speak.
Don't YOU remember the picture "!
the man Who Was cAile3! upon TO take
his late fancce out tC asDncTt
The awful silence with which this
remark WAS received Put an end to
further efforts at humor
The dinner was probably the lno>l
painful experience i'll their lives. Bar.
bara had come to il softeneti and ready
to meet him halfway. The right kind
of humility in Monty would baHe fo1h,i
her plastic But she had very definite
and rigid ideas of his duty in Che
premises, and Monty was too simple
minded to seem to suffer and much to1
f1ippant to understand. 1t was plain to
each that the other did not expect to
talk. but they both realized that they
owed duty to appearances and 10
their hostess. Through two courses at
least there was dead silence between
them 1t seemed as though every eye
in the room We're on them and every
mind We're SpeculatiDR AT last i'll
sheer despera ton Barbara turned tC
him with the first smile be had seen on
her face in days. There was no smile
in her eyes, however, and Monty IN
derstood.
I'VE mi*.ht at least give out the i'm
preston ;,ist we are {ricn0s.' she saiC
| quietly.
"Mo,e easily said than done" he
res 0ndcd gioo;niiy.
! "'rhey are all looking at US and won
Gerins.'
Il cont blame then,'
I'VE owe somcth.ng to Mrs. Dan,
think
II know"
barbara uttered some inanity when
ever she caught any one looking il
their direction. bat Brewster seemed
not to hear AT length he cut shor
some remark of hers about The
weather.
What nonsense this is, Barbara. he
said. with any one else Wonld
chuck the whole game, but with YOU
| it is different | don't know what
have done. but ! am sorry. | hope
! you'll forgive me-
| the least
But am sure-I know this GUAR
rel is something We'll laugh over. 1oH
keep forgetting that we are going to
be married some day"
A new light came into Barbara :
eyes. You forget that my consent
may be necessary she said
you will be perfectly willing when
the time comes. am still in the fight
and eventually you will come to nay
way of thinking"
"Oh. see it now" said Barbara,
and her blood was up. "You mean to
force me to it. What you did for fa-
| ther''-
Brewster glowered at her. thinking
that he had misunderstood. What do
you mean?' he said
He has told me all about that
wretched bank business. But poor
| NI@9V\ MI ~ M7|