The Caldwell tribune., 1905-08-19
BETTY's BET

n SUPPOSE that's fresh victim,
Miss Betty" drawled stout man
from the depths of a garden arm
chair.
Miss Betty was slender young per-
son In green muslin who stood near
the arm chair with racket in her
hand and turned as the speaker waved
his cigar towards the tennis lawn be-
low. =. #~&
II dare say" she answered com
posedly, STOPPING to tie her shoe.
Bet you he isn't" returned the
stout man quickly, and couple of by
ISLANDERS Joined in his laugh.
A delicate flush rose In the girls
cheeks, but she answered coolly, "Why
do you suppose he is exceptlonal?"
"Oh, he's Il man of the world, he
isg' answered the stout man jovlaI1y.
"And he's a swell-not like us poor
City Johnnfes-had, lots of expert
ence," he added with a laugh. "Come,
now, you look so jolly confident, what
will you bet on it? You must bet or
I'll believe you're climbing down."
II don't care If do" she returned,
with look of scarcely yelled contempt
at the laughing group Of men. what
Will you go?" &
The fat man pulled himself up In his
chair and his eyes twinkled He knew
Ralph Pyne pretty we'll, and he knew
he would not easily be made fool Of.
Also he did not at all wish Pyne to
fall into the snares of Miss Betty
Langley. There was a certain lovely
Rebecca Cohen, his own niece, who
would make more satisfactory Mrs.
Pyne to his thinking. But Betty was
= dangerous-decIdedly dangerous, un-
less she could be induced to cut her
own throat.
"Well, I'll go as far as a pin"
"Diamond?" E.
, "Hum-yes-hanged If won't
stand a diamond pin"
Done, Mr.. JuareZ," answered Bet
ty as she moved away, and Mr.. Juarez
chuckled as he sank back among his
cushions. 'If Miss Bet tries any OF
her games on with that Johnnie he'll
bolt, and, possibly, may have the
catching of him."
Ralph Pyne had already spent two
days in Betty's company, and had en-
joyed himself as most men did under
the circumstances, and he was not al
all loath to escort her home by the
Fhort cut through the covert after she
had superintended the shooters tea al
the gamekeeper's cottage. Betty was
uncommon good company, as good al
younger brother, and much better tt
look at. Probably 1t was because sh,
was SO brusque and boyish that mos
men found themselves proposing tt
her-quite unexpectedly to themselves
for no one could think Of sentimen
and Betty Langley in the same hour
"No humbug about her! regular goot
sort" the blinded Victims used to say
and played on-lawn tennis, billiards
hide and seek-regardless of thei
doom, and their doom never varied.
"How hot 1t is" cried Betty sudden
ly; don't you think there is going t
be an earthquake?"
''Is 1t hot before earthquakes?" re
= lnJ0I
esting bit Of general information"
"Oh, people always say they fee
queer before eadthquakes--" but
sharp rustic among the leaves inter
rupted her lecture. Good gracious
it's raining! And there is thunder
Now we are in fix" and gathering u
her skirts she started to run.
"All right, there's a pile of fagot
Just beyond" cried Pyne, mo end of
fine shelter. Seer as they dashed O
side by side, and he pulled back tn
dripping branches and showed the pil
which the woodcutter had arranged a
q sort OF wlgwam.
Crouched down in shelter Betty 500
regained her breath and began to cha
ter again. Now this is romantic, an
it will end In my getting bronchitl
and you'll get pneumonia, and W
can't go to the Lorimers' dance"
"But alasl I shan't go to the Lor
mers' dance anyhow. / am of to-mo
row"
oh, ] say! What forl What
shamei"
my sister has wired she's comm
back from India and Will be at Soutl
ampton, and an earthquake would
a trif1e compared to the tempest If
didn't meet her tomorrow night
Betty is silent. He Is going to-mo
row and she has just remembered hi
bet. She feels rather sick at it-an
jet, no, that odIous Mr.. Jaurez woul
ehuckle. He has always hated he
she knows, since she said no TO hil