The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-20

ties Of retirement as the ushering out
Of dainty visitors from his wife,s tea
table his faculties had become blunted.
Nor in the ~law-abiding precincts Of Bel
time energy. Yet Mrs. Sadgrove, who
knew the signs and portents Of her
husband's face, looked twice at him
with just a shade of anxiety as she
asked whether he would take some tea.
"Thanks,:' he said, and taking his
cup he went and stood on the rug be-
fore the empty hearth. He stirred his
from one to the other Of the four wom-
en- in the room. 5~s.
"You good people seem singularly
calm, considering that you must just
have been listening to a very exciting
upon "f4 StSs5iif H. g an FsP3ied S szFRSi3' 1s s51i3 e
whom you have just been doing
the polite bored us intensely. Leonie
says that for all the dash she's
cutting in London, she's an incognita
so far as America. is concerned
The general continued to stir his
tea impassively.
course of her small talk he inquired
carriage had knocked a man down and
gone near to killing him9'
The question evoked a chorus Of in
terested negatives.
"Neithef did she say anything to
"Then how did you become aware
of the a~ccident9' Mrs. Sadgrove ven
"Saw it, returned the general. "It
happened in Buckingham Palace road.
| was passing at the time on my way
home from the club. Her coachman
drove right over the fellow as he was
crossing the roadway at the corner.
merest shave that he wasn't trampled
by the horses and crushed by the
wheels. AS it was, he escaped with a
bit Of a shaking and a dusty coat. At
any rate, he got up and walked into
the nearest barber's-for a wash and
brush-up, [ suppose.R
Further questioned, the general, in
dience that he was sure that it was
Mrs. Talmage Eglinton's jobbed Ian.
dau that had wrought the mischief and
that she herself was in it at the time.
It was the same vehicle which he had
found at his own door on reaching
home ten minutes ago, and to which he
had just conducted her.
"Funny that she should be so secre'
:. flectively. TITS the sort Of thing thai
, most women, coming fresh from the
scene, would have been full of-espe
cially as it must have been the coach
r man. ar 5 fa Ut g and ard not he her OWL
, comment.
bury exclaimed vieiously. HThanl
goodness I don't know her; but Nv,
, heard all about her from Alec. TIL
poor boy can't abide her; she make
l eyes at him so unblushingly."
timents about her, remarked the ger
eral with the flicker Of a smile. "Hoy
did we come to know this lady9'' h
a added to his wife.
f Mrs. Sadgrove explained that sh
had been asked as a favor to call O
Mrs. .Talmage Eglinton. by a mutus
acquaintance a certain Lady Rose
f vile, but had regretted it ever since
Of the slightest, being confined to tn
g interchange Of a couple of formal vii
its, and to an invitation by Mrs. Sac
o grove to a musical Sat home,' a
" which Mrs. Talmage Eglinton had Ell
deavored to embark on a Irritation wit
Alec Forsyth.
nshe's a rich widow, I believe; an
o I don't think she would ever hav
e been heard of if the Rosevilles hadn'
taken her up,0 Mrs. Sadgrove COZ
y Guided.
f The series of grunts with which til
IS general received this information ha
3. hardly ceased when again the footma
appeared in the doorway and al
is nounced, with all due Importance:
d "His grace the duke Of Beaum
b. ncir.
d The occupants of the drawing-roo
l. were all accustomed to the ssusages (
d. polite society," either in Britannia (
transatlantic form; but it was impo
sible for them to repress a futter {
ID excitement as the visitor entered, h
original Hcavalry swing7 MARE
but not wholly obliterated by his linn
1T Leonie tried hard not to blush, an
u failed. Mrs. Sherman interlaced b,