Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-21
BY FLORENCE KINGSTON HOFFMAN

i I kissed her and said I was dreadfully sorry,
and / was: but all the same my papa is the best
est man, isn't he, mummie? and we think he is,
don't we. lovev?'
And when Kitty agreed with her as to the
truth of this and tucked her mp again. the child
nestled into the soft pillows murmurng sleepily,
course my papas the bestest-the ideal"
! Then Mrs Scaton left the nursery with a
rather heavy heart for anything like deception
came very hard to her.
She tapped gently at her husbands door, and
on entering found Tom in big chair by the fire,
with the afflicted member swathed in cotton bat
ting and bandaged in black silk mufhers, till it
looked like a miniature catafalque.
Tom, dear" said Kitty softly, AREN'T you
going to try and hobble down TO dinner? It's
so forlorn to have il up here"
ooh, yes, indeedl" he replied, drawing his wife
affectionately down to seat on his char.arm,
while he lovingly fondled the little curls that
were beginning to break bounds all over her
pretty head "Ive grown quite expert in skip
ping and sliding round one leg, YOU know,
and after dinner I might make an effort to beat
You at piquet--itll be quite an agreeable change
from the endless Sniff and Bridge at the
club"
Kitty choked little as she tried to steady her
voice, and with her face, which she felt sure
looked guilty, turned away from Tom she said:
I'm so sorry, dear, but you see didn't
know you were going to be at home tonight,
ana I've MADE an engagement 10 meet Maude
Weston at the Sorosis Club / wish didn't have
to go, but / really can't get out of it,"
If Tom noticed anything unusual in his wife's
manner, his face certainly didn't show it as he
said
"Couldnt you telephone?"
But Kitty made some rather lame excuse and
then hurried off to dress for dinner.
1t unusually silent meal that evening,
for Kitty wasn't happy in her mind and try
she would, couldn't appear at ease. Tom, too,
hadn't great deal to say for himself, but Kitty
put that down to gout.
Both felt relieved when dinner was over, and
soon afterwards Kitty slipped away to her room,
where, without the assistance Of her maid, she
put balldress with guilty haste, and then,
rolling the black domino with its pink trimmings
and the heavy black lace mask into little bun
die, she mufAed herself in her furred wrap and
ran downstairs, calling "good-night' to Tom as
she passed the library door without going into
the room.
Tom, who had been hoping she would look in
on him for few minutes, sighed little from
the depths of the big chair-and then, the
carriagedoor slammed and the sound of wheels
on the asphalt proclaimed Ktty's departure, a
most extraordinary thing happened.
Tom sat up straight, listened intently, and as
no sound save the murmur of voices in the serv-
ants hall beneath him broke the stiffness, he
skipped out of his chair, bandaged foot and all,
and quietly upstairs with all the activity of
a four-year-od.
Once intrenched in the safety of his own room,
he rapidly stripped off bandages and batting and
began to collect his dress clothes, while he re-
viewed his plan of action. and reflected on the
disclosures Of that same day.
He had discovered Kitty's little plan in the
most innocent way imaginable while down town
that morning, for when going over some papers
hastily collected before starting for the office,
little unaddressed note had dropped out.
Thinking it merely an invitation, Tom had
glanced at it, and then, a few words catching
his eye he deliberately read it right straight
through, though it began "My dearest Kitty"
and, generally speaking, Tom Seaton was in
things both large and small, the soul of honor
He read it through a second time, and then,
going to the small closet in the corner, gulped
down the contents of a hastily filled glass-for
when stocks were panicky he occasionally in
dulged in what he called a regular "ticker" head
ache, and nothing, he was wont to say, steadied
him like B. and S.
This accomplished, he came back to his desk,
read the note third time, and then sat still to
think it over. He had always detested Maude
Weston, as well as her good-for-nothing brother
and had tried gently to wean Kitty from the
intimacy but such a thing as this had never
crossed his mind. And Chetwood too, whose
broker he had been for years! Not that he
doubted Kitty for instant nor her love-
which he knew to be stanch right through, but