The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1906-10-12
CHAPTER xv.-(contlnued).


bursts of his, he had found himself
able to conduct them with discretion
At any rate, they brought no open
shame upon him. Truscotts wife was
discretion ITSELF and If the poor man
were always rather bleared about the
eyes and puffy in the under eyelld
when he came down to luncheon, she
never showed that she had an inkling
Of its meaning. There was a polite
fiction by virtue of which Billery was
supposed to be engaged in writing In
the morning, and he was excused
from breakfast on that ground. 1t
was, perhaps, the best way of dealing
with him at the present phase OF his
disease, and, at all events, it had
great practical effect for the better
upon his life and conduct. Billery
never drank at all save once a month,
and then always in the room allotted
to him In Truscott's house. His host
measured out for him on these month
ly visits what he had himself de-
scribed as "a moderate skinfull,
though to tell the truth, the average
man would have thought it a some
what inordinate dose. But Billery,
having consumed 1t, slept 1t off, was
allowed to refresh himself with
whisky and soda in the morning, and
then entered upon another month OF
combat.
Before he and Truscott started to
motor up to town together the two
men shook hands, and the host would
say, Another month, Hamilton?" and
Billery would answer, "Yes. Word OF
honor" And the result of this regime
was that Billery became another man
to look at, and was gradually growing
to be another man within He earned,
by light labor, enough for his simple
needs, and. since his spare hours hung
heavy on his hands, he began to read
again and work little at his long
neglected essays. His nose lost It's
too aggressive pink, his eyes regalned
their proper luster. and his pimples
faded.
By the time midsummer had gone
these signs were noticed by one sus-
ceptible heart. 1t had become set
ties habit with him to run down by
train for afternoon service at Lisle's
church, and afterward to take tea
with one of the score or so OF friends
he had down there. The pew he sat
In commanded view of the pew In
which Belle Molloy had been sitting,
and to that young lady's mind there
was something rather particular In
the way In which Bille-y raised his
hat and bowed to her as she passed
along the cfurchyard. Occasionally
the lady would catch the gentleman's
eye in the course of the service, and
Miss Molloy would look demurely
down in the direction Of her own toes
on the hassock, or would gaze up at
the Reverend Mr.. Lisle with an as
pect of devotion. The pulpit was one
OF the old three-deckers, and the par
son, OF course, preached from the up
per deck. Miss Molloy sat rather near
the pulpit, and the visual angle from
her eye to the preachers face was
acute. The lady would have given al
most anything she possessed to have
known exactly what the expression
looked like when she cast her own
Irish eyes upward In that fashion, but,
unhappily. 1t is not possible to look
elsewhere and to scrutinize your own
aspect In 4 mirror at the same time.
Miss Molloy had tried hard, and on
that one fact In optics she had an ex-
perimental certainty.
Miss Molloy was technically on the
shelf, but though she had looked for
ward With courage and resignation to
= single life-and who shall laugh at
. woman's courage and resignation In
such case? she felt no vocation for
IT; ana, really. when one came to
think of It. 1t was little odd, to say
the least. II ! gentleman like Mr..
Billery came down with regularity to
that sleepy little place Sunday after
Sunday afternoon the summer through
with no Interior purpose In his mind.
And Is some Of Miss Molloy's friends
thought Miss Molloy mature. It was
certain that Mr.. Billery was no chick
en-, and IN respect to age the match
could not be regarded as unsuitable.
on these and kindred subjects Miss
Molloy pondered deeply. and the re-
suit Of her ponderings was that she
and Billery met great deal oftener
than they would have done by mere
accident. And the result was that
they became great friends, and that
Billery oftener took "tay" with Miss
Molloy than with any other person In
the parish, the mild festivity being al
ways presided over by a judicious
sheep dog, who gave Billery ample op-
portunity for the utterance of many
| tender speeches, which the obtuse
| and blundering creature never made.
| Nevertheless, there went abroad an
| impression that Bill,ry was paying his
| addresses TO Miss Molloy. and was
1aying Siege In form before demanding
the surrender OF the fortress: and
thero NeA no person in the parish
Who was more fully inspired with
that belief than Miss Molloy, and no
person II the parish more profoundly
unconscious that such ! belief existed
than Mr.. Billery.
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