The Irish standard., 1906-11-24
COME DOWN. HE BELLowEp.

E--N
~
COME DOWN." HE BELLOWED.
for them, he monopolized her shame,
lessly from the moment CT greeting,
In the interval OF plate laying he ma
neuvcred skillful1y to obtain possess
sion of the tete-atete chair, and with
that convenient piece OF furniture for,
an aid he managed to keep virginia.
wholly to himself un,.. dinner was
announced.
For another man the informal table,
gathering might have been easily pro-
hihitive OF confidence Il deux, even,
with Virginia Careteret to help, butt
Winton was far above the trammel-
ings of time and place. All attempts
on the part OIL his host. Mrs. Martha.
Adams. or the Reverend Billy to en-
tangle him in the general table talk.
failed signally. He had eyes and ears
only for the sweet-faced, low-voiced
young woman beside him, and some
of his replies to the others Wore ir-
relevant enough to send Il smile
around the board.
How very absent-minded Mr.. VIM
ton seems to be this evening"" muir
INJURED Bessie from her niche between
Adams and the Reverend Billy at the
farther end of the table. He isn't
quite at his best. is he, Mr.. Adams?-
mo, indeed" said the tcchnologianI
matching her undertonc. very far,
from it. He has been VT OF all days.
touch OF mountain fever, I'm afraid
But he doesn't look at all ILL.," OBJ
jected Miss Bessie. Il should say he
is a perfect picture of rude health"
you can't tell anything about hinl
by his looks" rejoined Adams, glibly..
absolute mask-that face of his.
But between us. don't you know, y
think no must be going to have 4
fever. Struck him all at once about
three o'clock this afternoon, and am
sure he hasn't been quite right in HIS
head since"
why, how dreadful" said Bessie,
sympathetically. "And / suppose there,
isn't doctor to be had anywhere I'M
these terrible mounta-As'' .t
But upon this point Adams reas-
sured her promptly. 4
ooh, yes, there is; Winton has al
ready had his preliminary consulta-
ton and is, as you may say, in the
way OF Delng prescribed for. And I'll
see to 1t that he takes his medicine
before he turns in tonight. You may
trust me TO- that"
Thus Mr.. Morton P. Adams. in
irony far too subtle for the fiaxen-
haired Bessie. But Winton's replies,
were not specially irrelevant when Eir-.
ginia evoked them. On the contrary,
he was finding her salies keenly pro-
vocative Of what wit and readiness
there was in him.
Il believe your chief delight in life
is to catch man mapping" hei
laughed, when she had succeeded in
demonstrating, for the third time in.
as many minutes, how inadequate a.
mans wit is to cope with woman's.i
II do enjoy it," she confessed, with
tho brown eyes confirming the adj,
mission. What woman does not?,
Isn't your mans attitude towards ,,,s
one of thinly yelled contempt at the
very best? For instance: you said
just now that while no woman could
do without Il man, the reverse was
true Of the man."
II didn't know said anything liks
thlt. If / did, it was heresy.' -
mo; it was one of those little lapses
into sincerity which man permits
himself on rare occasions, when lie
isn't fattering. You really believe it.
you know you do" n
do I? 1t wouldn't be polite to CON-
tradict you. But what said. or tried
TO say. was that man could exist.
as Adams and l are existing at pres
ent, without feminine oversight"
but what you meant was the 9TH
err" she insisted-"that we are not
necessary TO you, while you are neces-
sary to u.s." Then. reverting to the
matter of mere existence: Gould you
keep 1t up indefinitely, Mr.. Winton.".
isn't our being here this evening
proof positive to the contrary"
"She smiled approval. "You are do
ing better-much better. With little
practice-you are sadly out of practice,
aren't you'll do believe you could
pay one pretty compliment"
Winton rose mantully to his oppor-
tunity.
mo one could pay you compliments.
Miss Virginia. 1t would oe utterly I'm
possible"
why? because my chief delightsin
life is to catch man napping?" e.s.
"Oh, no. Because the prettiest
things that could be said of you wouit
be only~an awkward mirroring Of the
truth" Sa&
~ 80 4
Dear mellow fne!" she applaud
ed. II am afraid you have been read:
ing Lord Chesterheld's Letters to His
Son'-very recently. Confess. now,
haven't you?" II