Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-07-04
CHAPTER xxI--contlnued.

O0FE Ell |
The appearance OF the man who
opened the door for Anita and me
suggested that our ring had reused
him from a bed where he had deposit
ed himself without bothering to take
off his clothes. At the sound OF my
voice, Ball peered out of his private
smokingroom, at the far end of the
hall. He started forward; then, see
ing how | was accompanied, stopped
with mouth ajar. He had on a ragged
smoking-jacket, a pair of shapeless old
Romeo slippers, his ordinary business
waistcoat and trousers. He was wear
ing neither tie nor collar, and a short,
black pipe vas between his fingers.
We had evidently caught the house
hold stripped of Tugs" and sunk IN
the down-to-the-heel slovenliness
which is called comfort" Joe was
crimson with confusion, and was
using his free hand to stroke, alter
nately, his shiny bald head and his
heavy brown mustache. He got him.
self together sufi% ciently, after a few
seconds, to disappear into his den.
When he came out again, pipe and
ragged jacket were gone, and he
rushed for us in a gorgeous velvet
jacket with dark red facings, n q
SNOWY pair Of slippers.
"Glad to see you, Mr.. Blackjack
in his own home he always addressed
every man as Mister, just as Mrs.
B." always called. him Mister Ball."
and he called her MRS. Ball" before
company" "Come right into the
front parlor. Billy, turn on the cleo
trio lights"
Anita had been standing with her
head down. She now looked round
with shame and terror in those ex-
pressive %blue-gray eyes Of hers; her
delicate nostrils were quivering. |
fastened to introduce Ball to her.
Her impulse to fly passed; her life.
long training in doing the conven-
tional thing asserted itself. She low
cred her head again, murmured an in
audible acknowledgment of Joe's
greeting.
"Your wife is at homer" said l. If
one was at home in the evening, the
other was also, and both were always
there, unless they were at some the
ater-except on Sunday night, when
they dined at Sherry's, because many
fashionable people did it. They had
no friends and few acquaintances. In
their humber and happy days they
had had many friends, but had lost
them when they moved away from
Brooklyn and went to live, like I'm
easy, out-of-place visitors, in their
grand house, pretending to be what
they longed to be, longing to be what
they pretended to be, and a discon
tented as they deserved.
"Oh, yes, Mrs. BIS at home," Joe
answered. Il guess she and Alva
were about to go to bed" Alva was
their one child. She had been chris
tened Malvina, after Joe's mother
but when the Balls "blossomed out
they renamed her Alva, which the.
somehow had got the impression wa'
smarter"
At Joe's laundering confession tina
the females of the family were in nj
condition to receive, Anita said to mt
In a low voice: Let us go"
I pretended not to hear. "Rout EN-
out" said / to Joe. Then, take m,
electric and bring the nearest parson
There's going to be a wedding RICH
here" And I looked round the lont
salon, with everything draped for thu
summer departure. Joe whisked tn,
cover off one chair, his man took OF
another. It'll have the women-foll
down in two minutes" he cried. Thel
to the man: Get a move on you
Billy. Stir EN- up in the kitchen. d.
the best you can about supper-ant
put a lot of champagne on the ice
That's the main thing at a wedding.
Anita had seated herself listlessl,
IN one of the uncovered chairs. TIL,
wrap slipped back from her shoulder
and-how proud l was Of her! 10,
gazed, took advantage of her not look
ing up to slap me IN the back and t.
jerk his head in enthusiastic approval
Then he, too, disappeared.
A few minutes Of silence, and Their,
was a rustling on the stairs. Sh,
started up, trembling, looked round
as if seeking some way to escape 0
some place to hide. Joe was in tn
doorway holding aside one Of the cuI
tains. There entered In a beribbone,
and beflounced tea-gown, a pretty, /
rather ordinary, woman of forty, wit
a ~petulant baby face. She was tryin
to look reserved and severe. Sh
hardly glanced at me before f~astenin,
sharp, suspicious eyes on Anita.
Mrs. Ball." said I, this is Mis-
Ellersly."
Miss Ellersly!" she exclaimed, he
face changing. And she advanced an
took both Anita's hands. "Mr. Ball /
so stupid" she went on, with tina
amusingly affected accent which l
the Sunday clothes Of speech.
II didn't catch the name, my dear,
Joe stammered.
BE off," said l, aside, to him. zee
the nearest preacher and hustle hir
here with his TOOLS"
/ had one eye on Anita all the time
and | saw her gaze follow Joe as h
hurried out; and her expression mad
my heart ache. | heard him sayin
in the hail, go in, Allie. It's o. X;
heard the door slam, knew we Shout
soon have some sort Of minister VT
US.