The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-11-01
CHAPTER vll.-(continued).

ed them. There was too much hustle,
and Mrs. Cheney and 'Tunia kept fly
'ns about the fender and compelling
hl;u to mind his toes.
There was a pile of beautifully
brown mullins, done to a turn, stand
ing on the fender rest. There were
aome dropping cakes in the oven,
which had tC be looked at from time to
lime to see that they did not get over
baked. There were sa%lly-luns. which
Tuuia toasted slice by slice, handing
them to Mrs. Cheney to butter, and
there was hot buttered toast, which
was Deing specially prepared for old
MIR. Tossiter, of the combined room,
Who didn't eat cakes.
The tea table Was laid in the cosy
sitting room next to the kitchen which
Was Mrs. Cheney's W apartment,
ana the table had had to be made
la,ser for the occasion. The extension
had been accomplished without much
difficulty: the only drawback was
that the space between the chairs and
the table was extremely limited.
But Tuna was thin, n she as
sured Mrs. Cheney that she could
squeeze through when her services
were needed if the guests would
| kindly tilt their chairs forward a lit
tie.
Mrs. Cheney glanced at the clock.
1t was twenty-five minutes past 5. In
another five minutes the company
would, by previous arrangement, come
down stains.
There would be the drawing room
foor-Mr, Frank Allister, a young nov
elist who had written one or two
books which had been favorably criti-
cisod. but had not, in spite of the crit
icisms. quite caught the public fancy.
There was Miss Maggie Allister, the
young novelists sister, who had come
to town to attend the Guild Han
school of music. and played so beauti-
fully on the piano her brother had
provided for her that old Mr. Tossiter
was quite sure she was going to be a
second Arabella Goddard.
There was the combined room-old
Mr.. Tossiter himself. who had been
the property master in a famous West
end theater, and had, owing to defect
i've eyesight. retired on a small pen
sion generously given him by the man
agement.
There was young Mrs. Peyton Peth-
erick. who, when she vas governess
had lodged with Mrs. Cheney, and ha(
| only left to be married to Mr., Peytol
Petherick. a well-preserved, middle
aged widower, whose acquaintance
| she had made through riding to tow
| with him every morning in the same
bus.
Mrs. Peyton Petherick was quit
| we'll off now, and lived in one of the
charming old houses on Denmark
| Hill, but she often paid her old land
| lady a visit and was tactful enough tc
put OF all her jewelry for the occa
sion.
And. last of all, there was May Viii
son. May was eight-and-twenty, tall
and pretty. but with a pathos in her
| p%rettiness that had greatly interested
her fello w-lodger. Frank Allister. The
young novelist had been struck with
her the first time he met her in Mrs.
Cheney's sitting and had an OPP
portunity of talking to her.
THAT girl has a story" he said to
his sister; I'm sure Of it."
oh. nonsense, Frank" replied his
sister; you are always reading ro-
mances, and pasts, and stories into
the people you meet. It's your bust
ness, l suppose"
But, SO far as the inmates of The
| Winery knew. there vas no romance
| about May Wilson. She had a posi-
ton in the show room of a famous
Regent street firm of milliners. She
had gone there with a recommends
| ton from a customer in the country,
and had begun as an assistant in the
showroom with a small salary. But
she had found favor with the man
ageress of the department and had
worked up until she had attained a
salary Of G3 los a week, and on this
she was able to dress we'll and to live
comfortably in the "parlors" at The
Winery.
AS the little clock in Mrs. Cheney's
sitting room struck the half-hour MT
Tossiter entered, and, having wished
Mrs. Cheney many happy returns Of
the day several times since the morn
ing, wished her many more happy re
turns. 1t was the most appropriate
entrance-line he could think of.
Frank Allister and his sister came {
minute later, and Frank presented
Mrs. Cheney with a bunch of flowers
which Mrs. Cheney accepted with
delightful "Oh, you Shouldn't" ant
TUNA, taking them from her mistres.
to arrange in a jug for the center o
the table, named each different f1owe
for the benefit, of the company, an,
added. as she always did on such oc
casions. "Of course, l know all abou
such things through father"
May Wilson came in a little hurried
~. oh, l hope I've not kept 20,
waiting" She said, smiling at every
body. n kissing Mrs. Cheney, "bu
we We're kept later than usual this al
ternoan. We had a big mourning OF