Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-02

of Lady Vale Avon and the Duchess. Standing
in semidarkness, the landlords face was
| blur of brown shadow, featureess, save for a
pair of enormous eyes burning with emotion
which was no longer hospitality. His wife
| whose broad shoulder pressed against her
husbands as if to form line of defense, was a
| dark browed, Gypsy like woman, who must
once have been beautiful and might now be
formidable Behind them were grouped
handsome boy and three or four very pretty
| girls with red and white roses in their hair.
They wouldn't dare turn us out! ex-
| claimed Lady Vale Avon. They can never
have had persons of Our sort before"
If you asked, they'd probably retort that
| Dukes and Marquises were thick as black
berries" said I.
She glanced at Carnona, hoping for sup
port; but he shrugged his shoulders in despair:
and look from me was signal for the Cherub
| to step forward. .:-'
The atmosphere had begun to tingle, and in
few minutes more it might have been too late
to make peace with these proud and self re-
spectlng people who had never submitted to
magnetism of the Cherub had begun to do its
work. He mtirmured. nodded, and smiled.
took the family into his confidence with a few
| vivid gestures. explained that the ladies were
upset by an accident, appealed to the land
| lords chiva1ry, and the landladys heart
| Gathering frowns were chased away by smiles
and when Monica showed her dimples to the
boys and; girls with look which pleaded for
| kindness, the battle was fought and won.
They had not many bed rooms. Several
were engaged by commercial travellers; but
these should be slowed into one room, their
clothing and luggage moved at once Oh,
they would not object when they learned that
| it was question of accommodating ladies; or
| if they did, they must eat their objections for
| supper; it was no matter. And the landlord
| and landlady would give up their room. good
one. their worships need have no fear. All
| should be ready in the opening and closing Of;
| an eye. But would we meanwhile have sup
per! There was always enough for few unex-.
pected ones. g.,
! Having listened so far, the Cherub turned
/ hlandly to Carmona. These arrangements
| need not include the Senior Dukes party, unless
he liked, of course, but-his palms were 2ek+
| tended if to receive the decision. Plump it
| fell into them. Everyone must stay, and make
| the best of it. So the ladies were bundled into
a room where they might get rid of the dust,
and the men into another; clean rooms, with
saint or two in vivid colors; floors covered with
| coarse, bright mating: and iron beds with lace
frilled and embroidered pillows.
In quarter of an hour everyone was ready
for dinner; but fiveo out of fifteen minutes had
| given to the hasty scribbling of penciled note
| for Monica. | hoped to slip it into her hand in
| the dining room; but she was closely under
guard; and Carmona annexed four seats at
| the head of the long table, by which maneuver
he secured isolation for his party. 1t was safe
| from any sortie of ours, there was scattered
contingent of commercial travellers already
earnestly engaged in dining on either side Of
| the table.
Such charms as Pillars. though unsurpassa-
BILE of their kind went for nothing with these
ardent men, who we're paralyzed by Mon
ica's beauty: and even the landlords son,
daughters, and neces. who waited upon their
guests. forgot half their duties in AFFECT ad-
| miration. And when the object Of their
| worship was snatched away by her mother
and the Duchess, before the goats milk cheese
had been brought round, gloom fell upon the
| room. The commercial travellers galloped
| through the remainder of the meal, and went
| OUT hoping perhaps, if they promenaded the
| street, to have the joy of seeing light in the
radiant beings window. The pretty girls of
| the household vanished with murmured ex-
cuses. leaving us at the mercy of the boy, who
| sighed grievously, dropped sugar bowl. and
| spilled coffee within of the Cherub's
| shoulder.
Pillar presently disappeared Also leaving us
three men alone at the table, observed only by
| few dozen eager faces pressed against the iron
| bars protecting the open window.
Soon we heard peals of laughter from the
patio; the pretty girls were sallying forth on
| foraging expedition in search of warming pan
| to heat the beds of the three great ladies' who
| feared dampness. In twenty minutes they
| came back, and we arrived in the patio in time
| to see the triumphal entrance of four or five