The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1908-12-25
JOHNNY WEEkES' LOVE AFFAIRS
demanded, with some show of indi
nation.
i The Triumph Of a 7actless Woman
Copyright, Ford Pub. co.,

demanded, with some show of indfg.
nation.
II told Lady Passay he wouldn't be
amenable to bullying" was the only
response, 'but she hasn't any tact.
The other way was far the best, and
much more interesting"
began to. feel sorry for the Olsen.
gagged girl, and said so. "Tact," l
| added, is a very good word, but it's
| apt to be misplaced. And why did
Lady Passay interfere? Was Johnny
friend of her childhood as well?''
Mrs. Berkeley Dexter did not re-
spond directly. "1t's not as if he cared
two pins for the GIRL" she argued, nor
| she for him. She tricked him into
the engagement, and thought it would
be a good match. Absurd"
ION your own showing,"I pursued,
the entire matter was most discred-
liable, not to say improper!"
Mrs. Dexter made variant effort to
retain her dignity. Il beg your par
don,' she said, coldly, ION my part, at
any rate, quite properly improper"
"And, of course, you told Berkeley
all about it?'
She turned on me with a counter
question. why don't you get mar
! ried yourself?" she asked "or, at least,
engaged?"
with people like you and Lady Pas
| say abOut?" l calculated, heaven for
bid"
Il should be very kind to you,"
smiled Mrs. Berkeley Dexter.
| 1.-THE time for that" said I, sis past"
AS l spoke, my eye fell and rested on
bowl of roses that stood on an a2-
| jacent table. I leaned forward. 1T
used to be your favorite flower" l
! murmured, as l selected fine Gloire
de Dillon, and laid it beside her hand.
How we'll you remember" Mrs.
| Dexter gave the suspicion of sigh.
| Remembrance isn't taxed" told
her, Except perhaps with regret, and
sometimes, perhaps, with little sur
prise. We are growing old gradually,
but surely"
@AAAu VIZ ouSAI " uoO Jul CADcl
for the benefit of our friends, oughtn't
! we?' was Mrs. Dexter's sweet rejoind-
er. (Which was precisely what I
thought when l heard that poor
Johnny was so unhappily engaged.
Lady Passay said he was most awfully
miserable.'
He doesn't show up very WE'LL"
! commented. why on earth couldn't
he manage his own affairs and not
allow couple of women to interfere.
You might ask him.
Il don't think I SHALL" said Mrs.
Dexter.
you're afraid"
I'm not. Only, you see, he doesn't
think I did interfere; he thinks he
did it all HIMSELF
| he ought to go back into pima
fores and leading strings-a man?
| Pooh!"
| Great men are not always wise"
retorted Mrs. Dexter. HE would have
been more difficult in pinafores. Don't
you know your sex YETI"
l rose to take my leave
It's very sordid," l remarked, as
held out my hand, "but, after all, the
lady is to be congratulated-on her
escape. She would have been
wretched.'
| You don't really think 500"
I'm convinced of it. And what are
you going to do now?"
I'm not quite sure" hesitated Mrs.
| Dexter, there are just the usual
things going on, and I'm really rather
! popular as a hostess, with always
spare place for an old friend. Why
not consider an early weekend?
Berkeley would be delighted"
"And Johnny?"
| "Oh, Johnny" Mrs. Dexter's tone
consigned Johnny to everlasting obliv-
ion. Didn't l tell you just now how
perfectly good could be if there were
no other women in the world? Well,
could. But when you have a lot of
worry, and go out of your way to be
kind to childhood's friend, and then
wake up one day to find you've mere
ly been made cat's-paw of, it's hard
very hard. I've had letter from
johnny to say that next week he's
going to marry Lady Passay, and
they've had the audacity to invite
me to the wedding. Me! And they'll
be aWfully disappointed if l don't 70,
they say. l always said that woman
hadn't any tact!"
| The opportunity was irresistible.
"Out of the fullness of the heart the
mouth speaketh,' l murmured. Did
| Won want him 1-0nrcolf0O