The Lamar register., 1909-05-26

Lady Hawkshaw and Sir Thomas
were old acquaintances, and had been
at feud for more than 30 years, Meth
er side asking or giving quarter. Sir
Thomas had shrewd wit of his own,
and was more nearly a match for
Lady Hawkshaw than any one l had
yet seen. He opened the ball by re-
marking on Lady Hawkshaw's i'm
proved appearance, partly due, he
thought, to her triumph in getting the
X. C. b. for Sir Peter. This nettled
Lady Hawkshaw extremely, and she
retaliated by telling Sir Thomas that
he looked younger than he did when
she first knew him 80 years ago. AS
Sir Thomas hated any allusion to his
age, this shot told.
and allow me to congratulate you,
Sir Thomas" added Lady Hawkshaw.
upon your very promising cousin,
Mr.. Giles Vernon. Sir Peter has the
highest opinion of him, and he has
won the favor of the bong-tong to an
extraordinary degree"
He may have won the favor of the
bong -tong," replied Sir Thomas, i'm
pudently mimicking Lady Hawkshaw's
in winning my favor"
That's a pity said Lady Hawk
shaw; but 1t doesn't signify, dare
say. 1t will not keep you alive a day
longer And there is your other
cousin-Capt. Overton of the Guards.
He is what so few of our young men
are, pious and God-fearing.'
and a sniveling. John Wesley
Methodist besides" snarled Sir Thorn
as, much exasperated.
BLESS me, Sir Thomas" cried Lady
Hawkshaw, don't be so hard on these
worthy people, the Methodists.'
l own this surprised me. for II there
was anything on earth upon which
Lady Hawkshaw was uncompromising
it was church and state; and. excel
lent woman though she was, l believe
she would have been rather glad to
make one big bonfire of all the dis
senters in England.
Sir Thomas was far from insensible
to Lady Arabella's charms, and, after
further exchange of hostilities with
Lady Hawkshaw, turned to Arabella.
She smiled upon him, and seemed anx-
ious to conciliate him; and in little
while / caught enough of their CONVEX
sation to know that she was telling
him of the meeting between Giles and
Overton, and representing that it had
been forced upon Overton by the in
suits of Giles Vernon. Sir Thomas
response to her tale was that he did
| not give a damn for either of them,
and if both had bit the dust he should
not have been sorry.
When Sir Thomas left, Lady Hawk
shaw called the tall footman.
"Jeames," she said, when that
person calls again, the ladies are not
at home. Do you understand"
James understood perfectly. in spite
of Lady Arabella's scowls.
1t is not to be supposed that young
man of Giles Vernon's spirit had not
been able to go through with his prize
money and run pretty considerably in
debt in five or six weeks in London.
and one morning, some days after this.
when | went to see Giles at his lodg-
ings, l found the bailiffs in possession.
Giles, however, was as merry as a
grig. because that very morning he
/ had got an appointment to the Belvi-
dera frigate.
1t was not much after having served
in the Ajax, but 1t meant leaving that
uncertain and trying element. dry land,
for another element on which Giles
was much more at home, to-wit, the
blue sea. So he sent out for pot of
porter, and he and /, together with the
bailiffs, drank to the Belvidera; and
swore, then and there. that go with
him would. For, in the excess OF my
affection for Giles, would have taken
almost any service to be with him.
The frigates, too, were more in the
way of activity, as the enemy was wary
of meeting our ships of the line. but
the frigates could go hunting after
him. So, when 1 returned to Berkeley
Square that day l begged Sir Peter to
get me a berth in the Belvidera. He
| was pleased with my spirit, ard the
very next day he went to the admiral
ty for me. The complement was fuil,
but. luckily for me, one Of the juniors