St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-01-09

/ demanded, with some show Of 1ndlg'
nation.
Il 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"
added, is very good word, but it's
apt to be misplaced. And why did
Lady Passay interfere? Was Johnny
a friend of her childhood as well?"
Mrs. Berkeley Dexter did not re-
spond directly. Its not as if he cared
two pins for the girl" she argued, NOR
she for him. She tricked him into
the engagement, and thought 1t would
be good match. Absurd"
"On your own showing,'I pursued,
'the entire matter was most discred-
liable, not to say improper!"
Mrs. Dexter made a 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 counter
question. why don't you get mar
ried yourself?" she asked, cor, at least,
engaged?"
with people like you and Lady Pas
say about?" l calculated, heaven for
bid!"
81 should be very kind to you,"
smiled Mrs. Berkeley Dexter.
"The time for that said I, lis past. :"
AS l spoke, my eye fell and rested on
a bowl of roses that stood ON an adj
jacent table. l leaned forward. "It
used to be your favorite flower"
murmured, as selected a fine Gloire
de Dion, 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 a little sur
prise. We are growing old gradually.
but surely"
and we ought to use our experience
for the benefit of our friends, oughtn't
WEI" was Mrs. Dexter's sweet rejoind-
er. Which was precisely what l
thought when heard that poor
Johnny was SO unhappily engaged.
Lady Passay said he was most awfully
miserable"
He doesn't show up very WE'LL" I
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 SHALL" said Mrs.
Dexter
You're afraid
I'm not. Only, you see, he doesn't
think | did interfere; he thinks he
did 1t 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 yet?"
l rose to take my leave.
IT'S very sordid," l remarked as I
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 so?"
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 a
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 obliy-
ion. Didn't / tell you just now how
perfectly good could be IL 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 a 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 go.
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
you want him yourself?"