The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-24
By ALBERT PAYsoN TERHI
Copyright, 1909, by Albert Payson Terhune

I
 graciousness that did not however leave the second personal pronoun
 quite unaccented.
 Why snot?" asked Desiree. simply
 near some really very nice people
 come here.-sometimes." - meant I feared you would hard
 iy feel at home" persisted Lefty. walk
 ing round-eyed toward destruction "Oh. I don't" Desiree assured her
 with childlike smile. At home l
 never see men sit with their feet on a
 Teranda rail- And I never see women
 drinking whisky there, either,' she added with a glance toward a nearby
 table whither a tray of high-baIls had just been borne. ed Lefty. with despairing effort at cold reproof.
 One goes anywhere nowadays" re- pIled Desiree "And besides,'' she sigh | thing about it always has a charm for me. From trees like those splendid old oaks. down to- her eyes swept the scene for an antithesis: accident | " resting for the remotest instant on Letty's profile she finished down to the funny little rabbits with their ridiculous round bodies sand bulging scared eyes"
 | ''Geer' groaned Caleb to himself glancing helplessly from one girl to the other. Tt must be hell to be a | Mormop."
 For a moment, Lefty pondered on l
 Then. all at once. queer. gurgling | little sound rumb1ed far down in her throat and she slowly grew pink. Her | nose Qutvered mute appeal to all | mankind. Caine mercifully returned at | this juncture. All unconscious of the smouldering fires. he proceeded, man. l like to stir up the coals. You have made one more of an | endless line of conquests. Miss Shev- lin,'' he announced. General Greer, Miss Standish's uncle. you know to ask who you were; and to demand In lur1d dir" why he had never met you before. He is coming over in moment. if you'll permit. to be intro | duced to you. You don't mind?"
 Why. of course not,'' said Desiree in | sweet effusion. Miss Standish knows how glad I am to meet anyone con- nected with her. By the way. she anI l have been raving over the joys of country life. We
 Lefty was saved by the advent of an elderly man. apoplectic of mien, stumpy of gait. who hobbled across to their table and greeted her with a | bluff manner he had spent many busy years in mastering. Then, without waiting for her reply. he nodded to Jack and looked expectantly toward Caine. The latter rose to the occa- sion.
 Miss Shevlin." he said. trying to make the act seem bred of an unex- pected meeting, May I present Gener- al Greer?"
 The General bowed low: his best old world air and his ccrpulence battling doughtily for supremacy in the saIuta- t1on. He was about to follow up the bow with some remarks of a fatherly yet admiring nature. when Caine with malice forethought. broke in: And. General: may introduce MT. Caleb Conover?'
 The old mans honeyed words col lided with a. snort that sprang anbid- den from his throat; resulting in l hot z1el fatberly.
 ''Conover. eh?" he rapped out. Heard or you, sir! Heard of you!-Too often, in fact. You're the fellow that's al- ways buying up our legislators. aren't you? Why do you do it. sir?''
 "Becsuse they're for sale" said Caleb unruffled. I gues that's bout the only reason I'm able to-
 represent our. interest at the Capital ito accuse them of being willing, untempted. to sell their voter"
 "Oh. I wouldn't go so far as that" They ain't all waitin' for chances to sell their vote. Some of 'em prefers to rent it out by the year,
 Do you want me to believe such libel on our statesmen?'> acclaimed Greer. "On the men we"
 I'm not exactly coaxin' you to be- lieve anything replied Caleb. pleas antly. "An' I ain't liable to lay wake AI If the people didn't want to be run by a lobby they wouldn't be. That's all there is to it,
 T didn't come to discuss ethics with | a man of your stam-" sneered the | General. But can toll you you are | wrong-wrong. sir-in thinking the peo- pleple will always stand such condf- | tions as you and your kind are thrust | ing upon them. Only yesterday one of | my clients was telling me that if he | could not curb your legislature infIu- ence by fair means he would" Caleb blandly.
 General Greer stared at him speech less. apopletic. Lefty, who, despite still clung to the fond delusion that she was the spoiled child niece of fic- tion who could twist an other wise crotchety uncle about her fingers, now blunders. The Generals rumbling voice had drawn attention to their table and Miss Standtsh conceived a plan of pouring oil on the thunderous waters.
 Why Uncle Guy! she pouted pret- tfly. You'll make MT. Conover think you're in earnest in the dreadful things you are saying to himi It's just dear Uncle Guys bluff way. MT. Conover. that he picked up when he was com manding soldiers in the army. He's really darling old lamb. if only"
 After one long. dumb glare of anni- hilation at his self-appointed spoied-
  away. bleating blasphem- ouSly. T wonder" conjectured Desiree looking up from her tall glass, "why seltzer lemonades make such squizzy sounds through the straw when the glass is almost empty" If that's a hint,-' observed Caine, | glancing about for a waiter.
 "No." she replied. 'Only d scientific comment. Oh. it is good to be in the { a day like this-' "I'H be in the country for the sum- mer this time next month"; said Jack Mothers taken the same cottage at the Antlers we had last year. It will be nice to get back to the old Adirondacks again. lt
 The Adirondacks?' exclaimed De- siree. "Oh. take me along. I've always ( wanted to go there!'
 Lefty pained at a suggestion so pal ( pably immodest, looked in frightened appeal to Caine. But Amzi was once I more talking to people at the next ta- ble. So Miss Standish drew about her I