The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-11-04
CHAPTER J..

Aci oss the brilliant parquette, from
the bishops box, Miss Winstanley
openly beckoned me with her little
white black-dotted fan. Henrietta
Winstanley is the bishops sister, a
lady more like her W fan than any
thing l can think of at the moment
to compare her with; a small lutter-
ing thing, constantly in motion, Great
Ing a pleasant stir wherever she hap
pens to be, smelling deliciously of
orris root or lavender, her black eyes
sparkling like the %iridescents on the
fan.
There were beside her in the box
the bishop, Barbara Hemingway, her
brother Dan-the most popular young
rascal In town-Ankony, acting presi-
dent of the Central Savings Company,
and, for the rest, a part of the Forlorn
Hope, as Miss Winstanley calls the
ardent band of Barbara's followers,
whom she has always stoutly declared
Barbara would have none of. I wish
l had been as sure of it.
The bishop looked the bishop, or he
would probably have been DR.. Win
stanley, as his father had been before
him. or Winstanley, attorney-at-law,
following the way. his maternal I'M
cles had taken, or merely Winstanley,
dealer in loans and real estate, as he
once told me his prediction unde-
niably tended. But he looked the
bishop, and his sister, who was much
older than he, vowed that he should
become what nature so evidently in
tended. No one ever understood clear
ly just how she contrived it, but that
she had triumphantly arrived with
him none could contradict. Indeed,
whatever Miss Henrietta Winstanley
undertakes she is pretty certain to
accomplish.
She had declared to me often, and
with warmth, that If she could help
1t Ankony should not marry Barbara
Hemingway, as he very evidently pro-
posed to do, if possible. Therefore I
was not surprised at the summons
which beckoned me as her aide-de.
camp, for Ankony had been making
the most unmistakable love to Bar
bara ever since the curtain had gone
up and that part of the Forlorn Hope
represented in the box had yielded
itself to what was going on over the
footlights.
There's ingratitude for you," whis-
pered she, as 1 bent over her.
1T looks more like devotion" I re-
marked dryly.
Il launched that man socially. He
had been very nice about my chart.
ties, and n must make some return,
you know; besides, he isn't altogether
a bad sort. But he must not think
he can marry Barbara Hemingway"
Does he?"
She made a comprehensive gesture.
You can see for yourself. Such au-
daciousness I never knew! He seems
to forget the gulf between them"
1.-THE gulf of blood. eh?". said 1.
Exactly. What is there harder to
get around? . . l don't mind a
self-made man-in the third n
ton; but Ankony is in the first. and
proud of it. And he imagines that
because Dan is in his employ he can
force his attention on Barbara when
and as he likes"
Isn't it possible that he may not
meet with quite the disbursement
you think?" l suggested, with a smile
that was mere braggadocio.
Nonsense! You don't believe anv
such thing as that. Do you suppose
for a minute that Barbara would re-
ceive him-or his impossible sister-fn.
law either, for the matter of that
If she didn't feel that she had to?"
She sighed and hurried on: "One has
to do so many awkward and unpleas.
ant things when n is poor. and thew
are SO poor. Do you know it's a fact
that they have to depend entirely
nowadays on Dams salary? And so,
you see. quite naturally, they must
be decent to Mr.. Ankony."
"How they manage to get on / don't
know" dissolved gravely.
Miss Winstanley shook her brisk IT.
tie head. mo more do I. Dan isn't
economical, you khow-how can we
expect him to be. with his bringing
up? It's such a pity their father
should have made that last unfor-
tunate investment just before he died
1t must be frightfully hard on them
both; but the brunt of it falls on Bar,
bara, as is natural. perhaps. You've
noticed, haven't you, that when a
man and woman practice oncm to.
gethar it's always the woman who
somehow, seems to get in the most
exercise? I'm sure Dan is as consid.
crate and careful as he knows how to
be, but he is so generous, you know"
Perhaps he's a bit too generous"
She nodded. That's it, precisely.
NOW. those are his flowers that the
oaW little neglected Pratt girl L. car.