Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-02-05
Making a Match.

Lupton took up his residence In the
city of Mrs. Hunniman's home and
presented a letter of Introduction to
her, her first thought wSs how to pre-
sem him to society, the second how to
present him with a wife. She de-
termined to invite the social leaders
to meet him at dinner and to give him
for a table companion a lady, also a
newcome in whose social preferment
she took n deep interest.
Mr.. Lupton was a man of forty, in
tellectual, good looking, well to do and
of aristocratic mein. He had been
abroad for some time, and Mrs. Hunni-
man knew nothing of his a~ntecedents
except that he was vouched for in the
highest terms In his letter Of introduce
ton. But no one would mistake him
for anything else than a gentleman.
Miss 0~verlander, whom Mrs. Hunni-
mar designed for Mr.. Lupton's wife,
was thirty-two years old and still a
beautiful woman. But q friend of Mrs.
Hunniman told some one. who told 9th
ers, that Miss Overlander was not
Miss Oyerlal.der at all.
When the dinner guests were assem-
bled in the ORA wing room, Mrs. Hunni-
mar took MT. Lupton's arm and led
him to the lady beside whom he was to
sit at table. There was something so
distinguished In both Mr.. Lupton's
and Miss Overlander's person and
manner that the hum of conversation
ceased, and all eyes were fixed upon
the couple. Both bowed low. the mar
made some casual observation, the
woman replied by an asserting nod.
the guests resumed their chat, and not
long afterward all passed into the din
ing room.
There is one thing that matchmakers
who are real m~atchmakers never do.
They carefully abstain from any word
or act that will intimate their inten-
lions to the objects of their designs.
Mrs. Hunniman had thus abstained In
the present case, though 1t had been
whispered among the dinner guests
that she had intentions concerning Mr..
Lupton and Miss O~verlander, and dur
ing the dinner the couple were the re-
cipients of curious glances. The con
yersation between the two seemed at
first q trile constrained, and Mrs.
Hunniman was not especially encour-
aged as to the matter she had in view.
The lady seemed not especially at
tracted to her dinner companion, who
showed a trife of embarrassment con
sequent upon her GOODNESS, and when
shortly after the soup she entered into
conversation with the gentleman sit
ting on her other side Mr.. Lupton
b Observation-Disclosures
and became animated.
But at a dinner party one cannot
ignore his or her dinner companion
very long without being considered
rude, and Mr.. Lupton and Miss Over
lander soon found themselves forced to
entertain each other or sit In silence.
The lady by this time seemed to have
made up her mind to make the best of
a bad bargain and ventured several re-
marks to the gentleman. who sat very
stifiy beside her restlessly lingering
the stem of his w~ineglass and only re-
piled in a p~erfunctory manner. 1t be-
came evident to several of the COM
pany who were in the secret of the
hostess matchmaking that Mr.. Lupton
at least was showing a sure sign of
Observation-Disclosures. Then he made
some remark In a tone too low to be
heard except by Miss O~verlander,
whereupon she haughtily turned her
back on him.
This was near the close of the din
ner. When the guests were departing,
Mrs. Hunniman asked Mr.. Lupton how
he was pleased with the lady she had
assigned him for the evening. His re-
ply was a snort and an angry turning
away. AS Miss Overlander came down
from the ladies' cloakroom she re-
ceived the same question with regard
to Mr.. Lupton. Delighted" was her
reply in a tone calculated to freeze the
narrow In the bones of the questioner.
When the last guests were depart
ing, MI. Hunniman, who had gone u
to put a lady in her carriage, returned,
with a blank look on his face and
whispered to his wife:
my dear, what do you think?"
"Mr. Lupton and Miss Overlander
have gone In the same carriage"
"For heavens sakei What does 1t
mean?"
Now, the departure Of the newly in
troduced couple was seen by two men
of the party who were starting for
their club. Moved by curiosity, they
followed In their carriage. Two hours
later they returned to the Hunniman
mansion and called for the head of the
house. He came down from his bed
room in pajamas.
"Hunniman." said one Of the visit
ors, at is our duty as your friend to
warn you that you and your wife are
being deceived. There's something
wrong-very wrong-about Miss Over