The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-12-02

went on with the meal.
81 did not know that your mail
came TO the club said Merrihew.
1T doesn't. Only rarely a letter
drifts this way"
We'll, go on and read 1t. Don't let
me keep You from it. Some charmer.
I'll wager. Here | pour all my adycn-
lures into your ear. and | on nay side
never SO much rs get n hint Of yours
Go on. read it,
Adventures, fddlesticks. The letter
can wait. 1t is probably a bill"
"A bill in a fashionable envelope like
that?"
Hillard only smiled. tipped the era,
die and refllCd Merrihew's glass with
some excellent Romance Cont. when
does Kitty sail:" he asked after awhile
Of silence.
"A week from this Saturday, Feb. =.
What the deuce did you bring up that
for? I've been trying to forget it."
Where do they land?"
NAPLES. They open in Rome the
first week in March. All the arrange
ments are complete After coffee
Merrihew pushed back his chair. "I'Tl
reserve a table in the billiard room
while YOU read your letter"
"Ill be with you shortly" CRATE
fully.
SO with the inevitable black cigar
between his teeth Mcrrihew sauntered
off toward the billiard room, while
Hillard picked up his letter and
studied it. His fingers trembled slight
ly az he tore open the envelope. The
handwriting. the paper. the modest
size, all these pointed to a woman Of
culture and refinement. But a subtle
spirit of irony pcrvaded it all. She
would never have answered his print
ed inquiry had she not laughed over
1t, for pinned to the top Of the letter
was the clipping, the stupid, banal
clipping: will the lady who sang
from Nine. Angot' communicate with
gentleman who leaned out Of the win
dow? j. H.. B~urgomaster club"
There vas neither a formal beginning
nor a formal ending, only four crisp
lines. But these implied one thing
and distinctly-the writer had no de-
sire for further communication with
gentleman who leaned out Of the win
dow" He read and reread slowly:
I am sorry to learn that my singing dis
turbed you. There was a reason. At that
particular moment ! was happy.
That was all. 1t was enough. She
had laughed. She was a lady humor-
ously Inclined. not to say mischievous.
A comic opera star would have sent
her press agent round to see what adj
vertisiug could be got out OF the Incl
dent: "a prima donna would have APP
pealed 10 her primo tenor for the
same purpose. A gentlewoman surely:
moreover. she lived within the radius.
the official radius, Of the Madison
square branch OF the postoffice, for
such was the postmafk. Common
sense urged him to dismiss the whole
affair and laugh over it as 1.-The lady
in the fog" had done. But common
sense often goes about with a pedant's
strut and is something to avoid on oc-
c%asions. Here was a harmless pastlme
10 pursue. common sense nOtWltn-
standing. The vein OF in him
was strong. and all the commercial
blood Of his father could not subju-
gate it He rang for paper and a
messenger and wrote: Mime. Angot
There is n letter for you in the
mail department Of this Office" This
time his initials were not necessary.
Once the message was on its way he
sought Merrihew. whom he found
knocking the balls about in a spiritless
manner
"A hundred to seventy-fve. Dan"
"For what?"
"For the mere fun of the game, of
course"
snake 1t cigars, just to add inter
est"
"Cigars, then"
But they both played a very indif.
| ferent game. At 1870 Merrihew's
eyes began to haunt the clock, and Hill
lard grew merciful for various rea-
sons.
Ito be c%ontinued.)