Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1909-09-02
CHAPTER |.

openly beckoned me with her little
white black-dotted fan. Henrietta
Winstanley is the bishops sister, a
thing / can think of at the moment
to compare her with; a small flutter-
ing thing, constantly in motion, Great
ing 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, 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. l wish
! 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
Giles 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
1y just how she contrived 1t, 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
it Ankony should not marry Barbara
Hemingway, as he very evidently pro-
posed to do, If possible. Therefore ]
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 bent over her.
1T looks more like DEVOTION re-
marked dryly.
Il launched that man socially. He
had been very nice about my chart.
ties, and one 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 her"
She made comprehensive gesture
"You can see for yourself. Such au-
daciousness never knew! He seems
to forget the gulf between them"
The gulf of blood, eh?" said l.
Exactly. What is there harder to
get around? don't mind a
self-made MANN the third genera
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 encouragement
you think?" / suggested, with smile
NnaJ was mere DraBSauOClO.
Nonsense! You don't believe any
such thing as that. Do you suppose
fora minute that Barbara would re-.
ceive him-or his impossible sister-in.
law either. for the matter OF that
If she didn't feel that she had to?"
= She sighed and hurried on: zone has
to do so many awkward and unpleas.
ant things when one is poor, and they
are so poor. Do you know it's 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 lit.
tie head mo more do l. Dan isn't
economical, you know-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.
II must be frightfully hard on them
both; but the brunt of 1t falls on Bar
bara. as is natural. perhaps. You've
noticed haven't you, that when a
man and woman practice economy to-
gether it's always the woman who,
somehow, seems to get in the most
exercise? Pm 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
poor little neglected Pratt girl il car.