The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-30
Something
On This
wien AMANM
7henoafomvhIh fhe pWSEVENDNSwoS made
bYNtARY ROBERTS RINEtlART
A,thor Of IllfCR1NR STARCAge"' TM MANN LOwERh
Copyright. 1909, The BobOe- Merrill Company


- -
Amt Selma met me in the doot-
way. To ms frantic eyes she seemed
10 tower above us by at least foot
and beside her Jimmy was "a red per
spring cherub.
.sHere she Is" Jimmy said, from
behind a temporary eclipse 81 black
cioap and travelling bag. He was on
tor or the situation now, and ne vas
mendaciously cheerful lie had not
xafd. Here ix my wife" That would
have been a lie. No, Jimmy merely
said, Here she is II Aunt Selma
chose to think me Bella. was II not
her responsibility And If hose {"
accept the situation. was II not mine :
Dallas Brown came forward gfhFelE
IL Aunt Selma folded over and kissed
rna and surreptitiousiy patted me with
one hand, while he held out IN" otheF
to Miss Caruthers. ! 1oathed MIN
I'VE always expect something un-
usual from James, Miss Caruthers.' he
said. with his best manner, but this
this il beyond our widest dreams.
Well. it's too awful to- linger over.
Anne took her upstairs and into Bel
Z las bedroom. Ii was fancy OF Jim 5
Is leave that room just as Bella had
left H. dusty dance cards and taNoTs
hanging around and a pair of dis
carded slippers under the bed. / don
think 1t had been swept since Bella
left IT, / believe in sentiment, but
like II brushed and busted and the
cobwehs off OF il, and when Aunt Sa
lir,a put Down her bonnet. it stirred
up a gray white cloud that made her
cough She did not say anything, but
she looked around thu room grimly
and / saw her run her finger over the
back OF chair before she let Hannah
the maid, put her cloak on IT.
Anne looked frightened. She ran
into Bella's bath and wet the end OF
4 towel and when Hannah was chang
ing Aunt Setina's collar--her conces-
sion Il, evening dress--Anne wiped of
the obvious places on the furniture
She did 1t stealthilF, but Aunt Selma
saw her in the glass.
whats that young woman
name p she asked ms sharply, Wher
Anne had taken the towel out II hide
III.
ANNE Brown, Mrs Dallas Brown
i replied meekly. Every enc replied
meekly to Aunt Selma.
Does she live here ?''
s.Oh, no. / said airily. They are
here to dinner, she and her husba.
They are old friends of Jim s--a p
mine
Seems to have "A good eye for dirt,
uaad Aunt Selma and went on tasten
snR her brooch When she was tinall
ready. she took a bead purse from
somewhere about her waist and tool
out half dollar. She held il up be
fore Hannahs eyes,
-sTo-morrow morning. she SAT-
sternly, you take off that white cal
aud that fol-de-rol apron and tina
black henrietta cloth. apd put on
calico wrapper, And when youN
got this room aired and swept, MIR,
Wilson will give you this
Hannah took two steps back an
caught hold of "A chair she stare
heipiessly from Aunt Selma To the hal
dollar. and then at me. Anne va
trying not 10 eaten my eye,
And another thing" Aunt Sehn
said, from the head of the stairs,
sent those tow els over from lrcian,
I Tell her to wash and bleach the on
Mrs What s-her- name Brown used 5
= duster.'
Anne was quite crushed as We wei
down the stairs. turned once. hal
way down, and her face Was Curtot
mixture OF guilt and hopeless wrat
Over her shoulder | could see HannaI
4 wide-eyed and puzzled, staring art
& us.
& Jim presented everybody, and the
he went into the den and closed Il
door and we heard him unlock II
+ eeilarette Aunt Selma looked
I.eiia's bare shoulders and said 81
guessed she didn't take cold easil
and conversation rather languishe
\ Max Reed was looking like "A thu
dereIoud, and ne came over To II
with a lowering expression that / Id
learned TO dread in him.
What fool nonsense Is this
demanded What in the world po
ressed you, Kit. TO put yourself in sue
an equivocal position Unless -
stopped and turned little white
"uniess you are going to marry Jim
| am sorry for Max. He is such
nice boy, and good looking, too,
{ only he were not SO fierce, and d
D not want to make love TO me.
matter what / do. Max always di
approves OF IL. i have always had
deeply rooted conviction that II
II should ever in a weak moment mar
Max. he would disapproVa of tina
400, before 1 had done II very lon
Are YOU" he demanded, marrow
l ing his eyes--a sign Of unusually ba
! humor
Am / what"
Going to marry him ?"
IF you mean jim" ] said wit
y dignity. II haven't made up my min