Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-05-24
CHAPTER III.

We cannot be always mourning with
those who mourn. or rejoicing with
those who rejoice; for, if we could,
our lives would DE spent in perpetual
state Of Mysteries, which would alto
gether incapaoitate s.s Tor the perform
ance of our daily duties. Yet every
now and then we receive a disagree
able shock when we find that we have
unconsciously and in figurative sense
been dancing over the graves Of our
friends, and IT was certainly an unfoT-
tunate and incongruous circumstance
that while the Dean of St. CYprian's
was gasping his life out in his soli-
tary room at oxford, his nephew should
have been enjoying himself very much
at CHEEKY London dinner-par ty.
General Moore's dinners were always
CHEEKY. The General liked seeing his
friends, of whom he had plenty, and
his wife liked entertaining. Perhaps
the skill and tact displayed in the Sc
Letting and asserting of the guests who
assembled so constantly in the house
In Cromwell Road should be credited
rather to her than to him. She was
his second wife and his junior by some
thing more than twenty years, her
step daughter Susia being now eigh-
teen. She had four small children of
hea own; but that did not prevent her
from being an excellent step-mother,
as step-mothers go. and resolved to do
her very best for Susie, who had made
her formal entrance into society at the
last Drawing room. That Is to say,
that whenever she issued invitationst
for a dinner party, she took care TO
consult Susie's interests by the inclu
sion of at least one eligible young man
in the list.
On this particular occasion she had
two; namely, Mr.. Frederick Musgrave,
and Captain Claughton of the Fourth
Life Guards, to both of whom had beer
assigned parts in the private theatre
Gals which were to take place later in
the evening AS for Captain Claugh-
ton, it was perhaps going little bit
too far to describe him as strictly eligi-
BILE, for he was not his fathers eldest
son; and young fellows in the House
hold Brigade are only too apt to spend
a good deal of money which they do
not possess. Mr.. Musgrave, however,
was certainly all right 1t was well
known that he would in due season in
herit the fortune of his uncle, the Dean
of ST Cyprian's, an old man in failing
health who, as Mrs. Moore had heard
upon the best authority, had been econ
omizing more than half of his income
for many years past. Mr.. Musgrave,
therefore, might be encouraged with a
clear conscience, and of late Mr.. Mus
grave had received as much encourage
ment as any young man could wish for.
These theatricals. for instance had
been got up entirely by his wish and
under his supervision. He knew some
thing about theatrical matters, for he
was the author of little comedy
which had been accepted by London
manag ger, ard was even now being per-
formed nightly; besides which he had,
wsen at oxford, been somewhat noto-
rioun as an amateur actor.
Trim. slim Captain Claughton, with
his closely cut black hair, his slight
moustache, his perfectly fitting clothes,
and his eye glass. assumed during din
ner a certain air of confidential famil-
iarity in talking to Miss Moore which
struck the other young man as rather
offensive. AS. however, the other young
man was very good -natured and easy
going, he did not lose his temper but
only wondered whether Miss Moore
really liked that sort of thing, and
hoped she didn't and was a little bit
afraid that she did.
Susie Moore. though not likely TO
achieve renown by reason of her beau
ty, had been pronounced to be "decid-
eddy upon the pretty side" by her step
mother. "She has points" that un-
biased critic had declared. "Of course,
If you take her piecemeal, there isn't
tO ha hpr hfff no ha a
genuine complexion, and her hair and
eyes are of a rather nice shade of
brown, and the general effect is quite
pleasing. Besides, she is as good as
gold"
The latter encoiuium may have been
what had aroused the interest of Cap
tain Claughton. who had dawdled
through many London seasons. Posi-
bly, also It may have been that which
had attracted Fred Musgrave; though
he was a man of quite another type,
and had fewer opportunities of discov-
ering its rarity.
He himself might almost have been
cited as coming under the same de-
nomination. Notwithstanding his
twenty-seven years, he had remained
to most intents and purposes a boy.
He was liable to be carried away by
occasional enthusiasms. such as his
present craze for the drama; he had u
fine. healthy belief In his fellow crea-
lures. nearly all of whom he liked and.
having always been extremely popular,
he had fallen into the habit of taking
his own way and expecting that other
people would see the reasonableness of
making their convenience suit his. In
respect of personal appearance he had
the advantage of Captain Claughton,
being tall. broad-shouldered, and hand
some, with curly, fair hair. blue eyes,
and regular features. In a vague sort
of way he was understood to be clever,
though it cannot be said that he had as
yet done much to earn that reputation.
save by the production of the comedy
above mentioned.
A T.