Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-05-06

situation. trust that you viii not
act hastily.
"Oh, | s!ian't put you out or any
thing like that. Mr.. EewingtOn. Make
your mild easy ON that score"
at is very considerable Of you, sir
OF course until the affair is settled We
shan not encroach on your technical
right of possession more than Is abSo-
lutciy necessary. II the present ar
ranAemcut is satisfactory l would sug
seSt that il be continued
The Cherub favored Mr. Hewington
with Il whimsical smile. We'll, We'll
let the thing drift for awhile anyway
Only you don't have to act as though
you We're prisoners. Why don't you
and the countess come down to your
meals just as though l wasn't here?"
My dear sir Here Mr.. uewing
ton began an exhaustive review Of the
situation. When he was through Mr..
Devine chuckled gleefully. 1t was an
amazingly simple proposition. The
HewingtOns were the Hewingtons. and
he-well, he was Cherub Devine. That
told the story.
1t was all done very cOurteOusly and
delicately in Mr.. Hewington's fine. arts.
tocratic manner, yet nothing but the
superlative buOyancy Of Mr.. Devine's
audacious soul saved him from being
utterly crushed.
II wish l could have dreams like
that" soliloqulzed the Cherub when
he had been left alone
The possibilities incident upon ac-
quiring a quiet country house were
surprising to Mr.. Cherub Devine.
Lets see," he reflected: I'm not ex-
actly what you'd call an unwelcome
guest. am I? guess l must be an
unwelcome host, then. and hanged If
that isn't new che on me. But there's
worse and more Of it. I'm no gentle
man, for one item. Then. II Pm to be-
lieve all hear about myself. I'm a
deep dyed villain and an unregenerate
sinner who has butted into his own
house. Take it all around, things are
pretty badly mixed. Wonder what
program / ought to follow.
More or less thought did Mr.. Devine
bestow upon the Countess Vecchi dur
ing the next half hour. He had q
well defined idea. had the Cherub
that his knowledge Of women was vast
and deep. Oh. he had seen lots OF
them! They had been of all kinds too
1t was part If his philosophy that the
wise man kept out Of their way. that
generally they meant mischief and
that when they didn't they were mos
dangerous.
mo, thank you" This was the
Cherubs attitude toward the sex. One
experience was quite enough for him
| for there had been considerable to his
affair with Kittie O'Neill. whom ht
had mentioned to the countess. Ht
was hardly out Of his teens then, t.
be sure. and IIittie. having achieved
one and twenty and n position In the
second row Of the chorus, had viewed
| his awkward advances with silen
scOrn until one eventful day wheI
, she had fully revealed her attitude by
, sudden burst Of derisive laughter
| Cherub Devine's faith in womankin(
/, had been destroyed.
! But in the presence ct the Counties.
Vecchi he forgot all his suspicious. IL,
| was quite sure that no one just like
her had ever existed before. There
fore it was amazingly unjust that she
should look upon him as an Outcast OF
as burning brand Of sin. He couldn'
tell her what good fellow he was
and she had no chance Of finding i
out for herself so long rs the old gen
tleman regarde' him as socially unfit
| II seer exclaimed the Cherub a
last. I've got to qualify In his class
Well, here goes-'