Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1910-04-08
P V.

~ ONSTERNATION fell upon Ep-
pings when it occurred to Mr..
Devine. along about 2 o'clock.
to inform him that guests
were expected 1T supper.
BEG pardon. sir. but 1t is impossible,
sir. We are not prepared. There's
only a small filet in the house, sir. and
not a duck-not a single duck"
"Have squad. then"
But, sir. we haven't
"Oh. don't go on telling me what you
haven't got. Hash up anything. Make
some sandwiches if you can't do bet
ter. Only don't come to me with your
troubles. I'm no chef. But Pm going
to have some friends here tonight. and
/ shall expect you to feed them. That's
what you're here for, isn't it,"
"Ye-e-e-es. sir. At what hour, STRIP
"Eight-thirty, sharp"
"And how-how many plates. sir?'
81 don't know. Ten or fifteen or
twenty. Better make it twenty, and
then you can discard"
"Ill do my best. sir"
1udl > the way 10 Idlk. Eppf lSS.
Having made these offhand prepara-
lions. Mr.. Devine sat himself down on
the veranda. He heard a step and
looked up to see before him the aris-
tocratic figure of the Countess vecchi's
father. Mr.. Hewington seemed some
what agitated.
you must pardon me, sir, for a
seeming impertinence." he began. ''but
] have lust Iearnsd By -aceidsppksusalt-
you Contemplate giving a party here
tonight. Is it a fact?"
Mr.. Devine nodded. "Just a few
friends, a dozen or So"
"Ah! Friends Of yours?" Mr.. Hew-
ington gave the words a significant
emphasis. Then would it not beer
-prudent-perhaps discreet is the bet
ter word-for my daughter to go else
where for the night-to the hotel in
the village perhapsY"
There was a twinkle in the Cherub's
blue eyes as he responded, Afraid of
a rough house, are you?'
my daughter. sir, is not exactly ac-
customed to-er-the kind of persons
who might
"Oh. see. Well, suit yourself about
it-suit yourself. But it isn't at all
necessary. l shall try to keep them
quiet. There are to be only a few
neighbors-the Walloways and"-
'The Walloways"
Eyes, and the Wilburs and the Mil
ler-Tremways and old Bishop Horton
and a ctrQu haron or furo
Bishop Horton! Is Bishop Horton
coming? Coming here?'
why, yes. The bishops a friend of
mine. Know him, do your"
I'VE were college classmates, Mr..
Devine." said Mr.. Hewington.
"That sol l never went to college
with the bishop, but I've crossed the
ocean with him twice, and once l held
his hat while he made a speech
"Extraordinaryr' said Mr.. Hewing-
ton.
Think SO? 1t may seem a little
queer to you. but the bishop doesn't
appear to look at it that way. Come
down and meet him and the rest of
the folks, won't you? We're to have
a little supper about half past s. And.
say, bring the countess-that is, unless
you're afraid of the crowd"
This last was a violation of a para
graz / in the CANa.J's own code Of
ethics. a paragraph which read, when
the other fellows down and out don't
rub it in" But the words had escaped
before he knew it. Fortunately Mr..
HeWinptOn did NOT seem RI notice tho
allusion, for be retired, repeating in an
undertone: 1.-THE Walloways! Bishop
Horton! The Miller-Tremways!'
And sure enough, early in the even
ing the big rooms of the great house
began to echo with the lively chatter
of many guests. There was the portly
Mrs. Walloway, whose dinner dances
are always such brilliant affairs; there
were the naughty Wilburs, the hyphen-
ated Tremways and a half dozen 9TH
ers without whose names and pic
lures the Sunday supplements would
be incomplete.
They were somewhat disposed to
look curiously upon Mr.. Cherub De-
n at first, but when the bishop had
patted him a~ffectionately on the shout
der and the baron had effusively en-
braced him the atmosphere thawed
perceptibly.
The one person who was least at his
ease was young Mr.. Walloway. For
awhile he was sitter than ever. and he
had the air of one who expects some