Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-11-28
Short Stories For Evening Hours
AN AQUEOUS TRAGEDY
(By Berkeley Govern

w Ith ! NuS b'Ali tAll wv
join u country house part in the most
eligible part of Surrey--being given
to understand that the attractions
would include harvest home, golf,
tennis, riverside camping-out, al Tres
co midnight suppers and possible
moonlight rides--the course Of duty
appeared obvious, and | packed sew
eTal portmanteauS with flannel ana
duck suits, cummerbunds, blazers,
puggarees, and buckskin shoes. WIS.,
ions rose before ine OF waving corn
fields, fascinating girls lolling in
dreamy attitudes in dancing gon-
dolas, river banks lit by Chinese Ian
terms, gambols amid the hay, hard
won triumphs on the tennis court.
registering evenings round the fire.
side, us speed down the line behind
an illustrated paper and a cigarette.
II was unfortunate that a shower
was In progress as the man met me
at the station, which developed into
an icy drizzic as we drove along and
ended in IL thunderstorm ut the gate
lodge. had forgotten 10 include
mackintoshes, muliiers and sea boots
In my luggage. and NV stylish new
suit--a creation" when ! lett London
--clung 20 me like bathing dress and
ruined the effect Of my appearance In
the hall Indeed. destroyed several
valuable carpets as | squelchtd my
way upstairs and wrung myself out
in my bedroom.
Among the ingredients of our party
were, of course, General and Mrs.
Tempcrton tour host and hostess),
the former martinez with frey eye
and crimson complexion: also a
young MIR. AlgernOn Beauchamp, who,
rs his name implies, had cheerful
look, and round unthinking face;
the usual wit of the party, the usual
sporting girl with large muscles and
thick boots, and several other 'fas-
cinating young persons of the same
sex. ..a..
Wishing myself hastily down and
changing clothes, ! descended to the
drawing room. Here the General
assured mo that It was the most de-
tcstable day be had ever seen In this
COMPOUNDED country, almost as II
had arranged the weather at my per-
sonal expense. Algernon Bcauchamp
modified this pessimistic attitude by
saying that they had only had week
of rain. and NE was 's,ire 1t would be
considerably lighter inra day or two.
Miss Fanshawe. the. most fascinating
of the young ladies prese nt, felt GER
tain that we should all be vc." toy
In the house together. and, '"l.
glanced approyingly N me II - aid
it,. ... .. r-,..
The s!eet liftCd for while-as II
will. even in an English August. Tic
goli links were impossible. but we
played tennis. This was unlucky, for
am u splendid golf player--or should
be, with Il little more practice
whereas | am n mule n tennis, and
instead OF coming out strong as II
lion of the party, as ! had intended,
soon established my position as Il
general butt. We logged the damp
sodden balls about the ooZing court
fell and destroyed Il new suit of
flannels. springing my racquet badly;
but the laughter ut this amusing in
cident had barely subsidized when II
hurricane came up from the south
west and drove us in.
Moreover. dinner was to have been
served al fresco, amid the weeping
willows and to the accompaniment of
the Chinese lanterns hereinbefore
specified, and as our hostess was one
of those devoted housewives to whom
the displacement OF saltcellar or the
mislaying of carroway bun is a seri-
Gus dislOcation of domestic routine.
the transfer of an entire dinner from
the banks of the river to the dining
room en- bloc, was simply catas-
trophe, And as the dinner was nCces-
sarily cold one. and several guests
were already wheeling badly, the
nights reyelry fell fiat. Algernon
Beauchamp stood large part of the