The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-04-19

wel?" She smiled archly as she ask
ed this, holding her sable muff UP TO
her face, for the wind was keen.
"You could hardly come to any
body who knew less of Mr.. Bardsley's
tastes or movements than 1 do"
laughed Vernon, quite determined not
to be pumped. And then. simply to
avoid inconvenient questions and make
conversation, she continued, 81 have
been taken up with q new interest
the last few days. I am going to
help work in the Mission District at
wishfield.'
Laura languidly.
Her obvious boredom encouraged
Vernon to pursue the subject.
YES" she said, 81 am going to
Yeominster now to do some shop
ping. I am interested in a pretty girl
who has just had twins. and is very
poor"
"Do you like babies? 1 detest
them, said Laura.
Il love them; and these are like
dolls" replied Vernon, carried away
by the remembrance of the two wee
bundles. ST am just longing to see
them again
us there much poverty there" ask
ed Laura.
&c
The cottages are most Of them novels,
and the landlord has no money TO
build with. They don't know what
to do about it. However, the cottage
the twins are in is all right. I think
it belongs to Lady Bunbury."
us that anywhere near the Fletch-
ers' cottage, I wonder?'
cit is the Fletchers'."
How curious! Fletcher is my hus-
| bands head groom! He is in a fear
full state because his sister, a pretty
girl, who was in service at General
Killers, had got into trouble"
so she has. Twins, poor girl" re-
piled Vernon bluntly.
''Well, / suppose the man will have
to keep them,'' said Laura.
"She won't say who it is" was the
answer.
"Silly little foil" returned Laura
scornfully, why should she be the
one to bear it all?''
Their arrival at the. railway broke
the subject off short. After thanking
her as cordially as she could manage,
Vernon went into the station in a
mood of irritation that she had been
as it were forced to accept a fresh
favor at this woman's hands.
Earnestly she desired to see as lit
tie of her as possible. Hardly had
she mentioned Wishfieid when she
regretted it. But Laura's boredom
and total lack of interest treasured
her. Even for the sake of social re-
cognition she did not think that such
a woman would take up Summing.
Later in the day, the motor pro-
ceeded to the Pardale Arms, to pick
up Trent, who had been attending a
sale of live stock on a private prop
erty. To make conversation on the
way home, Laura told her husband
CONTEMPORARY of the American girls
new craze-the care of illegitimate
babies. The gentleman expressed
himself with his usual freedom, re-
rIx hot DO dC 81
ID old fool to allow such med
| ding in things a decent girl ought to
know nothing about.
Remember he said with violence,
ST won't have you rubbing your nose
| in it, my pretty, and don't you forget
it. Keep your wife out of such
things, say I, of what's the good of
a husband? Fancy dainty piece Of
goods like your friend Miss Wilmot
getting to know the sort of thing a
girl like that could tell her! Pom my
life, we live in a strange world"
And after an interval
Twins she's got, has she, the little
hussy? Who's going to keep them,
1 4.
wonder? Boys, or girls? Did she
say
~ think she said they were both
boys
Twin boys! What some men
would give to have 'em!" said Dan,
with a sudden queer break in his
rasping voice, and a wistful turning
OF his little keen eyes upon Laura s
dlsda1nful profile. Laura" he said
huskily. She gazed upon the dis
lance. He reached out his pudgy
purple hand to grasp hers, but they
were both hidden in the scented
depths of her safe muff. "Old girl
he besought her-this was his ulti-
mate expression Of tenderness-"you