Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1911-03-10

of picnic dainties.
Dearest is famous hand at plan
ming that sort of thing. We had
camped upon small rise in the mid.
die Of an open space where great oak
trees cut lis off from sight Of the road
on the one hand, and broad meadows
and wooded slopes fell away toward
Hartsmere stream on the other; the
latter streaking the green of 1t all
with silver field or two away.
Close at hand the ruined chapel or
convent which we had come to see
piled itself in picturesque confusion,
and we had reached that point in our
merry-making when we were simply
content to gaze alphabetically upon 1t
and listen uncomprehendingly to
Freer' recite its history with never
tagging accuracy and zeal.
He knows everything, that chap!
And Is disgustingly ready to give
everybody else the benefit of his
learning at all times.
Agatha First was sitting near him
tho not making any attempt to dis
guise her Indifference to his pedantic
discourse, while Arch and Agatha
Sixth, am glad to say, were carry
ing on whispered conversation to-
gether on the other side of the cloth.
Dearest and sat together, of course,
at one end OF the square, and as I
said to her in low tone SO that the
others could not hear thought Arch
was playing up to the part she and !
had selected for him, that of Agatha
Sixth's lover, little better than us
ual. He was certainly all attention
to the girl at his side and listened to
her every word with the eager inter
est Of the most devoted sutton. And
the delicate face of Miss Lawrence
was alive with feeling and glowed
pink even without the aid Of the rose
colored parasol she carried.
20, what do you think" she cried
in her soft, cultivated voice, "Mr. Ter
hume says that the ruins are haunted!
BY the ghost of nun that was shut
up in the wall once!" Her really won
derfu1 black eyes were bright with
interest and thought she made a
rather dazzling picture in her white
frock and the fictitious aureole Of
pink sunshade about her. But l
couldn't swallow a bare-faced whop.
per like that, for That nun story Is
so old. So l had Just begun to ex-
plain that Arch was chatting her, and
the ghost racket his own invention
entirely, when caught his express
sion and my wife's eye. The former
was embarrassed and the latter Sc
vere and stopped in the middle Of
a sentence as l fathomed the COM
bined significance of eye and look.
$50 that's it, is it," I thought to
myself. Poor old boy! He's so
much In love he doesn't know what
he's saying. Anything will do as long
as she will listen! And I'm deuced
glad to see it, tool"
But Freer showed less perspicacity,
though of course there's this to be
said, he didn't have the key to the
situation as did, and challenged poor
old Arch's story OF the nun, and Ia
five minutes had him showed up
proper. the old fellow at last having
to take refuge in the statement that
it must have been some other ruins
he had in mind. Strange to say,
however, for all his learning Freer
did not win smile from Agatha
Sixth, who only turned to Terhune
with more interest than ever as a
result of his efforts
1t was then that Dearest made her
remark about motoring over to see
Mrs. Chiltern on the following day.
It was an innocent enough remark
and very casually said, but it SEEM
ed to have an electrifying effect upon
Agatha First. She jumped up and
came. over to my wife.
Don't do that" she said, low and
earnestly; please don't, Agatha,
dear!" Dearest was surprised, and,
by Jove, SO was l, or puzzled. at
least. The girl seemed SO awfully
earnest about not wishing US to see
Mrs. Chiltern-out of all proportion
to the Importance of her request, It
seemed to me. But why not?" my
wife couldn't help asking.
Because we have such little time
left to be together, you and Lord
Vincent and Mr.. Terhune and Agatha
Sixth and myself" she said. "Mr.
Terhune tells me he has to go back
to London in a day or two, and /
think it's a shame to waste a whole
day by going over to Chiltern house!
Besides, you said they owed you q
CALI" She had lowered her voice
during this last statement, but It was
not necessary Freer had strolled OF
to the ruins and Archibald and Agatha
Sixth were too absorbed in each 9TH
er's company to notice us.
Her reasons were specious and H.
logical enough, but Dearest, to my
surprise, seemed inclined to accept
them and I had to interfere.
"TheJ do owe us a CALL" said,
"but that wouldn't prevent us from
having jolly time Of it II we all
chose to go over together! On the
contrary, it would be something to
.do!'
Then Agatha First, evidently goad-
ed into corner, set her young face
in fashion that was almost desper.
ate. But Agatha Fourth Mrs. Chill
tern-isn't there!" she declared: "She
told rue she was going down to Lon
don for a week or two!"
Dearest stared at her, but she did
not ask her, as I wanted to do, why
che hadn't said SO in the first place.
Instead she took pity on Agatha
First's white face, for the girl had
a rt,a l1v tJ,rned male md assnrod hep