The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1911-02-09

NSA AAAA~h' 80 - 49, -" HH~
ting"
He suddenly reused with a start
from a brown reyerie.
Il beg your pardon" he said, q
oh, Of course not. | was wondering
If lit you were offended at what |
said earlier in the evening; the
Brushwood Boy, you know, and all
that"
Offender" | repeated. puzzled.
You see, / have been living out OF
the world so long, and never seeing
any women but Indian squaws'-so
there were no Spanish girls!-"that
I'm afraid | say what comes into my
mind without circumlocution. And
them did not know you were mar
ried."
NO, oh. no." l said hastily. But,
OF course, the more a woman is mar
ried-I mean, you cannot say too
many nice things TO married women.
They-need them. you know"
had 1oundered miserably. with his
eyes on me, and | half expected him
to be shocked, or TO say that married
women should be satisfied with the
nice things their husbands say to
them. But he merely remarked
apropos of nothing. or following a line
of thought he had not voiced, that it
was trite but true that a good many
men owed their success in life TO
their wives.
And a good many owe their wives
TO their success in life" | TctOrted
cynicalIy. At which he stared at me
again.
1t was then that the real complexity
OF the situation began to develop.
Some enc had rung the bell and been
admitted to the library and Il maid
came to the door of the den. When
she saw us she stopped uncertainty.
Even then 1t struck me that she look
ed odd, and she was not in uniform.
However, / was not informed at that
time about bachelor establishments.
and the first thing she said, when she
had asked TO speak TO me in the hall,
knocked her and her clothes clear out
of my head. Evidently she knew.
Miss McNair," she said in a low
tone, there Is a lady in the drawing
room, a yelled person. and she is ask
ing for Mr.. Wilson"
Can you not find him." | asked.
He is in the house. probably In the
studio"
The girl hositated.
Excuse me, miss, but Miss Caruth-
ers-'
Then ! saw the situation.
Never mind" / said. Close the
door into the drawing room. and |
will tell Mr.. Wilson"
But as the girl turned toward the
doorway, the person in question ap.
peared in it. and raised her veil. [
was perfectly paralyzed. 1t was Bella!
Bella IN a fur o a and a veil, with
the most tragic eyes | ever saw and
entirely white except for a dab of
rouge in the middle OF each cheek.
We stared at each other without
speech. The maid turned and went
down the hall, and with that Bella
came over to me and clutched me by
the arm.
who was being carried out into
that ambulance?" she demanded,
glaring at me with the most awful in.
tensity.
I'm sure I don't know. Bella" l
said. wriggling away from her fingers.
What in the world are you doing
here? thought you were in Europe"
You are hiding something from
mel" she accused. 1T is Jim, | see
IL in your face"
We'll, it isn't" l snapped ct
seems to me, really. Bella, that you
and Jim ought TO be able to manage
your W affairs, without dragging
me in" 1t was not pleasant, but if
she vas suffering, so was |. Jim is
as we'll as he ever was. He's upstairs
somewhere. I'll send for him"
She gripped me again. and held on
while her color came back.
You'll do nothing of the kind she
said, and she had quite got hold of
herself again. Il do not want to sec
him: l hope you don't think, Kit, that
| came here to see James Wilson.
Why, / have forgotten that there is
such a person, and you know it."
Somebody upstairs laughed, and I
IA growing What if Aunt
Selma should come down. or Mr.. Har-
bison come out of the den?
Why did you come, then, Bella?"
| inquired. He may come in"
Il was passing in the motor" she
said, and l honestly think she hoped 1
would believe her, land | saw that
am She stopped and began again.
Il thought Jim was out of town, and
l came to see T%akahiro." she said
b~razenly. HE was devoted to me,
and Evans is going to leave. I'll tell
you what TO do, Kit. I'll go back to
the dining room, and you send Taxa
there. II any one comes, l can slip
into tho pantry"
CTo BE CoNTINUED)