The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1911-03-17

my takes Kit into his confidence. he trle
10 devise some wal, so that his aunt VI
nor learn that he has no longer A wire
lie suggests that Kit play the hostess fo
one night, be Mrs. Wilson pro TEN. x
refuses. but is finely prevailed upon t
act the part. Aunt Selma arrives and tn
deception works out as planned. as sh
had never seen Jim's wife.
CHAPTER III. (contlnued.)
1T might be scarlet fever" Ma
broke in cheerfully 'I say, scarle
fever on a Mongolian-what colo
would he be, Jimmy? What do vel
low and red make? Green?"
Orange" Jim said shortly 'T wisl
you people would remember that W.
are trying to eat
The fact was, however, that no ont
was really eating, except Mr.. Harbi
son, who had given up trying to un
derstand us, considering, no doubt
our subdued excitement as our nor
NAL condition. Ages afterward
learned that he thought my face al
most tragic that night, and that he
supposed, from the way glaret
across the table, that 1 had quarrele6
with my husband.
81 am afraid you are not WELL" he
said at last, noticing my food un
touched on my plate. I'VE should
not have come, any of u.s.
81 am perfectly WE'LL" l replied fe
verishly. Il am never ill. IL ate 6
late luncheon"
He glanced at me keenly. Don
let them stay and play bridge to
night" he urged. Miss Caruthers car
be an excuse, can she not? And yor
are really tagged You look it,"
81 think it is only Ill humor."
said, looking directly at him. '1 an
angry at myself l have done some
thing silly, and l hate to be silly
Max would have said Impossible,
or something else trite. The Harbi
son man looked at me with interested
serious eyes.
is 1t too late to undo it?" he asked
And then and there determined that
he should never know the truth. He
could go back to South America and
build bridges and make love to the
Spanish girls Cor are they Spanish
down there?) and think of me always
as married woman, married to q
dilettante artist, inclined to be stout
the artist, not land with an Aunt
Selma Caruthers who made buttons
and believed In the Cause. But never
never should he think of me as a silly
little fool who pretended that she was
the other mans wife and had lump
in her throat because when a really
nice man came along, a man who
knew something more than polo and
motors, she had to carry on the decep
tion to keep his respect, and be Sc
date and matronly, and see him
change from perfectly open admira
tion at first to hands-off-she-is-my
host's-wife attitude at last.
at can never be undone," | saiG
soberly
Well. that's the picture as nearly as
! can draw 1t; a round table with 6
low centerpiece of orchids in laven
ders and pink. old silver candlesticks
with f1ligree shades against the som
them unhappy-Jim and |; one o.
them complacent-Aunt Selma; one
puZzled-Mr. HARRISON; and the resi-
Historically mirthful. Add one sicl
Japanese butler and grind in the mills
Of the gods.
Every one promptly forgot Takahirc
in the excitement of the game we
were all Paying. Finally, however
Aunt Selma, who seemed to have Ia
kahiro on her mind. looked up from
her plate
THAT Jap was speckled," she as
serted. Il wouldn't be surprised If it:
measles. Has he been shifting
James,"
Has he been snif11fng?" Jim threw
across at me.
Il hadn't noticed it," l said meekly
while the others choked
Max came to the rescue She re
fused to eat it." he explained. dis
tinctly and to everybody, apropos alb
solutely of nothing 1T said on the
box. ready cooked and predigested.
She declared she didn't care wht
cooked it, but she wanted to know
who predigested it"
AS every one wanted to laugh. every
one did it then, and under cover o
the noise | caught Anne's eye, and VIZ
left the dining room. The men stayed
and by the very firmness with which
the door closed behind us, | knew
hot To h-;,
out the bottles that Takahiro had hid
den. | was seething. When Aun
Selma indicated a desire to go oveI
the house Git was natural that she
should want to: 1t was her house, il
a Way) | excused myself for a minute
and flew back to the dining room
1t was as | had expected jim
hadn't cheered perceptibly. and the
rest were patting him on the back
and pouring things out for him, ant
saying, Poor Old Jim in the mos
maddening way. And the Harbisor
man was looking more and more puz
zled, and not at all hilarious.
| descended on them like a thunder
bolt
That's IT," cried shrewishly. witt
my back against the door. Leave
her to me- all of you. and pat eacl
other on the back, and say it's gone
splendidly! Oh, | know you, ever!
one!" Mr. HARRISON got up anC
pulled out a chair, but l couldn't sit
l folded my arms on the back After
0 while. suppose. you'll slip upstairs