The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-10-24
CHAPTER v.
A WIDOW ON MONDAY.

"A WIDOW ON MONDAY.
That day was destined to be one of
accumulated trials to Prue's patience.
Her rufhed temper had scarcely Gained
down by the, time she reached home.
and found that. during her absence
communications had been received
from h attorneys Of various trades
people, warning her that Mr.. Aarons'
view Of 'ar position vas by no means
exaggerated
Although she had rigidly refrained
from announcing her projected mar
opposition, the news had crept out In
the mysterious way such things have
OF proclaiming themselves, and had led
to a general Investigation OF Sir Geof-
rey's solvency, by those whose only
hope OF payment depended'upon her flu
ture husbands wealth. The Immediate
result of these researches displayed It
self in the unanimous determination on
her creditors to be paid before she
could shelter herself under the cover
ture Of a husband whose parliamentary
privileges placed him out OF their reach.
This blow was the more crushing
because II came from those who had en-
couraged her extrayagance and played
upon her vanity while she was the ia
vorite Of the all-powered Duchess OF
Marlborough, and Lao -in-waiting TO the
queen. Then. every temptation was
thrown in her way, and the day of reck-
oning was never mentioned unless IN
sly allusion to the dazzling, ever chang
Ing panorama OF her matrimonial pros
poets.
But, now, circumstances were diff
ferent. To ten the truth, the fair Wis
countess had left London a year. age
under the cloud of, royal displeasure
Her extravaganza at the card taks,
and elsewhere, her mad cap frolics and
countless Observation-Disclosures in "a
fatal duel and a brilliant engagement
broken off almost at the church door
had brought upon her a sharp rebuke
from the queen, coupled with command
to seek time for reflection and penl-
tense in some retreat far enough re-
moved from the court to relieve her OF
its temptations.
Under this ban, h had thrown her.
self Upon the hospitality Of her broth
erinlaw, himself somewhat out Of IA
vor, In consequence Of his Jacobite ten
denotes, and living in comparative Sc
clusion upon his heavily mortgaged es-
tate I'm Yorkshire. There, Prue had
held a little , court OF fox hunting
squires and provincial notables, until
wearying for a more c%ongenial atmos-
phere, she gladly seized upon the Ill
ness of her grandmother as an excuse
| FOR a hasty and unheralded visit t.
London, where her bosom friend, Lady
Barbara Sweeting,' having paved the
way for her, met her with he delight,
full news that her escapades were for
' gotten and her absence bewailed, and
being on the spot, her unauthorized
return would meet with no severe
reprimand, but rather with a joyou:
welcome.
Prue knew the advantage Of striking
while the iron Is hot. She was wei
aware of the fckleness Of h great
and the Importance OF catching thu
smile of royalty before It has had time
to cool off into a frown. So, being as
sured that the hand OF welcome wal
graciously reckoning her, 1t did seen
the irony Of fate that she must needs
hang back because her wardrobe wal
In Yorkshire, and her chance Of re.
deeming or replacing 1t even more dis
tant
Al this ~exasperating crisis, 1t wa'
only natural that her mind should re-
vert persistently to, the n spot o.
light in the gloom. Was 1t q beacon o.
hope or an illusory will-o-the-w tsp
Had Sir Godfrey been misled, or wa
he trying to mlslead Mr., Aarons?
"Can grannie really be O miser?' sh'
! had asked both herself end Peggie
dozen times In the course OF the day
She longed 10 question Sir Geoffrey q
10 the source OF his information, We
dared not reveal the little q knew