The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-28
An
Introduction
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

nn in whom you take an interest who
needs husband and you would like te
provide her with one"
"You are wrong. The lady | have in
view for you is well off, attractive and
In every way desirable. There is only
one thing about her that may be con-
uidered Objectionable. She is a grass
widow"
Il am at your disposal, Mrs. Over
aker. l confess am rather interested
In grass widows. There Is something
about them different from all other
women. They are usually excellent
fighters What's the lady's name?"
Miss Iddings,"
~ thought you said she had been
: married?"
"A woman may resume her maiden
name, may she not?"
Certainly When and where shall I
meet Miss Iddings?'
LET me see. If she knew | intended
an Introduction between you and her
with view to marriage she would de-
cline. Her experience in marriage was
not happy"
Her husband was brute, l sup
pose"
mo. think 1t was case Of mutual
Misunderstanding. AS to this meeting
l will invite her and my friend Chel-
tenham for game of bridge, you to
play with Miss Iddings, Cheltenham
with me. How would that suit your"
1T would please me better TO have
you for partner"
Thank you very much. You will
play with Miss Iddings."
When on the evening appointed Mr..
Bradish appeared he found the Others
of the party already assembled and the
whist table ready, with the cards. He
had met Mr.. Cheltenham before, but
bowed very low TO Miss Iddings. Miss
Iddings also bowed low, with her fan
before the lower part of her face. Aft
err few commonplace remarks they
took seats as had been arranged by the
hostess. Mr.. Cheltenham won the deal
and Mrs. Oyeraller asked Mr.. Bradish
if he would mind keeping score He
took the score card she handed him.
turned it wrong side up. reversed it,
wrote names on it where they were
not required, endeavored to rub them
out and made smudge. Miss Iddlngs
attempted to reply to some civil re
marks made by Mr.. Cheltenham and
got very badly mixed.
MAY l play?" asked Miss Iddings.
If you please" replied Mr.. Bradish,
with an excess of politeness.
The game went on for an hour, dur.
Bradish's aces, revoked several times
and when she played dummy usually
threw the lead into the wrong hand. |
Mr. Bradish did not make these mis-. |
takes, but it was evident that he was
thinking of something else than the
game. At last Mrs. Overaker called |
halt. The score stood 900 for her and
her partner to 76 for their opponents. |
Putting her arm through that of Mr.. |
Cheltenham, she walked him into an.
other room, The other two being left |
alone. both made hasty survey of the
each other The lady gave her fan
few short whisks, then seemed to re.
sign herself to an adverse fate.
Are you resident of the city. Miss
Iddings?" asked the gentleman, using
a, hackneyed conventional phrase by
way of opening conversation.
mo | am not. l am here Temporal
riIy."
Il was not aware that Iddings was
your maiden name" icily.
1T is not. as you know very we'll"
why did Mrs Overaker introduce
you as Miss Iddings? With your con-
sent?"
Il didn't know what she was intend
ing to do till l saw you. Now l see
it all. She had no business to-
"She deceived me as well, but she
has done it all out of the goodness of
her heart"
"A mistaken kindness. Persons who
in other persons affairs usu-
ally get what they deserve in the end"
"One thing she said to me when she
this-I mean when she told
me she would introduce me to wom-
an not living with her husband-that
struck me forcibly. / remarked that
he was probably brute
"He acted like one"
Mrs. Overaker replied that it was
case of mutual misunderstanding. All
difficulties between those who love are
fracpa hla IN tbis cat1sa /"
"You mean where one loves-has
loved"
1.-THE woman"
"Yes."
Mr. Bradish took a turn up and
down the room. then went to the lady
and, taking both her hands in his,
said:
Lou. 1t was not only misunder-
standing; 1t was arrant nonsense"
At that moment Mrs. 0veraker CALI
ID out, Come in here, you two. and
have some refreshments"
They Joined her to find her eyes
dancing with delighted satisfaction.
An elaborate supper had been prepar-
ID, and Cheltenham was opening a
bottle of champagne.
When the so called Miss Iddings de- I
parted with Mr.. Bradish, before leav- 5
ng she Rugged her hostess and said: '
"Oh, Edith. how shall we ever be
bile to show our obligation to you? It's