The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-10-03

CVUW 0SSl0CI, paAl0Iy c0Ol0 0oa
what they YER saying % thsy ap
preached. These were the .6rst word
she fully grasped, and they caused he
to prick up her ears:
II don't give Z hang. Edith. I'm tiret
Of being her brother-in-iaw."
"You're tired Of me. Roxbury-that,
what it is," In p~lainttye tones.
you're happy. you love and are Low
ed. 10 please don't put 1t that way
It's not fair. Think Of the pitiable DO
sition I'm in"
my dear Roxbury." quite severely
III there's nothing else that will infu
eAce you, just stop to consider tn,
che-ild! There's Tootles. dear Tootles
to think Of"
OF course Mrs. Odeil- Carney could
not be expected to know that Edith
was blithely testing.
my q Edith" he said just az
6rmly. "To0tles has nothing to do Will
the case. You know, and Constance
knows. and l know, and the whole
world will soon know that I'm not
even related to her. poor little beggar.
I don't see why she should come be.
tween me and happiness just because
she happens to bear a social resem.
blance to a man who isn't her father.
Come, now, let's talk over the situation
senstbly."
Just then they passed beyond the
hearing Of the astonished eavesdrop-
per. Good heaven, what was this
Not bis child7 Two minutes later Mrs.
Odell-Carney was back at the spring
where they had left her somnolent hus-
band, who had refused to climb q hill
because all Of his breath was required
to smoke a cigarette.
Carney" she said sternly, her lips
rigid. her eyes set hard upon his face,
"how long have the Medcrofts been
married3"
He blinked heavily. "How the devil
should I know7 Pom me word, it's"-
-Four years, I think Mrs. Rodney
told me. How old is that babyT"
"'Pon me soul. Agatha. I'm as much
In the dark as you. don't know"
"A little over a year, I'd say. Well.
I just heard Medcroft say that she
wasn't his child. Whose is til" She
stood there like an accusing angel. He
started violently, and his jaw dropped.
An expression Of alarmed protest leap
Cd into his listless eyes.
"'Pon my word, Agatha, how the
devil should I known Don't look at
me like that. Give you my word Of
honor. I don't know the woman. Pom
me soul, I don't, my dear"
He was very much In earnest, thor
oughly aroused by what seemed to be
q direct insinuation.
"Oh. don't be stupid" she cried.
"Good heavens. can there be- q scandal
In that lovely woman's life7"
There's never any scandal In q wo-
mans life unless she's reasonably
lovely" remarked he.
Whose child ts she, IL she isn't Med
eroft'sr' she pursued WITH psrplsxsa
frown.
"Demme, Agatha, don't ask me-" he
said irritably, passing his hand over
his brow. "r've told you that twice.
Ask them; I dare say they know"
She looked at him In disgust. "As II
I could do such q thing as that Dear
me. I don't understand It at all. Four
years married. Yes, I'm sure that's it.
Carney. you don't suppose. She
hesitated. It was not necessary to
complete the obvious question.
Agatha" said he. weighing his re
mark carefully, "I've said all along
that Medcroft Is a fool. Take those
windows, for instance. II he"-
"Oh. rubbish! What have the win
dows to do with it? You are positive
" stupid. And I'd come to like her
too. Yes, I'd even asked her to come
and e me-" She was really dis
tressed.
"And why not? J" he demanded. "Hang
it all. Agatha, It's nothing unusual.
She's a jolly good sort and a sight too
good for Medcroft. He's q stupid ass.
I've said so all along. How the devil
she ever married him I can't see. But,
by Jove, Agatha. I a readily see how
she might have loved the father of
SuAo SAAAOs uO uAoIICI WuV u0 ~ A0AC
my advice, my dear. and don't be harsh
In your judgment. Don't say a word
about what you've heard. II they are
reconciled to t~he-er-the situation.
why the devil should we give q hang?
And, above all, don't let these Rod
neys suspect" Here he lowered his
voice gradually. They're q pack Of
rotters and they couldn't understand.
They'd cut her, even IL she II . cousin
OF whatever It L.. I'd give q year or
two Of my life to know positively
whether Rodney intends taking those
shares or not" He said It in contem-
plative delight in what he would do II
It were definitely settled. ~ can't
stand them much longer"
what great variety Of Am111jcanes
there arer' she reelected. Mrs Ned
croft and her sister are Americans.
Compare them with the Rodneys and
Nj. Ulstervelt. No. Carney, I'll not
start . scandal The Rodneys would
not understand, AZ you say. They'd
tear her to shreds and gioat ove the
mutilation. No. we'll have her 10 aea