Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1913-11-06
CHAPTER XII.
Other Relations.

TT is but natural to presume after
the foregoing that the affairs Of
the Medcrofts were under close
and careful scrutiny from that
confidential hour. The Odell-Carneys
were conspicuously nice and agreeable
to b Medcrofts and Miss Fowler. 1t
may be said indeed that Mr.. Odell-
Carney vent considerably out Of his
way to be agreeable to Mrs. Medcroft-
so much so, in fact. that she made it a
point to have some one else with her
whenever she seemed likely to be left
alone with him. The Rodneys strug-
gled bravely and no doubt conscien-
uously to emulate the example set by
the Odell-Carneys, but it was hardly
to be expected that they could see new
things through old world eyes,. They
grew very stiff and ceremonious-that
Is, the Rodney ladies did. 1t was their
p~rerogative, of course. Were they not
cousins of the Medcrofts?
-Four or five days of uneasy p~retense
passed with a swiftness that irritated
certain members of the party and a
SAo ACoo IAAl ulSLltSS0u Tue OCuGrS.
Days never were so short as those
which the now recklessly infatuated
Brock was spending. He was valiant
ly earning his way into the heart of
Constance, a process that tried his pa
t1ence exceedingly. for she was blithely
unimpressionable If one were to Judge
5by the calmness with which she Tended
off the inevitable though tardy assault.
b kept him at arms length. APP
pearances demanded a discreetness no
matter how she may secretly have felt
toward the good looking husband of
her sister. TO say that she was enjoy
ing herself would be putting it much
too tamely. She was reveling IL the
fun Of the thing. 1t mattered little to
her that people. her own cousins in
particular. were looking upon her with
cold and critical eyes. She knew down
In her heart that she could throw a
bomb among them at any time by the
mere utterance Of a single word. 1t
mattered as little that Edith was be-
ginning to chafe miserably under the
strain Of waiting and deception. The
novelty had worn off for the wife Of
Roxbury. She was despairingly in
love. and she was pining for the day to
come when she could laugh again with
real instead of simulated joyousness.
Connie. dear" she would lament a
dozen times a day. Its growing IN
bearable. Oh. how l wish the three
weeks were ended. Then 1 could have
my Roxbury. and you could have my
!: other Roxbury. and everybody wouldn't
be plying me and cavilling at you be-
cause I'm unhappily married.
why do you say I could have your
other Roxbury?" demanded her sister
on n occasion. "You forget father
expects me to marry the viscount. r.
"You are so tiresome. Connie. Don't
worry me with your love affairs-I
don't want to hear them. There's MI.
Brock waiting for you in the garden"
II know it. my dear. He's been
waiting for an hour. 1 think it is good
for him to wait" said the other. with
airy confidence. What does Roxy say
in his letter this morning?"
HE says it will all be over in a day
or two. Dear me. how I wish it were
over now! can't endure Cousin
Mary's snippishness much longer. and
as for Katherine! My dear. I hate
that grill!
"She's been very nice lately, Edith
ever since Freddie dropped me so CON-
pletely. BY the way. Burton was tell
ing mt today that Odell- Carney had
been asking her some very curious
and staggering questions about TOotles
and your most private affairs"