The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-05-23

sharply. That's very silly question. "
Berry was taken aback.
| 81 don't see that 1t is" she said
with unusual and somewhat stammer-
| ing mildness. Most blonde-haired
women, even if they haven't bleached
their hair, have had it restored"
Dominick did not answer her. The
servant presented dish at his elbow
and he motioned it away with an i'm.
patient gesture.
Berry, who was not looking at him,
went on.
! What kind of clothes did she wear {?
They say she's an elegant dresser
gets almost everything from Paris,
even her underwear. I suppose she
didn't have her best things up there
But she must have had something,
because the papers said they'd gone
prepared for two weeks trip"
81 never noticed anything she
wore"
well, isn't that just like you, Dom.
mick Ryan," exclaimed his wife, un'
able. at this unmerited disappoint'
ment. to refrain from some expression
of her feelings. "And you might know
I'd be anxious to hear what she had
on"
Pm very sorry, but I haven't an
idea about any of her clothes. think
they were always dark. mostly black
or brown"
Did you notice" almost pleadingly,
what she wore when she went out ?
Mrs. Whiting, the forelady at Hazel's
millinery. says she imported a set of
sables, muff, wrap and hat, for her
this autumn. Hazel says it was just
the finest thing of its kind you ever
laid your eyes on. Did she have them
up there?"
81 couldn't possibly tell you. l don't
know what sables are. l saw her once
with fur cap on, but l think it be,
longed to Willoughby, an Englishman
who was staying there, and used to
have his cap hanging on the pegs in
the hall. It's quite useless asking
me these questions l don't know any,
thing about the subject. Did you wind
the clock while l was away?"
He looked at the clock, possession
of his own, given him in the days
when his mother and sister delighted
to ornament his rooms with costly
gifts and in which he had never be-
fore evinced the slightest interest.
"Of course, wound it," Berry said
with an air of hurt protest. Haven't
l wound it regularly for nearly three
years?"
This brought the subject of Rose
Cannon to an end and she was not al,
luded to again during the dinner. The
conversation reverted to such happen,
ings in the city as Berry thought
might interest her husband, and it
seemed to her that he was more
pleased to sit and listen to her chat.
ter of her sisters, the bank, the thea.
tiers, and the shops, than to dilate any
further on his adventures in the
snow-bound Sierra.
When the dinner was over, they re.
turned to the front of the fat, where
next to the parior there was a tiny
ballroom fitted up as a smoking,
room and den. 1t was merely a con,
| tinuation of the hall, and the coy
corner" which Berry had had a Polk
street upholsterer construct in it, oc.
cupied most of the available space,
| and crowded such visitors as entered
it into the corners. 1t had been Der.
ny's idea to have this room lined with
books" as she expressed it, but their
| joint possessions in this line consist.
ing of some twenty-five volumes, and
the fact that the contracted space
made it impossible to accommodate
both the books and the cozy corner
Berry had decided in favor of the lat.
ter. She now seated herself on the
divan that formed the integral part OF
this construction, and, piling the pill
lows behind her. leaned luxuriously
back under the canopy of variegated
stuffs which was supported by two
formidable-looking lances.
Dominick sat in his easy chair. He
always smoked in this room and read
| the papers, and presently he picked
! them up from the table and began to
| look them over. The conversation
languished, became spasmodic, and
| finally died away. Berry, leaning back
on the cushions, tried several times
| to revive it, but her husband from
| among the spread sheets of the eve.
ming press answered her with the in
| articulate sounds of mental preoccu-
| patton, and sometimes with no sound
at all, till she abandoned the attempt
| and leaned back under the canopy in
silence that was not by any means
the somnolent quietude Of after-dinner
! torpor
The clock hands were pointing to
half-past nine when a ring at the bell
was followed by the appearance of the
| Chlnaman at the door, stating that the
expressman had come with Mr.. Ryan's
| VallseS. Dominick threw down his pa.
pers and left the room. AS Berry sat
| silent, she could hear the express.
mans gruff deep voice in the hall and
the thuds of the valises as he thumped
them down at the stair-head Domi,
nick answered him and there were a
| few more remarks, followed by the re-
| treating sound of the mans heavy
feet on the stairs and the bang Of the
hall door. She sat looking at the clock,
waiting for her husband to return, and
| then as he did not come and the hall
seemed singularly quiet she leaned
| forward and sent an exploring glance
down its dim length. Dominick was
not there, but square of light fell
out from an open doorway of his room.
"Dominick," she called, what are
you doing?"
He came to the door of the room in
his shirtsleeves, tall figure looking