Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-05-22
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CHAPTER v.
DI.eussjno q sIster-in-law.

Discussing q Sister-in-law.
"You remember my sister-in-law.
don't you, Brandy" was the question
that Leslie Wrandall put to friend
one afternoon. as they sat drearily In
a window of one of the fashionable up
town clubs. a little more than a year
after the events described in the fore
going chapters. Drearily, have said.
for the reason that 1t was Sunday. and
raining at that
ago in Rome" said his companion, re-
newing interest In a conversation that
had died some time before Of Its own
exhaustion. shes most attractive.
saw her but once. l think 1t was at
somebody's fete."
shes returning to New York the
end of the month";" said Leslie. Been
abroad for over a year. She had
villa at Nice this winter"
IL remember her quite well. ! was
Of an age then to be particularly SEN
sitive to female loneliness. II I'd been
staying on in Rome, / should have
screwed up the courage. I'm sure. to
have asked her to sit for me-"
Brandon Booth was of an old Phila-
delphia family: an old and wealthy
family. Both views considered. he was
qualified to walk hand In glove with
the fastidious Wrandalls. Leslies
mother was charmed with him be
cause she was also the mother of Wv
ian. The fact that he went In for por'
trait painting and seemed averse to
subsisting on the generosity Of his
father. preferring to live by his tai
emit, In no way operated against him
30 far as Mrs. Wrandall was con
cerned. That was his lookout. moi
hers; II he elected to that sort OF
thing, all we'll and good. He could
afford to be eccentric; there remained
in the perspective he scorned. the bull
of a huge fortune to offset whatever
idiosyncrasies he might choose to cul
tivate. Some day. in spite Of himself
she contended serenely, he would b<
very, very rich. What could be more
desirable than fame. family and for
tune all heaped together and thrust
upon one exceedingly interesting and
handsome young man?
He had been the pupil OF celebrated
craftsmen and painters in Europe. and
had exhibited a sincerity of purpose
that was surprising. all things con
sidered. The mere fact that he wal
not obliged to paint In order to obtail
q living was SUFFICIENT cause for won
der among the artists he met ant
studied with or under.
His studio in New York was not ,
fashionable resting place. 1t was
workshop. You could have tea there
| of course, and you were sure to NEE
people you knew and liked. but 1t Wa
quite as much of q workshop a. an!
you could mention. He was not {
dabbler in art, not Q mere dauber o
| pigments: he was an artist
Booth was thirty-perhaps q yea
or two older; tall. dark and good looh
ing. The air Of the thoroughhret
marked him. He did not affect loose
flowing cravats and baggy Trousers
nor was he careless about his finger
nails. He was simply the ordinary
everyday sort of chap you woul'
meet in Fifth avenue during parad
hours, and you would take q secon'
look at him because Of his face an,
manner but not on account OF hi
dress. Some of his ancestors cam
over ahead Of the Maynower. but b
did not gloat.
Leslie Wrandall was his closes
friend and harsheet critic. It didn'
really matter to Booth what Lesli
said of his paintings: he quite under
stood that he didn't know anythin
about them.
when does Mrs. Wrandall return
asked the painter. after a long perio
of silence spent In contemplation 9
the cleaning pavement beyond tn
clubs window.
That's queer" said Leslie. lookin
up. Il was thinking of Sara myeei
She sails next week. I've had q le
ter asking me to open her house
the country. Her place Is about tw
miles from fathers. 1t hasn't bee
opened in two years. Her father bull
1t fifteen or twenty years ago. and lei
1t to her when he died. She an
Challis spent several summers there
"vivian took me through 1t one af
ernoon last summer"
1T must have been quite a. muc
Of q novelty to her as 1t was to yo'
old chap" said Leslie gloomily.
What do you meant"
"Vivian's q bit of q snob. She neve
liked the place because old man Coco
built 1t out of worsteds. She neve
went there"
But the old mans been dead fe
years."
THAT doesn't matter. The fact !
Vivian didn't quite take to Sara unit
after-well, until after Challis die
We're dreadful snobs. Brandy. ii
whole lot of US. Sara was quite GOO
enough for a much better man tina
my brother. She really couldn't be-
the worsteds. you know. I'm vel
fond Of her. and always have bee
We're pals. Cad. 1t was a fearful sls
. at the home folks when Challis just
. fed Sara by getting snuffed out Il
way he did"
Booth made an attempt to chang
the subject, but Wrandall got BAG
! to It.
"Since then we've all been excee
ingly sweet on Sara Not because Y