The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-01-14
see the Hon. Timothy"
"Yes"

see the Hon. Timothy"
EYES,"
"Tell him I am going to be county
judge and he can-go to the devilw
Jimmy let himself into the front
hall of a cottage. A pervasive odt
revealed the secret Of Irish stew for
supper. Jimmy sloshed his face at
the sink and tidied up his wet, red
locks. He appeared at the supper
table, squeezing his six feet one of
height between gorgeous golden oak
sideboard and a colonial table.
"Letthers for ye," the ould mother
said amiably, showing two envelopes
alongside the dish of Irish stew.
Jimmy glanced at them. One from
a law. firm and bearing their ad-
dress; the other, thick, square, the su-
prescription undeniably feminine.
what you guess, mother?" he
said teasingly. "a fine lady you'll
be having for daughter-in-law some
of these days. See what she's writ.
ing mel"
The ould mother shifted. Her
shoulders squared up.
lIlC CllC " ANCliio
were kings of Oireland."
Jimmy chuckled and fell to. His
appetite, dulled by no stimulants,
made short shrift of the stew that
was Irish. Draining his cup of tea,
he took up the letter, viewed it Curl
ously, and proceeded to draw out the
enclosure. ,.. .
Merely thick, wide card with the
monogram I'M. E. LIE B." in dull gold
at the side, and few lines in a writ
ing he had never seen.
"Dear Mr.. O'Neill: We are having
a few friends informally to dinner
Wednesday evening, April the tenth.
May hope you will find it convenient
to come?
"MARY ELLA LeBARRON."
And on it's innocent surface no
sign, no least indication of the bat
tie royal in diplomacy by which Mary
Ella had added his name to the list.
The ould mother, consumed by Gu
riosity, hovered about, but Jimmy
having read the card six distinct and
separate times, retired to the sacred
precincts of the parlor, wherein he re-
mained in meditation until his mother
reminded him, touchingly, that coal
was fifteen cents a bushel and the
kitchen fire was fit for any man to
toast his toes by. Whereupon JIM
NV turned out the gas and went to
bed. ~
In the three years of his attorney
ship Jimmy had learned lot. for one
thing to wear a dress suit as if he
had been born in one. His quick
Irish wit solved many problem for
him; and he knew much instinctively.
Arriving at Judge LeBarron's at an
hour decently yet not remarkably
early, he bowed over Miss Cornelia's s
hand and held Mary Elias fingers for
three palpitant seconds before he
was drifted on to the drawing room
where the Judge, planted on the
hearth rug, received in state, his
satellites thicker than the moons of
Jupiter about him. Jimmy surveyed
them calmly, shrewdly. He was not
off guard; he surmised that in invit-
ing him someone might have had a
purpose.
The younger folk danced after din
ner. Jimmy did not dance very we'll,
and the cards all seemed full 1t
was past ten when he had his chance
of speech with Mary Ella.
"I guess yours is full, too," he said,
reaching for her card.
81 kept two for you," she said, "but
you never came
81 can't dance very WE'LL" he ex-
planned. "But if you don't mind my
getting off step now and then"
She shook her head.
Thanks, but couldn't we just sit it
out?s
Couldn't WEI" There was a sud-
den laugh in his eyes.
at is so warm in here. Can't we
get out to the balcony?"
The April moon was making mag
ic out there, and little breeze shiv-
cred the leaves in ghostlY rustles,
and whispering afar through the trees
the river ran a silver sluice with nei-
ther wash nor tide.
"It's night for rowing Look at
the river!" Jimmy said. Then, after
a pause, "How did you come to ask
me, anyway"
Mary Ella was bred to an inheri-
tance of diplomacy, not of candor.
Her eyes dropped and narrowed.
"Oh-policy!" she said vaguely.
Jimmy nodded.
T thought so. How has the Old
Guard classed me?" Static or kline
tic?"
She furrowed her forehead a mo-
ment.
"How do you politely define live
wire?"
"Mew said Jimmy, little glow in
his eyes. 81 guess you are the in
sulator."
81 hadn't thought of it," Mary Ella
said calmly. "That is, not exactly
in those terms. 1t is lovely night
for rowing"
"Is there boat in the boathouse?"
"A fairly good one. But"
"Get your scarf or something and
let's row out the two dances. l can
pull an oar better than can pull off
a two-step."
For fractional space of time Ma
ry Ella hesitated, swayed hither and
you. Suddenly she wheeled and dis.
Iappeared into some remote corner OF
the balcony. Returning, Jimmy saw
she had long, light coat wrapped