Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-30
lot always about too seemrly subjects,

all through dinner. and Uncle Ralph.
at the head OF his own t5ble, would
sit almost silent, sti ! watching her
at times with the. Tspaniel eyes, but
sometimes again with the puzzled
look, and with a glance at me as If
tacttly asking my views about it all,
l had my own views, very clearly
formed, but l did not think 1t would
do either Of US, MOI the general sit
uation of things, any good were I to
impart 1t to him. Country -~neighbore
had called of course, on the bride, and
at first she had charmed them, as she
charmed everybody. But then her
obvious boredom with these. highly re-
spectacle and, as Judged by her stand
ard, most tiresome and frumpy peo-
pie, quickly changed their first i'm
pressions. On their subsequent visits
I had to do most Of their entertain
ilnent, while Aunt Enid chartered with
some young man staying in the house.
What, if any, trouble might have
followed I do not know. Possibly all
might have been lived through and
lived down and they might have set
tied into the ordinary not.very slim
u.ating or satisfactory jog-trot Of dou-
be harness-",not love In a cottage,
marriage in Onslow Square," AZ has
been said; but then Captain Wharf
came.
I did not know, as it was lot my
business to know, and as I did not
want to, what former relations there
may have been between Aunt Enid
and him. I only knew of him as a
soldter-friend OF Aunt Ends In In
dia. He had actually been in Simla
at the time when Uncle Ralph got
engaged to her. I had indeed hardly
haa Srd hiu mn = roorfSora 4,,NkiI A .-A
Enid ANNOUNCED quite casually at
luncheon one day. PSI
Willy Wharf (she always spoke
Of her men friends by their Christian
names) Is coming down tomorrow
There were several people at lunch
con. saw a very curious expression
come into Uncle Ralph's face. All
he said was: "Vibart!"
He said it in a way which, coupled
with the look, told me that he was
thinking g great, deal more than he
said: / have Thought since that Aunt
Enid brought ont the topic Of the
Wharf visit thus, when there were a
lot OF people about, SO that unc'e
should not be able to- raise any OBJ
lection to it. Besides, IL he had an
objection, 1t must be made quickly
since It was o4lyson the morrow that
the guest was due. j
Yes, Willy Wharf" Aunt Enid said
( again. You met him at Simla, you
know: Surely remember
Oh. yes" Uncle Ralph answered,
with a laugh which he cut short. Il
remember meeting him quite WELL,
I do not know whether any more
/ was said about it between them aft
erward. That, at all events, is all that
passed at the time, and the next day
Captain Wharf duly arrived.
! expect that he was astype of the
kind OF mansthat exercises a tre-
mendous fascination over women OF. a
certain nature. It is a type which
I find rather repel;ent. He was q
broad blond well-made man, with
good features. He was beginning AL
ready TO go bald on the top Of the
head. He had q very long, golden
moustache. i expect he was:proud OF
his moustache. for, he was always
playing with 1t and twisting 1t about
with his smanfcured fingers.
He wal always quite agreeable and
pleasant, and had Aunt Enid been
with him Just as she vas with all the
other men friends that she liked to
have about her I do not suppose /
should have taken particular notice
of him o good or i'll. but emphati-
scally Aunt Enid was not the sam.
with him as with the rest. She seem
ed quite altered when he was there.
i. Tome II was most curious to- see
her. It reminded ms Of stories one
has read Of certain people having
a peculiar power over dangerous AMI
mails, as OF a Hon tanner dominating
some fierce and beautiful feline thing.
For certainly / had always realized
q possibility Of fierce gwilfulness I'M
deriving the vanity and veneer 81 my
lovely aunt and yet more certainly
there was much that was very feline
about her. There was d singular. ana
absolute reversal OF her role here. s.
compared with her attitude toward
Unc'e Ralph. Whereas with him Il
was he that followed her with the
dog-hke gaze; In the Al OF this 9TH
er man it was she who was. more
or less covertly perhaps. watchinR
him an the time, hardy taking her
eyesfoK him while heswas inSthe room;
and adopting. POSSIBLY quite unaware,
his phrases and terms of speech.
He, or the contrary. appeared-
perhaps he made II his pope-tO be