The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-08-20
The AmateurG Gentleman
Y Jeffrey FarnoI'

EOd-mother. having bullied my poor
tyrant out OF the house, and quar-
relied with me until she IS tired. has
10 fixed her mind upon you. She
therefore orders her dutiful god
daughter 10 write you these, hoping
that thereby you may be induced TO
WELD yourself a willing slave 70 her
caprices and come down here for a
few DAYS. Though the very dearest
and best OF women. my gOd-mother,
as YOU may remember, possesses a
tongue. therefore - be warned. sir
nv tyrant at this precise moment
sits in the round house whittier he
has ~retreated 70 sOlace his ruf1ed
feelings with tobacco. SO, 1 repeat,
sir. be warned! And yet, though in
deed. Z is strange, and passing
strange. she speaks Of you often. and
seems 70 hold you in her kind re-
gard. But, for all that. do not be
misled. sir; for the duchess is al
WAYS the duchess-even to poor me
A while ago. she insisted on playing
a game Of chess; as I write the
pieces lie scattered on the floor. /
shant pick them up-why should I?
So you see her grace is quite her
self today. Nevertheless, should you
determine TO run the risk. you will,
I think. find a welcome awaiting you
from,
Yours, dear sir,
"CLEONE MEREDITH.
p. S-The Bo'sun assures me the
noon will last another week"
This postscript Master Barnabas
must needs read three times over,
and then, quick and furtive, press
the letter to his lips ere he thrust
il into his bosom, and opened and
read the captains:
The Gables.
"HaWkhurst,
"Written'in the RoundhouSe,
June %, 10.
MY Dear Beverleigh - How is
Fashion and the Modish World? as
trivial as usual, III warrant me. The
latest sensation, I believe. is cossack
trousers-hsve you tried EN- yet?
But to come to my mutton, as the
Mounseers say.
The duchess of Camberhurst,
having honored my house with her
presence-and consequently set it in
an uproar, 1 am constantly running
foul of her, though more often she
is falling aboard of me. To put it
plainly, what with cross-currents,
head-seas and shifting winds that
come down suddenly and blow great
guns from every point of the COM
pass, 1 am continually finding my
self taken all a-back, as it were, and
since it is quite impossible to bring
to and ride it out. am consequently
forced to go about and run for it,
and continually popped, even then
for a woman's tongue is. I'm sure,
worse than any following sea.
Hence, my sweet Clio, with her
unfailing sOlicitude for me, having
observed me flying signals of dis
treSs, has contrived to put it into
my head that your presence might
have a calming effect. Therefore,
my dear boy, if you can manage to
cast off the grapples of the Polite
World for a few days, to run down
here and shelter a battered old hulk
under your lee, 1 shall be proud to
have you as my guest.
Yours faithfully to serve,
JOHN CHUNKY.
"P. spray bring your valet;
you Will need him. her grace insists
on dressing for dinner. Likewise,
my Trafalgar coat begins to need
skilled patching. here and there; it
is getting beyond the bo'sun."
HERE again Barnabas must needs
IL pause to read over certain of
the captain5s Scrawling characters,
and a new light was in his eyes as
he broke the seal of her Grace's
epiStle.
ITO BE Continued