The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, September 08, 1905, Image 3
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Brew
i 1 Mill
! SttEis'SL. B> CEO"
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"1 wish 1 knew vhoiLiT i bad to
abide by the New York or the Montana
standard of extravagance," Brew tcr
said to himself. "I wonder if be
ever sees the New York papers."
Late each night the iaat of the grand
old Brewster family went to his IknIroom,
where, ufter dismissing his man,
he settled down at his desk, with a
pencil and a pad of pni>er. Lighting
the caudles, which were more easily
managed, he fouud, thnu lamps and
__ much more costly, he thoughtfully and
religiously circulated Ills expenses for
the day. Nopper Harrison and Klon
Gardner luul the receipts for all moneys
spent, and Joe Bragdon was keeping
an official rei>ortf but the "chief,"
as they called him, could not go to
sleep until be was satisfied in bis own
mind that lie was keeping up the average.
For the first two weeks It bad
been easy?In fact, be seemed to have
quite n comfortable lead In the race,
lie had spent almost $100,000 In the
fortnight, but be realized that the
greater part of It had gone Into the
yearly and not the dally expense account.
lie kept a "profit and loss"
entry In bis little private ledger, but It
was not like any other account of the
kind In the world. What tie ordinary
merchant would have char^-d to "loss"
he Jotted down on the "profit" side, and
he was continually looking for oppor- i
tunltles to swell the total,
llawles, who had been his grand^
father's butler since the day after he
lauded In New York, came over to the
vf- grunusoit-s establishment, greatly to
the wroth and confusion of the latter'*
A tint Eninieline. The chef cume from
Earls, ami his untue wan I?etult. Ellis,
the footman, also found a much better
berth with Monty than he hall had In
the house ou the avenue. Aunt Euntncllnc
never forgave her nephew for
these base and disturbing acts of
treachery, as she called them.
One of Monty's most extraordinary
financial feats grew out of the purchase
of a ?14.000 automobile. lie
blandly admitted to Nopjter Harrison
and the two secretaries that he intended
to use It to practice with only, and
that as soon as he learned how to run
an "auto" as It should be ruu he expected
to buy a good, sensible, durable
mstchlne for ?7,000.
Ills staff odlcers frequently put their
heads together to tleviao wiy?
menus of curbing Monty's reckless extravagance.
They were worried.
"lie's like a sailor In port," protested
Harrison. "Money is no object if he
wants a thing, and?hang It?ho seems
to Want everything he sees."
"It won't last long." Gardner said
reassuringly. "Like his unmesuko,
Monte-t'liristo, the world Is his Just
now, nud he wants to enjoy It."
"lie wants to get rid of it, It seems
to me."
Whenever they reproached Brewster
about the matter he disarmed them
by saying: "Now that I've got money
I mean to give my friends a good time.
Just what you'd do if you were in my
nlace. What's moncv for. nnrwnv?"
"But tills $3,000 a plate dinner"? j
'Tin fining to give a dozen of them, <
nnd even then I can't pay my Just i
debts. For years I'vo been entertained 1
at people's houses aud have boon \
taken cruising 011 their yachts. They
have always been bully to me, and j
Ay what have I over done for them? Noth- j
^ leg. Now that I ran afford it, I am
going to return some of these favors ]
nnd squaro myself. Doesn't It sound
reasonable?" ,
And so preparations for Monty's dlu- |
ner went on. In addition to what he ,
called his "efficient corps of gentle- (
manly aids" he had secured the services
of Mr*. Dan DeMllle as "social
mentor nud utility chaperon." Mrs.
DeMllle tvus known in the papers as
the leader of the fast young married
sct.^ She was one of the cleverest
and"best looking young women In town,
nnd her husband was one of those who
(\Jd not have to be "lnTlted too." Mr.
DcMtlie lived at the club and vlsltod
his home. Borne one said that he was
so slow nnd his wife sd fast that when
she invited him to dinner he was usually
two or three days late. Altogether
Mrs. DeMllle was a decided
acquisition to Brewster's campaign
committee. It required just her touch
to moke his parties fun lustead of
\ funny.
It was on Oct. 18 that the dinner was
.given. With the skill of n general Mrs.
Dan had sealed the guests In such a
wny that from the l>cglnnlng things
went off with zest. Colonel Drew took
in Mrs. Valentine, nnd his content was
assurea. Air. inn music nna me
beautiful Miss Valentine were side by
side, and no one could say he looked
unhappy. Mr. Cromwell went In with
Mm. Snvnge, and the name delicate
tact?In some cases It was almost Indelicate?was
displayed in tho disposition
of other guests.
Somehow they had come with the expectation
of being bored. Curiosity
prompted them to aecept, but it did not
prevent the subsequent Inevitable lassl^
tude. Socially Monty Brewster had yet
) to make himself folt. He and his dinners
were something to talk about, but
they were accepted hesltotlngly, haltingly.
People wondered how he bad
secured the co-oporntlon of Mrs. Dan,
but then Mrs. Dan always did go in for
a new toy. To her was inevitably attributed
whatever success the dinner
| 1
*
ster's
ions 1
:GE BARR MTUTCHEON
RICHARD GRfAVES)
*
aenieved, ana it wat. v.r, amaii measure.
Yet there was nothing startling about
the affair. Monty hail decided to begin
conservatively. lie did the conventional
thing, but he did it well. lie added
a touch or two of luxury, the faintest
aroma of splendor. Pcttingill had
designed the curiously wayward table,
with Its comfortable atmosphere
of companionship, and arranged Its
decoration of great lavender orchids
and lacy butterfly festoons of white
ones touched with yellow. He had
wanted to use dahlias in their many
rich shades, from pale yellow to
ornnge una (loop rou, but Monty held
out for orchids. It was the artist, too,
who had found In :i rare and happy
moment the massive gold candelabra?
ancient things of a more luxurious
nge-and their opalescent shades.
Against his advice the service, too, was
of gold?"rank vulgarity." he called it,
with Its rich menuingless ornainenfatlon.
But here Monty was obdurate.
He insisted that ho liked the color and
that porcelain had no character. Mrs. 1
Dan only prevented a quarrel by suggesting
that several courses should be
served upon Sevres.
Pettlnglll's scheme for lighting the
room was particularly happy. For the
bene tit of his wnlls and the four lovely
Mouets which Monty had purchased
at his Instigation he had designed a
celling screen of heavy rich glass In |
tones of white that grew Into yellow
and dull green. It served to conceal ,
the lights In the daytime, and at night |
the glare of electricity was Immensely |
softened and made harmonious by
passing through It. It gave a note of
quiet to the picture which caused
HVOI1 tflOftP mpn 1111*1 xrnmnn who Ka-1 1
been here and there and aeon many
things, to draw In their breath sharply.
Altogether the effect manifestly made
tm Impression.
Such an environment had Its Influence
upon the company. It went far
toward making the dinner n success.
From far In the distance came the
lofteued strains of Hungarian music,
?nd never had the little band played
he "Valse Atuoureuse" and the "Valse
Bleue" with the spirit it put into them
hat night. Yet the soft clamor in the
lining room insistently ignored the
'motion of the music. Monty, bored
is he was between the two most iniHi
dimly what invisible part it played ^
n making things go. He had a vagrant j
'ancy that without it there would have j
)oen no test for talk, no noisy corapetl- {
Ion to overcome, no hurdles to leap. g
Ys it was, the talk certainly went well,
iml Mrs. Dan inspected the result of J
jer work from time to time with smll- (
ng satisfaction. From across the ta- {
jle she heard Colonel Drew's voice:
'Brewster evidently objects to a long
ilege. He is planning to carry us by
\ssault."
Mrs. Dan turned to Subway Smith,
svho was at her right?the latest adlltlon
to her menagerie. "What is
this friend of yours?" she naked. "I
Have never seen such complex simplicity.
This new plaything has no real
charm for him. lie Is breaking It to
9nd out what It Is mado of, and something
will happen when he discovers
the sawdust."
'Oh, don't worry about him," said
Bubway easily. "Monty's at least a
good sportsman. He won't complain,
whatever happens, ne'll accept the
reckoning and pay the piper."
It was only toward the end of the
evening that Monty found his reward
in a moment with Barbara Drew. He
stood before her, squaring his shoulders
belligerently to keep away Intruders,
and she smiled up at him In
that bewildering fashion of hers. But
It was only for an Instant, and then
caroo a terrifying din from the dining
room, followed by the clamor of crashing
glass. The guests tried for a moment
to be courteously oblivious, but
the noise was so startling that such
politeness became farcical. The host,
with a little laugh, went down the
hall. It was the beautiful screen near
the celling that had fallen. A thousand
pieces of shattered glass covered
the place. The table was a sickening
heap of crushed orchids and sputtering
candles. Frightened servants rushed
Into the room from one side just as
Brewster entered from the other. Stupefaction
baited them. After the first
pulseless moment of horror exclamations
of dismay went up on all sides.
For Monty Brewster the first sensa?r>a
a hr A rlifl.
11UU VI ft WV n MW ftV??VTT ? bollcal
sens# of joy.
"Thank the Lord!" he said softly In
the hnsh.
The look of surprise lie encountered
In the faces of his guests brought him
up ^ith a Jerk.
"That It didn't happen while we were
dining," he added, with serene thankfulness.
And bis nonchalance scored
for him In the Idle game be was playing.
CHAPTER VII.
MR. BREWSTER'S butler was
surprised and annoyed. For
the first time in bis official '
career he bad unbent so far
as to manifest a personal Interest In
the welfare of his master. He was
on the verge of assuming a responsibility
which ma)cea any servant intolerable.
But after bis Interview he resolved
that be would never again overatep
his position. He made sure that
it should be thejast QjTeuse. The da; I
v
? r-T =H?*S5H55I
following mo (tumor itawies appeared
liefore young Mr. Brewster and Indicated
1>y his maunor that the call waa
an Important one. Brewster was seated
at his writing table, deep In thought.
The exclamation that followed Bowies'
cougli of announcement was so sharp
niul so unmistakably fierce thot all other
evidence paled Into insignificance.
The butler's interruption enme at a
moment when Monty's mental arithmetic
was pulling Itself out of a very
had rut, no^L the cough drove It back
into chaos.
"What is It?" he demanded Irritably.
Rnwlos had upset his calculations
to the extent of seven or eight hundred
dollars.
"I came to report linn hunfortunnte
condition linmotig the servants, sir,"
snld Itawles, stiffening as his responsibility
became more and more weighty.
Ho h:ul relaxed temporarily upon entering
the room.
"What's the trouble?"
"The trouble's hended, sir."
"Then why bother nie about It?"
"I thought It would l>e well for you
to know. sir. The servants was going
to ask for 'igher wlges today, sir."
"You sny they were going to ask?
Aren't they?" And Monty's eyes lighted
up at the thought of new possibilities.
"I convinced them, sir, as how they
were getting good pay ns It Is, sir. and
that tlicy ought to be sntlsfled. They'd j
l>e a long time finding a better place
and as good wigos. They 'aven't been
with you n week, and here tlioy are
striking for more pay. Really, air,
these American servants"? I
"Rnwles, that'll do!" exploded Mou- '
ty. The hiitler's ehln went up. and
Ills cheeks grew redder than ever.
"I beg pardon, sir," he gasped. with <
a respectful but Injured air. 1
"Rnwles, you will kindly not Inter- 1
fere In such matters again. It Is not <
only the privilege lint the duty of every <
American to strike for higher pay <
whenever he feels like It, and I want 1
It distinctly understood that I ana i
heartily In favor of their attitude. You <
will kindly go hack and tell them that '
after a reasonable length of service i
their wigos?I mean wages?shall be a
Increased. And don't meddle again.
Itnwles." 1
Date that afternoon Brewster drop- *
[>ed in at Mrs. DeMllle's to talk over 1
alans for the next dinner. He realized <
that in no other way could he squan- *
ier his money with a better chance of c
retting its worth than by throwing '
ilmself boldly Into society. It went
?asily, and there could be only one as- *
?et arising from It In the end?his own *
(euse of disgust. I
"So glad to see you, Monty," greet- 1'
Hi Mrs. Dan glowingly, coming in with I;
i rush. "Come upstairs and I'll give 5
ron some tea and a cigarette. I'm not k
it home to anybody." ?
"That's very good of you, Mrs. Dan," c
said he as they mounted the stairs, r
'I don't know what I'd do without tl
iWYty'Wte wa*1' ;
"You'd be richer, at any rate,", turn- t
ug to smile upon him from the upper
andlng. "I was In tears half the ^
lignr, Aionty, over tnnt glass screen, ?
ihe said after finding a comfortablo !
>laoe among the cushions of a divan. J"
Brewster dropped Into a roomy, Inzy
dinir in front of her as he responded
rnrelessly: n
"It amounted to nothing. Of course u
t was very annoying that it should v
a
- I
I?
Tlte. butler's chin went up.
hnpiwii while the guests were still
there." Then he n<l<led gravely: "In
strict confidence, I had planned to have
It fall Just as we were pushing back
our chairs, hut the confounded thing
disappointed me. That's the trouble
with these automatic climaxes?they
usually hang lire. It was to have been
a sort of fall of Babylon effect, you
know."
"SpleudUl! But, like Babylon, It fell
nt the wrong time."
For a lively quarter of an hour they
discussed people about town, liberally '
annrovlnsr the slandered and denounc
Ing the slanderers. A still busier quarter
of an hour ensued when together
they made up the list of dinner guests.
He moved a little writing table up to
the divan, and she looked on eagerly
while he wrote down the names she
suggested after many puekerlngs of
her fair, aristocratic brow, and then
drew lines through them when she
changed her mind. Mrs. Dan DeMllls
handled her people without gloves
In making up Monty's lists. The dinners
were not hers, and she could afford
to do as she pleased with his.
He was broad and tall and she was not
slow to see that be was Indifferent.
He did not care who the guests were
or how they came; he merely wished
to make sure of their presence. Ills
only blunder was the rather diffident
recommendation that Barbara Drew be
asked again. If he observed that Mrs.
Dan's hend sank a little closer to the
payer, he attached nq. Importance to
t
tb* nfovement. He coukl not see mat
her eyes grew narrow, and he paid no
attention to the little catch in her
breath.
"Wouldn't that be a little-Just a little
pronouueed?" she asked, lightly
enough.
"You mean?that people might talk?"
"She might feel conspicuously present."
"Do you think so? We are auoli
good friends, you know."
"Of course if you'd like to have her,"
slowly and doubtfully, "why, put her
name down. Hut you evidently haven't
seen that." Mrs. Dan pointed to a
copy of the Trumpet which lay on the
table.
When he had handed her the paper
she said, "The Censor Is growing facetious
at your expeuse."
"I am getting 011 In society with a
vengeance If that ass starts In to write
about me. I.lsten to this"?she bad
pointed out to him the obnoxious paragraph:
"'If Brewster drew a diamond
flush do you supi>ose he'd catch the
queen? And If he caught lier how long
do you think she'd remain Drew? Or
If sho Drew Brewster would she 1h?
willing to learn such a game as
Monte?'"
The next morning a writer who signed
himself The Censor got a thrashing,
and one Montgomery Brewster
li.id 1.l? 41 * '
ii.?> uin nil mi- in uie pnpers, Hiirromidtvl
by fulsome words of praise.
CHAPTER VIII.
ONE morning not long after the
incidents Just related Brewster
lay In bed staring at the
celling, deep In thought.
There was a worried pucker on his
forehead, half hidden by the rumpled
lair, ana his eyes were wide and sleepess.
He had dined nt the Drews' the
ironing Iwfore and had had an awakening.
As he thought of the matter he
eottld recall no special occurrence that
10 could really use as evidence. Cololel
and Mrs. Drew had been as kind as
ever, and Barbara could not have been
nore charming. But something had
gone wrong, and he had endured a
watched evening.
"That little English Johnnie was to
dame," he argued. "Of course Barbara
ind a right to put any one she liked
lext to her, but wlij' she should have
hosen that silly ass Is more than I
mow. By Jove! If I had been on the
?ther aide I'll warrant his grace would
lave been lost In the dust."
His brain was whirling, and for the
iisi time ne wus oegmnmg to reel tne
inpleassnt pangs of jealousy. The
hiko of Beauchnmp he especially dlsIked,
although the poor man had liardy
spoken during the dinner. But
lonty could not be reconciled. lie
;new, of course, that Barbara bad sultirs
by the dozen, but It had never ocurred
to him that they were even selotisly
considered. Notwithstanding
he fttct that his encounter with The
lralifp notice, she torfiuve "uon <wiyhing
-after a moment's consideration,
'lie first few wrenches of resentment
rere overbalanced by her American
ppreclatlon of chivalry, however Inplred.
The Censor had gone for
ears unpunished, his coarse wit beig
aimed at every one who bad come
ato social prominence. 80 pungent
nd vindictive was his pen that other
iien feared him, and there were many
rho lived In glass houses in terror of
fusillade. Brewster's prompt and
utliclent action had cheeked the perilclous
attacks, and he became a hero
mong men and women. After that
I ?wao nA nolnf f/i Tlio Pnn.
iiftiil nine n nil uu JIUIIIL IV ine v-enor's
pen. Monty's first qualms of
ippreheusion wore swept away when
,'olouel Drew lilmself hailed him the
nornlng after the encounter and In
10 unmeasured terms congratulated
ilm upon his achievement, assuring
ilm that Rarbara and Mrs. Drew apiroved,
although they might lecture
ilm as a matter of form.
Rut on this morning as he lay in his
>ed Monty was thinking deeply and
>alnfully. Ho was confronted by a
nost embarrassing condition, and he
vas discussing it soberly with hlmlelf.
"I've never told her," he said to
llmself, "but if she doesn't know my
'eellng she Is not as clever as I think,
besides, I haven't time to make love to
ler now. If it were any other girl I
mppose I'd have to, but Babs?why,
ihe must understand. And yet?hang
hat duke!"
In order to woo her properly he
sronld be compelled to neglect financial
duties that needed every partielo
>f brain energy at his command. lie
found himself opposed at the outset by
? startling embarrassment, made ablolutely
clear by the computations of
the night before. The last four days
>f'indifference to finance on one side
ind pomperlng the heart on the other
had proved very costly. To use his
)wn expression, ho had been "set
trnok" almost $8,000. An average like
that would 1>e ruinous.
"Why, think of It," he continued.
"For each day sacrificed to Barbara
[ must deduct something like $2,500.
A long campaign would put me Irretrievably
In the hole; I'd get so far
l>chind that a holocaust couldn't put
me even. She can't expect that of me,
yet girls are such Idiots about devotion,
and of course she doesn't know what
a heavy task I am facing. And there
aro the others?what will they do while
[ am out of the running? I cannot go
to her and say: 'Please, may I have
a venr's vacation? I'll come back next
September.' On the other hand, 1
ihall surely neglect my business if
ihe exj?ects me to compete. What
pleasure shall I get out of the seven
millions If I lose her? I can't afford to
take chances. That duke won't have
seven millions next Bepteml?er, It's
true, but he'll have a prodigious argument
against mo al>out the 21st or 22d."
Then a brilliant thought occurred
to him which caused him to ring for a
messenger tn>y with such a show of Impatience
that Itawles stood aghast.
The telegram which Monty wrote was
as follows i
Bwearengen Jones. Motto. Mont.:
Mar I marry nnd t t: i a'i pro. Tty over
to provided she w 1'. h.i t i?7
MONTQOM f K V 1IH . .V8TER.
"Why Isn't that reason i >le?" lie
asked himself after the hoy hail gone.
"Making i>roi>erty over to one's wife
Is neither a loan n ?; is it charity. Old
Jones might call It needle*# extravagance,
since he's a haeheldf, hut It's
generally done because it's good business."
Monty was hopeful.
Following his habit in trouble, he
sought Margaret Gray, to whom he
could nlwnys appeal for advice and
consolation. She was to come to his
next dinner party, and it was easy to
lead up to the subject In hand by mentioning
the other guesta.
"And ltarbara Drew," he concluded
after naming all the others. They
were alone in the library, and she was
drinking in the details of the dinner
as he related them.
"Wasn't she at your first dinner?"
she asked quickly.
lie successfully affected mild embarrassment.
A
"She must l?o very nttrnctlvc." There
was no venom in Peggy's heart.
"She is attractive. In fact, she's one
of the hest, Peggy," lie said, paving the
way.
"It's too had she seems to care for
that little duke."
"lie's a bounder," he argued.
"Well, don't take It to heart. You
don't have to marry him." And Peggy
laughed.
"Hut I do take it to heart, Peggy,"
said Monty seriously. "I'm pretty hard
hit, and I want your help. A sister's
advice is always the hest in a matter
of this sort."
She looked into his eyes dully for an
instant, not realizing the full Importance
of his confession.
"You, Monty?" she said incredulously.
"I've got it had, Peggy," he replied,
staring hard at the floor. She could
not understand the cold gray tone that
suddenly enveloped the room. The
strange sense of loneliness that eamo
over lior was Inexplicable. The Ilttlo
something that rose In her throat
wouhl not be dislodged, nor could she
throw off the weight that seemed pressing
down upon her. lie saw the odd
look in her eyes and the drawn, uncertain
smile on her lips, but he attributed
them to wonder aiul Incredulity.
Somehow after nil these years he was
transformed before her very eyes. She
was looking upon a new personality,
lie was no longer Montgomery the
brother, but she could not explain how
and when the change crept over her.
What did It all menu? "I am very
glad if it will mnkc you happy, Monty,"
she said Rlowly, the gray In her
lips giving way to red once more.
"Does she know?"
"I haven't told her in so many
words, 1'eggy. but?but I'm going to
this evening," he nuuouucod lamely.
l D dit, "WVMV,, -
to go. "I'm gkid you're pleased, Peggy.
I need your good wishes. And,
Peggy," he continued, with a touch of
boyish wlstfulness, "do you think
there's a chance for a fellow? I've had
the very deuce of a thne over that
Englishman."
It was not quite easy for her to say: I
"Monty, you are the best in the world.
Go in and win."
From the window she watched him
swing off down the street, wondering
If he would turn to wave his hand to
her, his custom for years. But the
broad back was straight and uncompromising.
Ills long strides carried
him swiftly out of sight, but it was
many minutes before she turned her
eyes, which were smarting, a little
from the nolnt where he was lost In
the crowd. The room looked ashen to
her 09 she brought her mind bock to
It, and somehow things hod grown different.
When Montgomery reached home he
found this telegram from Mr. Jones:
MontKomery Brewster, New York City:
Stick to your knitting, you fool.
S. JONES.
CHAPTER IX.
IT Is beat not to repeat the expressions
Brewster used regarding one
S. Jones after reading this telegram.
But he felt considerably
relieved after he had uttered them. He
fell to reading accounts of the big
prize fight which was to take place In
San Francisco that evening. He reveled
In the descriptions of "upper cuts"
and "left hooks" and learned Incidentally
that the affair was to be quite
one sided. A local amnteur was to
box a champion. Quick to see an opportunity
and cajoling himself Into the
belief that Rwearengen Jones could
not object to such a display of sportsmanship,
Brewster made Harrison
book several good wagers on theresujt.
He intimated that ho had reason to believe
that the favorite would lose.
Harrison soon placed $3,000 on his
man. The young financier felt so sure
of the result that he entered the bets
on the profit side of his ledger the moment
he received Harrison's report.
This done, he telephoned to Miss
ci.? M/v^ u./.nNiku 4/, H.A
i/iru. our nnn uui iiiBviiBiuir m lur
significance of his Inquiry If she would
bo In that afternoon. She had observed
in him of late n condition of uneasiness,
supplemented by inoroseness
and occasional periods of irascibility.
Every girl whose occupation in life Is
the study of men recogni7.es these
symptoms and knows how to treat
them. Barbara hnd dealt with many
men alllicted in this manner, and the
flutter of nnticlpntlon that came with
his urgent plon to see licr was tempered
by experience. It had something of
Joy In it, for she cared enough for
Montgomery Brewster to have made
her mixiously uncertain of his state of
mind. She cared, indeed, much more
than she Intended to confess at the
outset.
It was nearly half past 5 when he
came, and for once the philosophical
Miss Drew felt a little. Irritation. So
certain was she of his object In comIng
that bis tardiness whs a trifle ruffling.
lie apologized for being late
and succeeded In banishing the pique
that possessed her. It was naturally
Impossible for him to share all tola
secrets with her, and that Is why he
did not tell her that tlrant A- Ripley
had called him up to report the receipt
of a telegram from Swearengen Jones.
In which the gcntlcmun laconically
said he could feed the whole state ot
I - (
"I love l/ou, Dabthe cried.
Montana for leas than $0,000. Beyond
that there was no comment. Brewster
in dire trepidation hastened to the office
of his attorneys. They smiled
when he burst In upon them.
"(*ood heavens!" he exclaimed. "I>oe?
the miserly old linyseed expect me to
spend a million for newspapers, cigarettes
and Boston terriers? I thought
he would be reasonable!"
"He evidently has seen the newspaper
accounts of your dinner, and this
Is merely his comment," said Mr. ItlpI
lev.
"It's cither a warning or else he's
ambiguous in his compliments," growled
Brewster disgustedly.
"I don't believe he disapproved, Mr.
Brewster. In the west the old gentleman
is widely known as a wit."
"A wit, eh? Then he'll appreciate an
answer from me. Have you a telegraph
blank, Mr. Grant?"
Two minutes later the following telegram
to Swearengen Jones was awaiting
the arrival of a messenger boy and
Brewster was blandly assuring Measrs.
Grant & Ripley that he did not care
a rap for the consequences:
New York, Oct. 23. 1?.
Swearengen Jones, Butte. Mont.:
No doubt you could do It for less than
six thousand. Montana Is regarded as the
best graslng country In the world, but ws
don't eat that sort of stuff In Nsw York.
That's why It costs more to live here.
MONTGOMERY BREWSTER.
response~frotn 'tSrtwaytoontttfc,?*ntButte.
Mont., Oct. 25, 1?.
Montgomery nrewster. New York:
We are 8.000 feet above the level of the
sea. I suppose that's why It costs us tees
to live high. 8- JOWKB.
"I was beginning to despair, Monty,"
said Miss Drew reproachfully whan
be had come down from the height ef
bis exasperation and remembered that
there were tilings of more importance.
Tim llvlit In liln ">ro? hnuimht lh?
faintest tinge of rod to her check*, and
where n moment before there had been
nnnoyance there was now a feeling of
serenity. For n moment the alienee
was fraught with purpose. Monty
glanced around the room, uncertain
how to begin. It was not so easy as be
had imagined.
"You are very good to see me," he
said nt last. "It was absolutely necessary
for me to talk to you this evening.
I could not have endured the suspense
any longer. Barbara, I've spent three
or four sleepless nights on your account.
Will It spoil your evening If I
tell j'ou In plain words what you already
know? It won't bother you, will
It?" he floundered.
"What do you mean, Monty?" she
begged, purposely dense and with wonderful
control of her eyes.
"I love you, Babs," he cried. "I
thought you knew al>out It all along
or I should have told yon before. That'a
why I haven't slept. The fear that
you may not care for me has driven
me nearly to distraction. It conldn't
go on any longer. I must know today."
i
[to be contimjkp.]
Short on Words.
Bishop Thlrlwall, an English prelate,
had the greatest possible aversion
to answering questions. One day
a tailor said to hlui when he had beell
summoned to take the bishop's measurements,
"What are your lordship's
orders?" "I want a suit of clothe*."
"Here is a very nice cloth, my lord."
"Ah!" "And this Is likewise a very
good one." "Yes." "Here Is another
of excellent quality." "Very." "Which
material will your lordship decide
upon?" "I want a suit of ctotbef."
And that was all the answer the tailor
could get. When the new gardener
accosted him as he was walking, book
In hand, in the garden to ask, "How
will your lordship have this border
laid out?" there was no answer, "now
will your lordship bo pleased to have
this border laid out?" was the nert
attempt. Still there was no reply, but
when the question wns repeated for
the third time the answer came, "Yott
lire the gardener, I believe, and 1 am
the bishop." i
Straining a Point.
'Tollteet man I ever saw."
"I noticed he laughed at the Englishman's
jokes."
But Do They?
"Yotl know figures won't He."
"Mathematical or feminine?"
\