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Show I A YQUN6 WS LESSON. -, "Indeed, Clinrloy, I don't think yon ought to expect It of mo!" tg Chtva Anlun stood coloring, and ovl- l dcntly nnnoyml, In tho midst of hor ft pretty Uttlo drnivlng room, whilo lior m f Int.ilmiHl leaned ncnlust onoLjJ ssKl' v,,1m 211iTe'1 ''a""1?''"'"- AiilllraMa tiucli, K Boustblo u follow to HBV"" perforinnncos from so pioUKokoopor ns you BsTV wr'Yiie, but Clnro, dnrllug" s "Thcro's no uso iu wnstlug any fur- H tlier nrumont on tho nucslion," said V Clitrn, sottlui; hor lips togethor. H "When you lurltod him to dlnnor m without consulting mo, you mndo n B' very groat mistake." -Hut whnt nm I to do? 1'ro nsled B him and thoro is no nltornatlvol" B "Yes, thoro Is. Do as other gontlo- M L'u do, nnVl invito him to sotno res- HB tuurnot that is, If you must kuuu this hfiidlong ougngomonil" g ' lint 1 novor did such a thing in my H Ufa haforor1 said porploxed Churloy. "And I hopo you novor will ngalnl" & retorted Mrs. Ardon, wjth soma near- bit. "Thut is, so fnr as Inviting peo- B ulu wltliout any sort of forethought r Tho color roso to Cluulcj Anton's K Cluro," said ho, "if you had asked m n dozen people hero, uiy ouly thought B vould ho hotv host to wolcomo thatu." 'You aro not a housokecpor," nld Clnra. coldly, "with n sick cook nud & evurrthing fa disorder." ' 1'rtlmwl" aald Mr. Anion, as ho wont out, closing tho door behind him BBBVHk wit It pioro emphasis thau was nb.io------Msvbttcly -------''.Vlun so so iucouslder- --------mmi sho to bravo tho criticism Oscar E9BBBBBHBBBriok, ho rcs- ants. a arls- m-utio whpro thoy keep mou Vooks and butloi'8 and regular dining "room servants. It's qultu of tho tpiritlon, and so Churlos may as noil r nmlcrstnnd first ns last. It Uridgut jr hadn't been ill with tho intermittent fuvor, I might, perhaps, have tried to r get up n dainty llttlo dlunorj but as It BT ii no ono but n man would oxpeot It FT (if me." K; So Mrs. Ardon adjustod her nrotty IK shining braids of brown hair in the K& glass, and nestled down in tho corner K of tho sofa, to forget tho woansoma KL trials ami vicissitudes of real Ilfo in tho B pngos of tho morning papors. KK It was lata in tho afternoon when a KK4 visitor was annoitucod, with rather KKK stnrtllrg abruptness, by tho rod-armed , B umUl-or-all-woik, who was trying to VSSJL supply tho vacant pluoo of tho disabled BvBS llrid-'ot acL'onllng to tho bost of hor T ivbllify. 'l'loasc, monn It's Mrs. Mtirloyl" VBm Clara stnrtod up halt ashamed of bo KVSr tug caught in her morniug robo so lato KVSl hi tho day, KVS "If it was nuy ono but you, Mrs. SVB MarJny," said she, laughing aud blush- VSV Ing. "I should apologize for my short- VMI coining. As it J, you r; jtfst In tlma bVb1bbbL to UVo off your things and stay to dinner din-ner with mi. I nm alone to-ulglit, and your socloty will bo ti raat charity." char-ity." "Whv, whore is your husband?" asked tlio visitor in surprise. "Dining out." "Whore?" "I don't know. Tho fact is, ho met an old co 1 1 ego friend this .morning, and iu ti burst nf inconsiderate hospitalityso hospi-talityso like a mau, you know Invited In-vited him to dinner. Of course. I refused to ratify tho Invitation. What could I do, with Bridget ill in bed? So I told him ha must tnko his friond to a restaurant or sotno such place. Ho assented with rathor a bad graco, I must coufess; so, hero I nm, alive" Mrs. Marioy was a pretty, fair com-ploxlonod, com-ploxlonod, elderly lady, With hair as white as snow. Ono of those gentle, helpful, motherly sort of porsons, who nro invnluablu to their friends. Slio shook her head ns alio listened to Mrs. Anion's story. "Don't you think I did right?" Clara nskod impulsively. "Just consider how I am situated!" "It would have been somo troublo and responsibility," said Mrs. Marioy, "to superintend tho preparation of such a meal us you would like your husband's guest to sit down to, but I think I should have advised you to try." ' "But why?" "In tho llrst place, ns a compliment to vour husband." Clara shruggod her shoulders. "Wo nro old marrlod people now." snld sho. "Only think. It is noarly thrco years slnco our wedding dav and all this sentimental billing mid cooing is worn out." "Itoal sontlmcnt between husband and wifo should novor wuar out," said Mrs. Marioy, mildly. "Depend upon It, my love, your husband will appreciate appre-ciate any llttlo attention now quite as much ns in tho davs of your engaged life. But that is not all. Let mo toll you nn oxpcriouco of my own. I had a brother onco a very" dear brother. Ho dlod of delirium tremuni." "Oh, Mrs. Marioy!" Clara Ardon placed a sympathetic haud iu that of lier friond, for sho saw that tho pretty old lady had grown pale, and trembled. trem-bled. "Yes, my dear," went on Mrs. Mar-Joy. Mar-Joy. "Ho had a gay, protty young wife, who disliked the caros of housekeeping, house-keeping, and it was an understood thing between them that ttnv gentleman gentle-man guosts whom It foil to Clement's lot to entertain should bolakon to some hotel or restaurant. Wall, my dear, you know how it, was. Tho wlno llowcd freely thoro was no femluino prcsenco to restrain tho fulso idea of good-fellowship. Clemont ncmilrotl tho fatal habit of indiscriminate drinking, drink-ing, and -tho upshot of it nil was that ho tilled a drunkard's grave. 1'orhaps I was uucharltnble, but I havo alwavs JffMBgggg0tatndo her VVVVVVVBKwMul and -trsisJHQsla'HwTCondcd I "But, Mrs. Marley," cried Clara, much shocked, "this is quite u different differ-ent thingl" "I do not say that it is not, Clara. I only want to warn you against tho rock on which my poor slstor-iu-Iaw's ilfo was wrecked. Of what uso is all our sad and hardly won oxporlcnce, if not to caution others n little?" Clara was silent for a luinuto cr two, and when sho spoko again it was on quito u different topic. Mrs. Mar-Icy Mar-Icy stayed aud dined with hor off tho cold joint and slniplo salad, and wont homo at about fi o'clock. And then came tho long, lonely evening, during which Clara sat by tho window, waiting nnd listening for every sound, nervously impatient for her husband's return. "Of course, ho Is not tho sort of mau to drink too much," sho told horsolf, ovor and ovor ngalu; "but but I am almost sorry I wns so obstinate about asking Mr. Fcnwick to diunur. It would not havo beeu so vorv much trouble, after all. and I think "Charley was vexod about it." Nino o'clock struck then 10 tlion 11 and Clara sprang up and began pacing tho room iu her uervousness. 'I wish ho would comol" sho cried, wringing hor hands. "I wish ho would corao!" Just then there was somo disturbance disturb-ance in tho streot, and glad at all hazards haz-ards to oscapo from her own harasslug thoughts, Clara throw open tho window win-dow and thrust out her head. Thcro was a little crowd nt tho cor-uor cor-uor of the street, aud sho could distinctly dis-tinctly hear tho jeering voices of somo of tho llttlo street Arabs crying out: "It's only a drunken mnnl Ilallo, mister, you'll lind vour hat iu tho gutter! gut-ter! Can't you tell where you live? Go nnd ask an olllcorl" Clara's head turned cold ns Ico, Could it bo posslblo? Was this poor, staggering creature, whoso uncertain stop ufforded nmusomeut to a mob of boys, hor noble husband? Had ho so far forgotten himself and hor? And if o, at whoso door lay tho fault? Nearer and nonrer at wo tho llttlo crowd. Clara dvow in her hoad aud closed tho window. Sho could not bear to havo tho dreadful possibility confirmed, Sho stopped hor ears; sho burled her face in thu pillows of tho sofa. "Why. Clara, llttlo wifo, whnt'a tho matter?" It was Charley'-; volco not tho maudlin accents of seml-intoxicatlon, but tho full, deep tones of tho mau sho felt sho could yet uouor, ai well ns lovo and obey. She looked up with a llttlo hysterical laugh. "Oh, Charluy, I was, frightened. A drunken man iu tho street, you know " Yes. I passod htm. A pollcoman has just walked him off to the station house. So you were frightened, ebf" Clara's face was radiant as sho turnod up tho low jot of gas. "I am so glud you havo enmo, Charley!" Char-ley!" said she. "I haw toast o groat many compunctions of ronsclenco this afternoon, becauso I didn't mnko Mr. Fenwick welcome to the best I had In tho house inotend of sdnding you to a restaurant." "We went to Lomondo's." said Charloy. "Tho dinner was stylish enough, but nothing hotter than you could havo given us at homo." "And. Charley," added Clara, softly, "the next time you invite n friend to dlno with you, you may bo certain tbut my wolcomo will be roidy." "That's my own dear llttlo Clara." said Charloy. An.d tho hearty satisfaction satisfac-tion in IiIh Iiicu was a' reward for any sacriiico sho might be called upon to make. "A follow likes to feel, you know, when ho meets nn old chum, that lio has n home to ask him to, nnd a wifo that will mcethlin with nsinilo." "But I am sorry about Mr. Fen-wick?" Fen-wick?" "Never mind. He will bo In town again ono of theso days, and thou we'll show him what a home-made dluuer Is eh. Clara?" And Clara's smllo answered him. Sho had hor lesson. She was not ' likely to forgot h. Evening World. |
