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Show Wztf) f'V OY A. COMAN DOYLt- JNTEftNAriOML A?i jJ AbSOCIRTION. 1'IIAIIT.U II.-(Cotim sol. "It wants to set st Kllsa." suld the youth. In a confidential whisper. "Master "Mas-ter says she would give him more'll be brought." He sinllci, sfTnl.ly at the two little SUIT black tlsurss. and depsrtt-d In search of bis mistress. "What what did he say?" gasped Ilertha. "Something shout a th. goodness grscloiis! Mill, help. help, help, hell) help!" The two sisters hud taiunded on to the settee, and stis,d there with staring star-ing eyes and skirts gathered In, while they filled the whole house with their yells. Out of a blsh wicker work hasket which stood by the nre there had risen a flat, dlamond-shaiied head with wicked green eyes which came flickering flicker-ing upwards, waving gently from side to side, until a foot or more of glossy, scaly neck was vlsitde. Slowly the vicious vi-cious head came floating up. while at every oscillation a fresh burst if shrieks came from the settee. "What In the name of mleelilei: cried a voice, nnd there was the mistress mis-tress of the house standing In the doorway. door-way. Iter gase at first had merely taken tak-en In the fact that two strangers were standing creaming usn her red plush sofa. A glance at the fireplace, however, how-ever, showed her the cause of the terror, ter-ror, anil she burst Into a hearty fit of laiiKhter. "Charley," she shouted, "here's Kllsa misbehaving aaaln." "I ll s-ttle her,' answered a masculine voice, and the young mall dashed Into the room. He had a brown horse-cloth In his hand, which lie threw over the basket, making It fast with a piece of twine so ss to effectually Imprison Its Inhale, while his aunt ran across to reassure re-assure her visitors. "It Is only a ris k snake," she cs-bilned. cs-bilned. "Oh. Ilertha!" "th. Monica!" gasped the poor exhausted gentlewomen. "Khi-'l hatching out some eggs. That Is why we have lbs fire. Kllsa always does better when shs Is warm. Hhe Is a sweet, gentle creature, but no doubt she thought that you had designs upon her eags. I suppose that you did not touch any of them?" "Oh, let us get away, Derthal" cried Monica, with her thin, black-gloved hands thrown forward In abhorrence. "Not away, but Into the next room." ssld Mrs. Westmacott, with til air of on whose word was law. "This way, If you please! It Is less warm here." Hhs led the way Into a very handsomely appointed ap-pointed library, with three great eases of books, and upon tin fourth side a long, yellow table littered over with papers and ss-lentlllc Instruments. "Hit here, nd you there," shs continued. "Thst Is right. Now let me see, which of you Is Miss Williams and which Miss Ilertha Williams?" "I am Miss Williams." said Monica, still palpitating, and glancing furtively furtive-ly alHiut In dread of some new horror. "And you live, as I understand, over at the pretty little cottage. It Is very nice of you to call so early. I don't suppose sup-pose that w. shall get on. hut still the Intention Is equally g 1." Shs crossed her leics and lenned her back against the marble msntelrilece. "We thought that perhaps we might he of some ssslstnnce." said Ilertha, timidly. "If there Is anything which we could do to mske you fi-el mure st home" "Oh. thank you, I sm too old a traveler trav-eler to feel anything but at home where-ver where-ver I go. I've Just come hack front a few months In the Marquesas Islands, where 1 had a very pleasant visit. That was where 1 got Kllxa. In many rcaiM-cta the Marquesas Islands now lead the world." "Dear me!" ejaculated Miss Williams "In whst resiM-etT" "In the relation of the sexes. They have worked out the great problem upon their own lines, and their Iso-Isted Iso-Isted geographical position has helped them to come to a conclusion of their own. The woman there Is, as she should be, lu every way lb absolute equal of ll. male. (Tome In. ('buries, and sit do w.i. Is Kllsa all right?" "All right, aunt." "These sre our nelghlKirs. the Misses Williams. Perhaps they will have some stout. You mtKhl bilng in a couple of bottles, Charles." "No, no, thank you! None for us!" cried her two visitors, earnestly. "No? I am sorry that I have no tea to offer you. I look ution the subserviency subservi-ency of woman ss largely iiile to her abandoning nutritious drinks and Invigorating Invig-orating exercises to the male. 1 do neither." She picked up a pair of flf-teen-Hund dumh-tH-lla from beside the fireplace and swung them lightly about her head. "You see what may be done on stout," said she. "Hut don't you think." the elder Miss Williams siiKSested timidly, "don't you think, Mrs. Westmacott, Hint woman has a mission of her own?" The holy of the house dropped her dumb-hells with a crash upon the floor. "The old cant!" she cried. "The old shibboleth! What Is this mission which is reserved for woman? All that Is humble, hum-ble, that la mean, that Is soul-kllllna. that Is so contemptible alel so III. paid that none other will touch II. All that Is woman's mission. And who Imposed these limitations upon her? Who cooped her up within this narrow sphere? Was It Providence? Was it nature? No. It wus the arch enemy. "Oh. I say. suntu-i" drawled her nephew. "It was num. (-Inirh-s II was you end your fellows. I say Hint woman Is a colossal nioliiinient to the st-lllsh-Aess of man. What Is nil thlr ooasted chivalry Isese In,. wor1s and vague J phrases? hcii , wi.n v., wish to put It to th tet? .Man In the abstract j will do anrllill'-'U. help a Woman, of course. Ilw .lias t work when his p-a-ket Is touch ? where Is his chivalry chiv-alry then? Will U. dm tors help her to qualify? will l' lawyers help her to be cnlled tht,;,r? will Hie clergy tolerate her In u church? Oh. It Is close your mtiHiton and refer !"r woman to cr nin' n,.r mission: To h thnnkfiil br coppers and not to Interfere w Its tlm. n while they grabble grab-ble for gold. ffV'nnne round a trough, that Is man's r .tang of the mission of women. Yes n m it there and sneer. Charles, whllr aiook upon your victim, vic-tim, but yes ksta- ihsl It la truth, every word of It " Terrified SI the) acre by this sudden torrent of words. Oo- two gentlewomen could not but souk at the sight of the llery. domlnerrtui victim and the big apologetic repn-stiitlve of mankind who sat meekly tHiing all the sins of his sex. The lony struck a match. whlped a clsarsa, from a case upon the mantelpiece, sid began to draw the smoke Into her line. "I find It very mothlng when my nerves are st al ruined," she ex-plained. ex-plained. "Ynu Out smoke? Ah. you miss one of the ret of pleasures without a reaetloa" Mlss Williams anoothrd nut her silken lap. "It Is a plessiin," she 'said, with some reproach to SHf. assertion, "which Ilertha and I sn-aither too old-fashioned to enjoy."1 "No doubt. It mold probably niake you very III It attempted It. Ity the way, I hope tku you will come to some of our (lullil rit'-ethiKa. 1 shall see that tickets annul you." "Your flulld?" "It Is not yet forarO. but I shall lose no time In formlurt committee. It Is my habit to csliiMah a brum h of lh Emancipation tlulll wherever I go. There la a Mrs. Hu..-ron In Anerley who Is already un--g (he emancipated, so that 1 have s nirleus. It Is only by organised resistant Miss Williams, that we can hope in bold our own asalnst ths selllsh s-i. Must you go, then?" "Yes. we have oninr two other visits to pay." said the ader sister. "You will, I am sure. cx e us. I hops that you will And Norwssl s plessant residence." resi-dence." "All plnres ars tone simply a battle, field." she answer., gripping first one and then -sfhs-r srtth a grip whl-di crumpled up IS4s-tittle thin tinners. "Tin days for wu-k itid healthful exercise, exer-cise, the evenings to Hrownlng and high discourse, all. Chsrles? llood-bye!" llood-bye!" Hhe came the door with them, and ss they gismed hack they saw her still standing there with ths yellow bull pup cuddled up sutler one forsarm, and the thin blue reek ttt her cigarette ascending as-cending from her Ips. "Oh. whst a dreaaful, dreadful woman!" wom-an!" whlsiiered sister Ilertha, as they hurried down tht aueet. "Thsnk goodness good-ness that It la over." "Hut she'll return the visit." answered an-swered the ulher. 1 think thst we hsd better tell Mary tksl we are not at horns." CIIAI'Tbll in. nWKI.I.RIIS IX TSK WH.llKilXKSS, OW HKKPI.Y A III-. 0 jCJi ""' '""nles Inllu-1 Inllu-1 ( V ' ' t" ncei by the most . V-Zt trilling causes I '.'' u' unknown V-, ,s ' builder who erer:- i S l 'iV ""d sud owned these V V iCi.' ""w vl11"" '""-y '""-y , - ; '""ted himself by -.Vt.'N '; ? simply building .' f ' "eh within Its own f ' grounds. It Is prob- I Sf able that these three small grsi of people would have remained hsnlly conscious of each other's existence, Had that there would have lieen no oppvt unity for that sc. Hon and rcn.il. auk h Is here set forth Hut thris.s.is common link to bind them toeciser. To single himself him-self out from all other Norwood builders build-ers the landlord had devised snd laid out a common Insii tennis ground. Which stretched behind the houses with taut-stretched net. kreen cloe-cropH-d sward, and wm.-fH..H(l whitewashed lines. Hither In siivh of that hard exercise which Is ss necessary ss sir or fiKid to the Pntilah temjiersmrnt. came young Hay lianver when released from the toll of the city; hither, too. came Dr. Walker snd his two fair daughters. (Mats and Ida, and hither also, champions of the lawn, came the short-skirted, musi-slar widow snd her sthlotlo nephew. Kre the summer was gone they knew sacs other In this quiet nook as they mixht riot have done after years of a sttffer sad more formal acquaintance. ac-quaintance. And eapeelullr to the admiral and the dia?tor were this closer Intlmscy snd companionable of value. Kach had a void In tits life, as every man must hsv who with unexhsusied strength steps out of the great race, but each by his society n,ltti I help to All up that of his nelihtxtr. It Is true thst they had not much Is common, but thst Is sometimes an n!4 rather than a bar to friendship. Kae ),sd been an enthusiast en-thusiast In his proh.,Hpiri, and tiad retained re-tained all his liiler-st p it. The doctor still read from cover to cover his Lancet Lan-cet and Ids Medical Journal, attended all professional gathering, worked himself Into an alternate slate of exaltation exal-tation and depir-'ston over the results of the election .it ora. ers, and reserved for himself a ihn of hi own. In which before rows of III tie round hollies full of Klycerlue, Csiisilun balsam, and staining agents, bt still cut sections with a microtome, and is-cta-d ihmiiKh his long, brass 'old fashioned microscope micro-scope at the senna of nature. With his tvi l. nl fa. a. le ,n shaven en hp mid chin, with s firm mouHi. a stronr law. a steady cy. and two little while llulfs of whlakets, he could never be taken Tor anything tint what he was. s '4.. Mfftn''" prltl-h m"1l-(,l rnnuTtnt ! ! nt the no ,f fifty, or porlut p Juit ft 1 yritr rr two nl.t. r. Th dot tnr. In IM li.y-.Uv. tun. br-n cooj over ttr-'Ht thinn. ,ui now. in Mi fUri-nit-nt. lit wim funny over trllld. Th rutin who Imil o..rntn without ll-e qiiIvim ff n ntiftcr, when not only hti pHtlcnt n no init Met own rM'"tl"n nnd future wro at tkf. nn now Mm km to (ho nou, hy n mlnUM honk or a cun-h-nii mnM, )i ivniHrkfcl It hlm--lf, nml knrw the n-nnon. "Wlirn .Mat y w llv' he won... wny, "nhe moot I between me nn-1 the little tniihlcn. I roiihl hrnre mvnelf for the Mrf nn.-. Mv irlrln nre hh Rood fin ulrln onn he. hut who run Kn.-w ft limn us hH Wife known Mm?" Tin n hn memory wouni conjure up r tuft of drown hlr anl n Plnnrle white, thin bnm over ft cover-h-t. nnd he would fe.t. tin w hnve fill felt. tht if we do not live nnd know eitrh other lifter ihiith. then Indeed w nre trlik.it nnd hetmyed hy nil the hlKhent hot"' und PuhtleMt Intuition! (if The dot-tor hnd hln eompennnllnn to innke up for Me- lone, The Brent urn leu of fnte dnd heen held on ft level for him: for where In nil nrut Iondon could one Mud two pweeter ulrlr. mora loving, more IntHllBpnt. nnd more ym-Miiheth- thiiu t'lnrw nnd Hit Wnlker? Ho htlnht were they, no quirk. o Inter, erst, -tl in all whlrh Intereeted him. thnt If It were ivtenlhle for a mnn to Iw com-penmited com-penmited for the ton of n Rood wtf then liiklthmutr Wnlker mlKht rlnlm to be no. Clarft wtiB lull and thin and aupple, with graceful, wnmnnly flKure. Thera wan aomethtiiB atately and dlatln KUlnhed In her rarrlaKe, "queenly" hT frlendu rolled her. while her crll.pa da-acrtleed da-acrtleed her aa reaerved and dlmant, Huch an It wan, however. It waa part and parrel of heraelf, for aha waa, and had ahvnya from her childhood been different from any one around hrr. Three waa nothing greRarloua In her n.itme. Hha thoiiicht with her own mind, anw with her own eyea, acted from her own Impulne. Iler far waa pale, nirlkln rather than pretty, but with two a nut ilmk evea. ao earneatly quetttlonlna:, ao quick In their transition, transi-tion, from Joy to pnthoa. ao awlft In their comment uxm every word and deed around her, thnt thoee eyra alone to ninny more attrartlva than nil the heiuny of her younaer Pinter. IItp waa ft atronic. Millet pool, and It waa hr firm hand which had Inken over the duties of her mother, hnd ordered thn holme, rentrnlhed the aerviintp. comfort-ed comfort-ed her fni her. and upheld her weaker pleter, from the dny of that nrrut inln-fortune. inln-fortune. Mil Wnlker waa a hand a breadth amnller thnn tMara, but wna a Utile fuller In the fur and plumper In the ntrurf. Hha hnd Unlit yellow hnlr. mle-rhlevoua mle-rhlevoua blue eyen with the llKht of humor ever twinkling In their depth, and ft larKe. perfectly formed mouth, with that allifht upward curve of the cornera which B'a with a keen appreciation appre-ciation of fun, auKafftlna: even In re-pona re-pona thnt a Intent nmlle la ever lurklnff at the edirea of the Hi. Hhe wna modern mod-ern to the pole of her dalntv little hlich-heeled phoea, frankly fond of drena a lid ut ijlctiaurv. alwuted to inmtm mmd to comic opera, delimited with a dnnuit, whlrh came her way only too seldom, IoiibImb ever for aoina new excitement, and yet behind all thla llffhtr-r aide of her character ft thorouxhly Rood, healthy minded Knsllih alrl. the Ufa and aoul of the houne, and th Idol of her aluter and her father. A peep Into the remaining villa and our Introduc-tlotia Introduc-tlotia ar complete. |