411
WEST SHORE.
suit him till ho gets another, and I won't marry him
cither, unless he axles me to! " with a glance at Rill.
" I won't promiHe not tor ask ye," paid Bill, fer
there's no accountin' for what a man'll do, 'ith a pretty
woman a turnin' of his head."
" Dam it, ye old IUueheard ! Are ye a courtin' of
mv wife afore my eyes? " asked Mr. Durkee, in a pet.
" What have I done Priscilla, that ye should use me
like this? " plaintively.
" I hate to see a man make a llunky of himself,"
retorted Priscilla.
"Who's mado a llunky of himself?" asked Mr.
Durkee, evidently much discomfited by her withering
disdain. "Ain't I done everythin' I could for ye, Pris
cilla? Don't I dress ye in the best o' style? Look at
that hat." appealing to Hill. " Don't I do most o' the " Oh, I ain't afraid! Not a bit! But Mirandy'g
washin', an ain't I allers a pamperin' of ye? And so quick, ye know. I didn't know but what-er-
tu, nuumn w mil, iiun a mu n vu uu, in n, arif r p raps
I get ye out of a mess?" Mr. DuWs red face wore MVe'd better get along toward home," said Pris-
Priscilla tore away the envelope and read:
I've seen Lawyer Smith and he tells me he will take ctnnf
the case. He says he'll sue you for $10,000. If you want t
settle send to klm"
" There's a bit o' fight to her," said Bill, wiping hij
forehead. " P'raps I was a little quick about it "
Priscilla was examining him with a peculiar ex
pression. From experience Mr. Durkee understood
what that expression meant. His own fat face took
on a rather queer look as he eyed his friend, and said:
" You ain't jest what one might call spunky."
Bill looked up and trembled at what he saw.
" I hate a coward! " Priscilla exclaimed.
Mr. Durkee coughed a disagreeable cough that
iorceu Din to explain:
a look of iniured diirnitv
j n j
" There goes Miranda I You go along with her V
save me the trouble o' gettin' a divorce," persisted Pris
cilla, with cutting severity.
" Here's a pretty go!" exclaimed Mr. Durkee, in
jM'tulant despair, thrusting his hands into his pockets,
and, despite the inllained condition of his neck, drop
pins his head.
Bill stole a glance through the window. Miranda
was actually going out into tho road, looking neither
right nor left. Bill's spirits rose with each step that
carried her away. When she was fairly out of sight he
turned to Mr. Durkee, blusteringly, "I don't know as
you got mo out o' no mens! " then smiled to Priscilla
a though to her tho credit was due.
" Didn't I bring Priscilla over?" looking appeal
lngly at his wife.
" Ye fold mo ye was up for their capers 'n' knew
how ter manage um."
" What's that? " Priscilla inquired, with a satirical
laugh.
" I meant um all but you?" exclaimed the miser
able Durkee. " 1 did, Priscilla, honest Injun!"
" '.V ye said ye didn't go squiggliu' round, but
married sorter off hand," persisted Bill. "Made no
more account o' it than as if 'twas killin' a cat?"
. " VlI.ye lWR"n' t ", was ye?" exclaimed
Priscilla in a high rage.
" No, I swear I wa'n't, Priscilla!" earnestly. "I
wouldn tdo noseeh thing!" '
A thump at the door interrupted them Bill
turned pule and sank into a chair.
"Its Mirandy come back," he whisiered
Mr. Durkee tip-toed to the window and retried
It a a young feller."
" The West boy after Mirandy's trunk," said Bill
springing toward tho door.
I V"t liM.,k WM ,1.TiU,,, in tho w8n the boy
hand,. B,ll , eait, letter, with tho exclamation: 7
Here, you old Monnan!"
, "What's that, ye rascal?" exclaimed Bill, cafoh
mghmi by the arm. '
" b'nn alone, Munw.y Mjj the lH)y .,h
geriiur d.H,Hvt "When ye've read tnat lett " ye
won t have spunk enough for lick a K.y, even "
Bill's trembling legs carri.nl him back to the house
on read it," he said to Priscilla.
cilia.
"I guess we've made a mistake interferin' here!"
exclaimed Mr. Durkee, pulling himself out of his col
lar as much as possible. " We'd better go! "
" I'm glad I married a man! " said Priscilla, plac
ing her arm through her husband's.
" Thank 'ee, my love! " Mr. Durkee lifted his hat
gallantly, and they left the house.
" I hope ye ain't goin'?" said Bill. " If Mirandy
should come back"
" Drive along, Mr. Durkee," said Priscilla, coldly,
"Good day, Willum!" said Mr. Durkee, with i
satirical smile. "I hope when next we meet ye'll feel
spryer," and away they rode, while Bill, with conflict
ing emotions of sheepishness, rage and terror, went in
to the house and locked himself away from the world.
At eleven o'clock on the morning of the Pattern
Ooldthurst wedding, Alice and Marie entered the la
dies parlor of the Grand hotel in Boston. During
the journey from Linn, a tinge of sadness had often
blurred Marie's happy, hopeful dream of the future,
as she thought of Little John in his fruitless search
for her. Alice had dissipated this one alloy to her
companion's pleasure by declaring:
" Your little, old lover will see you as often as he
wishes, soon. You will have our house in the city for
your place of rendezvous! "
As they had entered tho parlor Alice had said, with
her contagious sprightliness.
" Who would suspect that wo were runaways?"
Then Marie was givtn directions for her further guid
ance. " I must now leave you," said Alice, with her pret
ty air of patronizing solicitude, "and hurry hack to
my husband that is to be! My friend will call for
you, and as I have described you, you need feel no
alarni if you are scrutinized rather closely. And now
good bye, dear! I regret this parting even for so short
a time, for I have learned to love your vcrv depend
ance on me. It is a strange freak on my part," with
a caress, " for I'm not considered very demonstrative,
not even by Mr. Pattern."
, Marie's foolish little heart was thrilled with in
innocent exultation at the thought that she alone
knew of the impulsive affection hidden by the beauti
ful, haughty exterior.