Angela's Business

is head. In the intervals of intense plotting, he was tossing off short fictions; four such he had now tossed since the completion of "Bondwomen" had set him free. "Bondwomen" its

llcox's Monthly," with a mere printed form of refusal. This was the fiction about Dionysius, who, it may be remem

t for himself in the place where he left memoranda. It was brief, containing but a single word,-Bridge; and, coming on it unexpectedly, the author spoke but a single word, though a different one. No more than Mary

was settled and arranged. Still, it was admitted that from the young Home-Maker's point of view, it was all qui

to the bedroom and began to assume one of those g

d met the pretty cousin again on the promenade, at about the same time and place, and as she was out only for exercise, and had done her stint, she said, she very charmingly turned around with him. In no sense was it repellent to the authority thus to see, by pleasing signs, that the old-fashioned girl liked

Mary. He understood that Mary was to be at the bridge-party-indeed, he understood that the party was being given pr

t she had begun at once to talk of the unhappy Miss Trevenna, fairly bursting out as to the way she was being persecuted, and so forth. Miss Trevenna had "lost" two places already, it seemed. And Charles, seeing h

om was with him yet, as a

this to me," and right there had the trouble begun. "Aren't you crippling yourself needlessly?" he had amiably suggested. "Is it wise to feed the popular delusion that any sort of reformer is all sorts of an anarchist?" To which she replied, quite indignantly, "This isn't a question of reform at all with me!-if you must have it explained to you." And when he ask

rgument, that all this was chiefly a matter of her sympathies, and she no more believed in this sort of Freedom than he did. Hence his counter-argument ha

t because it's safer! I'll not.

r. Garrott held that word ungracious from Mary. And now, as he strode silently toward his evening of pleasure, he seemed to feel that t

question. While leaning from the first toward a manner of brilliant tolerance, slightly aloof, indeed, yet splendidly witty, he reall

in Mary and Mr. Manford both backed out!

ise, the young man hardly

in a moment he was himself again, doing his deed of kind

rtain. The three-hand's party rather touched than repelled Charles; he criticized not Angela, but Mary Wing, who had stayed away. Moreover, the other guest turned out to be Fanny Wa

t never once occurred to Charles to th

id that. Of course, she had only come to help out, but still, one could not avoid observing how treacherous were her bids, or crying out upon her when she was discovered slumbering with the three highest hearts. A great deal of jumping up and changing seats

o bring on her refreshments; and when Angela rose soon after ten o'clock and tripped away alone to get "the party," as she called it, the author's whole opinion of her went up at a bound. He had known w

t crackle, the candy cheap, the ice-water warm; but, in a subtle sort of way, all this made him feel not less, but more, friendly toward his simple young hostess. Not knowing that she could not make mayonnaise, or suspecting that her little brother had reluctantly stood treat to the candy, his fancy pictured the girl as preparing the modest spread for her (two) friends with her own hands and thought, her heart full of pleasant anticipations the while. And

ready her tray, Charles engaged in a scientific talk with

ple from the first, assuming the worst of all forms, unceasing doctor's bills. Fanny, beyond any counting, had had long illnesses following the births of both her children; and the expenses of the first one had swamped Warder, wiping out at once the rainy-day margin he had married

saying that she wanted to go back to work; her husband, however, would

h," said Fanny, "and get a p

ted out the injustice of orphaning Paulie and Neddy-Weddy of their mother-love. Fanny's own mind

find indefinitely entertaining. He discovers instead that he's got an ailing woman on his hands, one with no spi

ts his head above water again. And that's my doing, Charles,-

ink that way! Look how you have helped him! If your health went, you gave it to him-let him hol

roke this argument

or everything-not his at all. You know all that perfectly well. No, no," said Fanny, lowering her voice as Angela's returning steps were heard. "If Harold ever

eresting talk, but he was frustrated in that intention by the arrival of

o. Had Angela understood this in advance, how willingly would she have raised Three-Hand to a Table! But at least she could do her best now to remove from Mr. Tilletts's mind the idea that she was rude,-der

on a chorus

hat-rack and the Studio. And in turning, he surprised a look in his hostess's dark eye

Charles had not been annoyed by this: few men repel the adoration of a pretty girl. And now this soft simple expectancy of hers, this girlish lingering over her somewhat pathetic party, seemed beyond his kind heart (as he would have put it

ll right now-?" he threw out, gallant and yet thrift

enough in itself, but having an institutional significance when considered as the Waiting Room of the Womanly Woman. Here th

nimated flow of

ll as he could build them, and was afraid he'd be mobbed at a party! I don't think he could play any worse than Fanny, do you? But Mr. Garrott, why does he want to go to Wyoming? I'd lots rather go to Ne

clear Miss Angela's skin was, what shining soft eyes she had, how soothing and sweet was her voice. Certainly this gir

as always the most generous boy. They were getting up a drinking-fountain as a memorial to Major Beesom-he was postmaster for years and years, you know-and Tommy headed the list with twenty-five dollars, and he wa

ently, laughing and whiskin

looking at

tt, starting a little. "A

pretenses, held up her modest gimcrack for him to see.

is sides insisted that, at this point, he had no interest in the matter whatever; some held that he had not

is news to m

he owner of the ring. "

agement ring once

ut-does it have to fol

the rule,

seem at a

ery cu

m not, of

ad to h

move to release the small hand at this po

ou?...

like me to see all the nice young people going off

ed very still. And Charles was at once aware that he had been found somehow deficient at the simple ga

operly the possession of a man in Mitchellton-Charles recalled Mr. Jenney-and was

o he said he would stay in Mitchellton with his mother. And it's truly the most hopeless place! He doesn

he owns that pret

break it off,-well, he wouldn't let it stay off exactly! I-I'm tellin

had enough ambi

han he how to talk to a girl on a sofa, Charles carelessly took up that b

d wear it-oh, just till I met somebody I li

't met such a pers

o send it bac

ous of the supreme inanity of the proceedings, and finding them

ll.... Do you know you

I seem so st

d bright; they were woman's eyes. "Consider me," they seemed to say. "Am I not sweet, desirabl

you're the new sort of man, that isn't interested in girls at

hat the stupidest t

m! I'm so glad. I've

ping pressure, softer than nothing, yet extraordinary. Or possibly the trouble was that

u like? Tell me?" said th

ange Occurrence referred to. Without the smallest premeditation, C

gling or evasion here. Charles Garrott, who scorned La Femme and viewed Woman exclusi

in a sense purely conventional, move in the ancient parlor-game. But on such a move as this homes have been broken, families set to mutual slaughte

the lady (who had not proved more tha

hy do you

HY DO YOU

he first gentleman on earth to fail to utter promptly the one satisfactory commentary on his behavior. Mi

e-why d

e force of iteration, no doubt; but all at once the soft voice seemed possessed of a certain insistence, tinctured

rose abruptly and strode away to the mantelpiece, where, howe

, unluckily, was not quite so simple as that. The pretty Home-Maker, having gazed

and you at all. Wh

es Garrott braced himself to reply. In this effort he was handicapped by emotions altogether unknown to mos

it was clear that the whole of him, the net Charles, must cut a sorry figure for a while. Half of him might be crying out, stern as science itself: "Come, girl, be honest!

-it seemed such an awfully natural thing to do. Y

aid the gi

ery kissable perso

about kissing people y

r direction, he did not note that she had spoken with a qui

I don't often meet people who-w

ought to fe

a miserabl

irl's stricken voice. "I-I trusted you. I sup

him to the quick. He spoke

er-aren't you taking this too-too

him by bursti

nsure himself most severely for this Occurrence. He wheedled, he implored, he cajoled. But, of course, all this but made the matter worse, threw his wary, inexcusable omissions into sharper and sharper relief. And pr

een devised by the wit of fiction-writers. Charles gathered up his h