The St. Louis Republic. [volume], August 20, 1905, SUNDAY MAGAZINE, Page 9, Image 49

About The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO

                
SUNDAY MAGAZINE frr AUGUST St. lttS
REGAINING A KINGDOM
IT has conic to this."
said I, and I flung
a -tuliiv-l.nl!) over
the wall in my excite
ment, "that we don't
amount to a row of
pins in our own house!
-Oh. hush, they'll
hear you!" said Delice.
looking liehind her ap
prehensively. "1 know
it amounts to oppres
sion, hut what can we
do?"
"Do?" said L "Do
them: they have done
us long enough! You
and 1 presumably mar
ried and went to house
keeping for our own
comfort and hapfrincss.
and with that end in
view we surrounded
ourselves vith all the
things we liked; and
just look at the state
things are in now!
Where is our automo
bile? John and Elinor
have gone over to the
Country Club in it. -
What is the matter
with our playing ten
nis? David and Jeannette are on the court morn
ing, noun and night. Why can't we enjoy our
selves (ea-eably in the house? Burgess and Laura
ate gracefully draped all over it. And you and I
have to sneak out into the back garden like' a
couple, of convicts for fear of blighting some
budding romance."
"Bit they are your sisters, dear," said Delice.
gently soothing the back of my head, which she
claims is the scat of my temjer, withl her sun
burns little hand "they are your sisters, and
it is so so desirable that they should marry and
be as happy as we arc!"
"As we would lie if we ever got the chance!"
said I savagely, and I sent two hyacinths flying
after the tulip. "I tell you. Delice. it has git to
stop! Those six people have been in ossession
long enough; and Httle Willie is aliout to liecome
strenuous and make a change.
Domestic Rulerslrfp, That Was Sometime
Abdicated Resumed Through Stratagem
By CATHARINE MATHEWS
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two monsters like our
selves. At this I am sure that
the heart of Del ice
turned to the consist
ency of pulp within
her. and that she would
willingly have changed
places with them and
patiently jcrchcd upon
the wall while I grov
eled in the dust. An
ticipating some such
otTcr on her part. 1
started off toward homo
at a pretty good speed,
and her expressions of
solicitous regret were
liorne back to them by
the wind.
I am fully aware that
I must be appearing ia
rather a poor light,
and am almost growing
sensitive about con
fessing that my mach
inations were getting
to lie of the continuous
ierformanee order: but
my odd moments dur
ing this entire week
were occupied to the
fullest ia making my
self agreeable to Bur
gess and Laura. At
all such times as I
was not playing tennis
with David and Jean
nette. or making away
from John and Elinor
ia the automobile. I
was endeavoring to en
ter into and share the
pleasures of Burgess and
Laura ia a manner
that was so attentive
and whole-souled that
their lives were rea
ing they borrowed my golf dubs and set off, rather dered miserable ia consequence,
huffily, for the links, and the court that had known "O Love, for you the skies are blue!" sang
them knew them no more. " ' Laura in her beautiful contralto voice, of which
Xor were my afternoons idle. After assiduous we are all so nroud.
Delice has not that entire confidence in me playing tennis every morning, I took occasion to "Exactly so," said I to myself in the hall with-
which we are duly instructed is so desirable in announce each day at luncheon that Delice and I out; "but why not also have them a little bit blue'
the -matrimonial estate, or she would not have would lie needing "the automoliflc in the afternoon, on Delicc's account and mine?"
put up the petition of "Oh. Billy, don't lie rude to The first day 1 felt distinctly uncomfortable, and With this reflection. I pushed open the draw-
them!" in the heartfelt accents that she did. my tone had the deferential inflection of one who ing-room door and went boldly in. Burgess
I was not rude. Delice need not have feared, seeks a favor from the iiowers that be. lohn's was leanine with lioth arms oa the piano and
manner, however, put me entirely at my vase. aparently sighing his heart out to his lady as I
"Why, certainly, old man." he said with easy entered,
kindness. "Xell and I can hire one from Murphy's I sat down peacefully upon a puffy satin sofa
for the afternoon." and remarked that the song was admirably adapted
I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from to Laura's voice, and that 1 loved to hear her
thanking him for the loan of my own machine. The sing, neither of which statements, though lioth
Laura left off
I decided to adopt instead a course more effectual
than the most flagrant rudeness. I would simply
grow completely unobservant of the tender exac
tions, the shrinking, yet enormous, requirements of
budding love.
I was not. perhaps so cntirclv callous as it
seemed to my interest to appear.
qualm
on three
plav a few sets of doubles Jeannette and I against vanishing point.
David and Delice. An almost irresistible impulse He and Elinor did not hire a machine that aftcr
to take to my heels when I perceived the injured noon. I afterward learned, but mooned disconso
resignation of their faces was conquered only by lately around the place instead, and when I men
noticing that Delice was standing at the extreme tioned the next day that Delice and I were prcpar
edge of the court, like some winged figure tiptoe ing for another spin their annoyance was really
for llight. ami with an expression of abject ajiology visible so much so that Delice was almost reduced
It gave mc a six of them had so ground Delice and me under the were true, appeared to be plcasine.
or two to boldly approach the tennis-court hod of their oppression that our sense of our own singing and took to running her fingers up and
e consecutive mornings and suggest that we rights and privileges had dwindled almost to the down the keys in long screaky scales; then she said
the room was awfully not and she was going out.
Burgess treated me to something that had a strong
family likeness to a scowl, and followed her. Now.
solitude, as a usual thing, is dear to my soul; but
on this occasion I found the room hot too, and as
I am not fond of sitting ujion satin sofas 1 went out
after them.
I found them in a retired corner of the conserva
tory, and with a view to interesting them called
their attention to some rare African cacti I had
got lately. Had the plants lieen anything else
than cacti, they would have shriveled to the root
licneath the glance I.aura cast at them. She
muttered something which sounded like " Perse
cution!" ami swept out in so stately a manner that
the tail of her gown knocked over three geranium
slqw and an azalea as she went: and Delice. who
apKin.ntly had had her susiik-ions of me. came in
and lectured me until I came within an ae of
giving tip my struggle for the home which I felt
should lie my kingdom.
As I mentioned a few minutes ago, I was In-ginning
to lc a little bit ashamed of myself anyway,
ami with Ik-!ice encouraging me to consider myself
a vn-tch I can't help acknowledging that I might
h ive become weak enough to abandon a course
upon her face.
I realized from her attitude that nothing but the
most dogged resolution on my part would save
the day. and I played on and on and on. in no
way discouraged by the limp aid vouchsafed me
by leannotte.
Rallies mi languid, serves so feeble, and play in
general so thoroughly uninterested, it has rarely
lieen my lot to endure in a game of tennis. As
for David, he on his part apjieared to have lieen
lercft suddenly of the power to move with even
moderate rapidity. It was indeed ierple.ing to
see two such splendid players .-:s those two usually
were degenerate so suddenly into such a pair of
duTers Delice (let us pause to lay a laurel leaf
ujxmi the enetration of the female sen) appeared
to tears, and liesought me to let them have the
automobile. She said she was getting perfectly
mineral Je aliout the way I was liehaving. and she
didn't know what they would think.
Hut I wanted them to do some thinking, so I
remained serene.
The third d.iy John went down to Mmphy's
and hired a machine. I presume it was the Inst
they had to offer, but it must have seemed odd after
my lieauty. We passed them going over, and the
thing was apparently proceeding by jerks and
gisps. with a weird asthmatic wheeze and a mou
alKiminable smell. They did not show up at the
Country Club at all. and when we came ba k. along
al -out dark, we came upon them at the foot of Dyck-
man s 1111. r.unvir sitting on the stone wall, ami
to fully understand their Whavior. and though she John, like a worm in the dust, investigating the
could not but sec that I was acting for the 1-est. vital parts of his machine from underneath.
she said I was a wretch. We offered to take Elinor in with us or to send
I was. Fur four mornings I devoted my entire a tow out for them: but they refused, and their tint really was not proving entirely agreeable to
time and the greater part of Delicc's to making tones gave us to understand th-it although they a person whose whole previous training had tended
things soci.thlc for my eldest sister and her pros- were somewhat reduced in circumstances thev to a jioHte consideration for those aliout him. But
pective fianc. with the result that the fifth morn- were not yet fallen so low as to associate trith just at this moment of wavering 1 had soma