Newspaper Page Text
Younger Set By ROBERT W. CHAMBERS, Author of "THE FIQHTING CHANCE," Etc. Copyrighted, SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTERS. Mnntln. CaDtaln Selwyn. formerly of the army. Is welcomed home by bis sister. Nina Gerard, her wealthy husband Austin, and their numerous en u ren. Eileen Erroll. ward of Nina and Austin. Is part of their household. Sclwln has been I I . . II. .... 1. 1 a Till rt liV II I S wife, Allxe. who Is now the wife of .lock Kuthven, with whom she ran .away from Sclwyn. II Eileen, who is very fond of her brother. Gerald, despite the young man s neslectof her. makes friends with jelwsn. III-Gcrald Is worried about youne Erroll s mlnellne In the fast set. Gerald Is employ ed by Julius Neereard, a reale state operator Inalarscway. Helwyn promises Knee". "v will look after her T-rothcr. He tells her about Hoots Lanslnc, his army chum In Manila, who Is comlntr to New ork. In the park Eileen and Sclwyn ride past I Allxe. IV ."II . .1 ...... I , . 1. ....... .. .. n.nVinnril. toKist, and she has inherited some ot hi Scholarly qualities. Sclwyn helps Gerald W settle a gambllnc debt and determines to allien a uwvuaci, iuuiu nm mi ...... unaeriaKe nis irioriiiuiiun. Chapter 5 rR i HE prospect perplexed He was sullenly aware that in a town where the divorced must ever be reckoned with when dance and dinner lists are made out there la always some thoughtless host ess and sometimes a mischievous one, and the chances were that be and Mrs. Jack Ituthven would collide cither through the forgctfulncss or malice of somebody or through sheer hazard at some large affair where destiny and fate work busily together In criminal copartnership. Their encounter wus all a mistake, born of the haste of a heedless ami eld erly matron celebrated for managing to do the wrong thing, but who had been excessively nice to him thnt win ter and whose position in Mantmttnm was not to be assailed. "Dear Captain Sclwyn," she wheez ed over the telephone, "I'm short one man, and we dine at S and it's that now. Could you help me? it's the rich and yellow this time, but you won't mind, will you?" lie explained to Mrs. T. West Min ster his absurd delight at being asked. Then ho sent for a cab and sauntered into the dining room, where ho was re c'eivcd with undisguised hostility. "She's been civil to me," ho said; (''Jeunesso oblige, you know, and tint's "There'll be a lot cf icbu .antes t What do you want to c.u for, you crai robber?" protested Austin. "A lot ot j water bibbing, olive eating, talcum powdered debutantes" i Eileen straightened up .sillily, and i Sehvyn's teasing smile and his offered hand In adieu completed her Indigna tion. "Oh, goodby! No, 1 won't shake bauds. There's your cab now. 1 wish you'd take Austin too. Nina and 1 are tired of dining with the premature-1 ly aged." I "Indeed we are," said Mrs. Gerard, j "Go to your club. Austin, and give me , a chance to telephone to somebody un der the anaesthetic age." Sclwyn departed, laughing, but ho yawned In his cab all the way to Fifty-third street, where he entered in the wake of the usual laggards and, surrendering hat and coat in the cloak room, picked up the small, slim envel ope bearing his name. The card within disclosed the infor mation that ho was to take in Mrs. Somebody -or-ot her. He made his way through a great many people, found his hostess, backed off. stood on one leg for a moment like a reflective wa. trfowl, then found Mrs. Somobody-or-other and was absently good to her through a great deal of noise and some Spanish music, which seemed to squirt through a thicket of palms and bespat ter everybody. "Wonderful music," observed his dinner partner with singular original-1 ity; "so like 'Carmen.' " i "Boots! Here!" "Is it?" he replied and took her "Arrived from Manila Sunday. As away at a nod from Ills hostess, whose ' usual, ho introduced you as the sub daughter Dorothy leaned forward from ' ject and told me oh, dozens of things her partner's arm at the same mo ment and'whlspered: "I must speak to you, mamma. You can't put Captain Selwyn there because" But her mother was deaf and smil ingly sensitive about it, so she merely guessed what reply her child expected; "It's all settled, dear. Captain Selwyn arrived a moment ago." And sho clos ed the file. It waB already too late anyhow, and presently, turning to see who was seat ed on his left, Selwyn found himself gazing Into the calm, flushed face of Allxe Ruthven. It was their third en counter. They exchanged a dazed nod of rec ognition, a meaningless murmur, and turned again, apparently undisturbed, to their respective dinner parties. A great many curious eyes lingering on them shifted elsewhere in reluctant disappointment As for tho hostess, she bad for one Instant come as near to passing heav enward as sho could without doing it when sho discovered the situation. Then she accepted it with true humor. She could afford to. But, her daugh ters, Sheila and Dorothy, suffered acutely, being of this year's output and martyrs to responsibility. Meanwhile Selwyn, grimly aware of an, accident somowbero and perfectly conscious of tho feelings which must by this timo dominate bis hostess, was 1907, by Robert W. Chamber. 0( wondering how best to' avoid anything that might resemble a situation. Instead of two or three dozen small tables scattered among the palms of the winter garden their hostess had preferred to construct a great oval board around tho aquarium. The ar rangement made it a little easier for Selwyn and Mrs. Ruthven. He talked to his dinner partner until she began ,to respond In monosyllables, which closed each subject that he opened and wearied him as much as he was bor lng her. But Bradley Harmon, the man on her right, evidently had bet ter fortune, and presently Selwyn found himself with nobody to talk to. which came as near to embarrassing him as anything could and which so enraged his hostess that she struck his partner's name from her lists forever. People were already glancing at hlxn OBkance in sly amusement or cold curi osity. Then he did a thing which endeared him to Mrs. T. West .Minster and to her two disconsolate children. "Mrs. Kuthven," he said very nat urally and pleasantly, "I think perhaps we had better talk for a moment or two If you don't mind. My dinner partner is quite impossible, yon see, j and I happen to be here as a filler In I commanded to the presence only a few 1 minutes ago. It's a pardonable error. ' I bear no malice. But I'm sorry for yon." There was a silence. Allxe straight-1 ened her slim figure and turned, but young Innls, who had taken her in, had i become confidential with Mrs. Fane. ! As for Selwyn's partner, she probably ! divined his conversational designs on her, but she merely turned her bare ' shoulder a trifle more unmistakably and continued her gossip with Bradley Harmon. Allxe broke a tiny morsel from her bread, sensible of the tension. I "I suppose," she said as though re citing to some new acquaintance an amusing bit of gossip, "that wo are destined to this sort of thing occa sionally and had better got used to it." "I suppose so." "Please." she added after a pause, "aid me a little." "I will if I can. What am I to say?" "Have you nothing to say?" she ask ed, smiling. "It need not bo very civil, you know, as long as nobody hoars you." I To school his features for the decep- tlon of others, to school bis voice and manner una at the same time look smilingly Into the grave of his youth and hope, called for the sort of self command foreign to Ills character. Glancing at him under her smoothly fitted m.iik of amiability, she slowly grew afraid of the situation, but not of her ability to sustain her own part. They exchanged a few meaningless phrases; then slic resolutely took young Innls away from Rosamund Kane, leaving Selwyn to count the bubbles in his wineglass. But In a few moments, whether by r.ccldent or deliberate design, Rosa mund interfered again, and Mrs. Ituth ven was confronted with the choice of a squabble for possession of young In nls, of conspicuous silence or of re suming once more with Selwyn, and she chose the last resort. "You are living In town?" she asked pleasantly. "Yes." "Of course; I forgot. I met a man last night who said you had entered tho firm of Neergard & Co." "I have. Who was the man?" "You can never guess. Captain Scl wyn." "I don't want to. Who was he?" "Please don't terminate so abruptly the few subjects wo have in reserve. We may be obliged to talk to each oth er for a number of minutes if Bosa raund doesn't let us alone. The man was Boots Lansing." about you. I suppose ho began Inquir ing for you before lie crossed the troopers' gangplank, nnd somebody sent him to Neergard & Co. Haven't you seen him?" "No." he said, staring at the bril liant fish, which glided along the crys tal tank, goggling their eyes at the lights. "You you are llviug with the Ge rards, I believe?" sho said carelessly. "For awhile." "Oh! Boots says that be Is expect ing to take an apartment with yon somewhere." "What! Has Boots resigned?" "So he says. He told mo that you had resigned. I did not understand "Do you suppose I could have re mained In the service?" ho demanded. His voice was dry and almost accent less. "Why not?" she returned, paling. "You may answer that question more pleasantly than I can." Sho usually avoided champa , but Bbe had to do something for ' rself now. As for bim, ho took whai xas offered without noticing what he and grew whiter and whiter. ButNv5 fixed glow gradually appeared nnd ro malued on Iter cheeks. Courage, impa tience, a sudden anger ut the forced conditions, steadied her nerves. "Will you please provo equal to tho how. That Is the wretched ci.plaua Hon of it nil." "And we could never have learned. That's the rest of tho answer. But the fault Is not there." "I know 'better to bear the Ills wo have.' " "Yes; more respectable to bear them. Let us drop this In decency's uaiuo, Allxe." After a silence she began: "One more thing. I must kuow It, andI am go ing to ask you If I may. Shall I?" He smiled cordially, and she laughed as though confiding a delightful bit of news to him. "Do you regard me as sufficiently important to dislike me?" "I do not dislike you." "Is it stronger than dislike, Phil?" "Y-es." "Contempt?" "No." "What Is it?" "It is that I have not yet become reconciled." "To my folly?" "To mine." . She strove to laugh lightly and, fall ing, raised her glass to her Hps again. "Now you know," he said, pitching his tones still lower. "I am glad, after all, that we have bad this plain under standing. I have never felt unkindly toward you. I can't What you did I might have prevented had I known enough, but I cannot help it now, nor can you If you would." "If I would," she repeated gayly, for the people opposite were staring. "We are done for," he said, nodding carelessly to a servant to refill his glass, "and I abide by conditions be cause I chose to, not," he added con temptuously, "because a complacent law has tethered you to to the thing that has crawled up on your knees to have Its ears rubbed." The level Insult to her husband stun-, ned her. She sat there, upright, the white smile stamped on her stiffened lips, fingers tightening about the stem of her wineglass. He began to toss bread crumbs to the scarlet fish, laughing to himself in ' an ugly way. "Why. Allxe, only look 1 at him! Look at his gold wristlets; lis ten to his simper, his lisp. Little girl oh, little girl, what have you done to yourself, for you have done nothing to me, child, that can match it In sheer atrocity?" Her color was long in returning. "Philip." she said unsteadily, "I don't think I can stand this" "Yes, you can." "I am ton close to the wall. I" "Talk to Scott Innls. Take him away from Rosamund Fane; that will tide you over. Or feed those fool fish; like this! Look how they rush and flap nnd spatter! That's amusing. Isn't it for people with tho Intellects of canaries? Will you please try to say something? Mrs. T. West Is ex hibiting the restless symptoms of a hen turkey at sundown, and we'll all go to roost in another minute. Don't shiver that way!" "I c-ean't control it. I will In n mo ment, (live me a chance. Talk to me, Phil." "Certainly. The season lias been un usually gay and the opera most stupid ly brilliant. Stocks continue to fluctu ate. Another old woman was tossed and gored by a mad motor this morn ing. More time, Allxe? With pleasure. Mrs. Vcndcnning has bought a third rate castle In Wales. A man was found dead with n copy of tho Tribune In ills pocket, the verdict being in accordance with fact. The Panama canal" But It was over at last a flurry of sweeping skirts, ranks of black and white In escort to the passage of the fluttering silken procession. "Goodby." she sit id. "I am not stay ing for the dance." 'Goodby," he said pleasantly, "I wish you better fortune for tho future. I'm sorry I was rough." He was not staying either. A dull excitement possessed him. resembling suspense, as though he were awaiting a denouement, as though there was yet some crisis to come. After awhile he found himself in the ballroom. The younger set was arriving. He recognized several youthful people, friends of Eileen Erroll, and, taking situation?" she said under her breath, but with a charming smile. "Do you know you are scowling? These people hero nre ready to laugh, and I'd much prefer that they tear us to rags on sus picion of our overfrlendllness." "Who Is that fool woman who is monopolizing your partner?" "Itosamund Fane. She's doing it ou purpose. You must try to smile now and then." "My face Is stiff with grinning," be said, "hut I'll do what I can for you" "Please Include yourself too." "Oh, I can stand their opinions," he said. "I only meet tho yellow sort oc casionally. I don't herd with them." "I do, thank you." "How do you like them? What Is your opinion of tho yellow set? nere' they sit all about you tho Phoenix Mottlys, Mrs. Delmour-Carnes yonder, the Draymores, the Orchils, the Vcn dennlng lady, tho Lawns of West lawn" ho paused, then deliberately "and tho Jack Ruthvcns. I forgot i Allxe, that you are now perfectly 1 equipped to carry aloft tho golden hod." "Go on," she said, drawing a deep breath. She .forced n smllo and drew i her glass toward her. The straw tint ed wine slopped over and frothed on ' tho white skin of her arm. , "Well," sho breathed, "this ghastly ' dinner Is nearly ended." 1 lie nodded pleasantly. ; "And Phil?" n bit tremulous. ' "What?" "Was It all my fault I mean in tho beginning? I've wanted to ask you that o know your view of It. Was It?" . "No. It was mine most of it" "Not all not half. Wo did not know his bearings among these bright fresh I faces, amid this animated throng, con- stantly increased by the arrival of t others, ho started to find tho hostess. now lost to sight in the breezy circle of silk and lace setting in from the stairs. He heard names announced which meant nothing to him, which stirred no memory, names which sounded vaguely familiar, names which caused him to turn quftiny. but seldom were the faces as familiar as tho names. Ho said to a girl behind whose chair he was standing: "All tho younger brothers nnd sisters aro coming here to confound me. I hear a Miss Innls announced, but it turns out to be her younger sister" "By the way, do you know my name?" she asked. "No," he said frankly. "Do you know mine?" "Of course I do. I listened breath lessly when somebody presented you wholesale at your Bister's the other day. I'm Rosamund Fane. Yon might as well be Instructed because you're to take me in at tho Orchils' next Thursday night I believe." Looking up at a chlnless young man who bad halted near her, she said, "George, this Is Captain Selwyn." Glancing et Selwyn: "Hnve yon met my husband? Oh, of course!" They exchanged a commonplace or two; then other people separated them without resistance on their part. And Sclwyn found himself drifting, mildly Interested In the vapid exchange of civilities which cost nobody a mentnt effort His sister, he had once thought, was certainly the most delightfully youth ful matron in New York. But now he made an exception of Mrs. Fane. Rosa mund Fane was much younger must have been younger, for she still had something of that volatile freshness, that vague atmosphere of immaturity clinging to her like a perfume almost too delicate to detect, and under that the most profound capacity for mis chief he had over known of. Saunter ing amiably amid the glittering groups continually forming and disintegrating under the clustered lights, he finally, succeeded In' reaching his hostess. And Mrs. .T. West Minster dlsengag cjl herself from the throng with iuten tlon as he approached. No. And he was so sorry, and it was very amiable of his hostess to want him, but he was not remaining for the dance. So much for the hostess, who stood there massive and gem laden, her kind ly and painted features tinted now with genuine emotion. "Can you forgive a very much morti fied old lady who Is really and truly fond of you?" she said. He laughed, holding her fat, ringed hands In both of his with all the at tractive deference that axplained his populari ty. Itising excitement had sent the col or into - his face and cleared ills pleasant gray eyes, and ho look ed very young and handsome, ills broad shoulders bent a trill." before the enameled anil bejewclcd matron. "Forgive you?" be 'Tin Ijidj luthfir-, repeated, with a laugh tiiHjliljixd,'' the of protest. "On the n-Jhxtctl. contraiv. 1 thank you. Mrs. Ituthven is one of the most charming, women I know, If that is what you mean." Looking after him as he made his way toward the cloakroom, "The boy is thoroughbred," she reflected cynical ly, "ami the only amusement anybody can get out of It will be at my ex pense! lEo,sainund Is a perfect cat!" o He had sent for bis cab, which, no doubt, was In line somewhere, wedged among tho ranks of carriages stretch ing east nnd west along the snowy street, and he stood on the thick crim son carpet under the awning while It was being summoned. Tho Cornelius .Siiydams, emerging from the house, offered Selwyn tonueau room, but ho smilingly declined, having u mind for solitude and the Lenox club. A pha lanx of debutantes, opera bound, also left. Then tho tide set heavily tho other way, and there seem ed no end to tho line of arriving vehicles and guests until he heard a name prououneed. A policeman warn X5 ed back an np- C proachlng mo- f"' lur, anu ociwyu saw Mrs. Ruth ven, enveloped in white furs, Rtnn from tlm portal Sclwyn. sate Mrs. JiutU- She' saw him vmmvelopedtnfun. as ho moved back, nodded, passed di rectly to her brougham and set foot i on the step. Pausing here, sho looked about her right and left, then over her i shoulder straight back at Selwyn, and ns sho stood in silence, evidently awaiting him, It became impossible h' ,',now dld ,t come abouti wretch for him any longer to misunderstand d 'na we scemed t0 bo together, un without n public affront to her. , incapable of understanding When ho started toward her she ier'. spoke to her maid, and tho latter plI( Tnere wcre days" moved aside, with n word to tho groom He rn,sod hlg eyc8 In waiting. i .- .,,. nniv Df tho unhappy "My maid will dismiss your car riage," sho said pleasantly when he ' baited bcsldo her. "There Is one thing J more which I must say to you." Was this what he had expected haz nrd might bring to him? Was this the prophecy of Ills hammering pu scs? "Pleaso hurry- before people como out" sho added and entered tho brougham. "I can't do this," he muttered. "I've sent away my muld," she said. "Nobody has noticed. Those aro scrv- ants out there. Will you please come before anybody arriving or departing docs "notice?" And as he did not move. "Are you going to make me conspicuous by thW humiliation before servants?" Ho said something -between his set teeth and entered the brougham. "Do you know what you've done?" he demanded harshly. "Yes; nothing yet But you would have done enough to stir this borough if you had delayed another second." "Your maid saw" "My maid Is my maid." He leaned back in his corner, gray eyes narrowing. "Naturally," ho sold, "you nre the one to be considered, not the man In tho cose." "Thank you. Are you the man in the case?" "There Is no case." he said coolly. "Then why worry about me?" He folded his arms, sullenly at bay, yet had no premonition of what to ex pect from her. "You were very brutal to me," she said at length. "I know it and I did not intend to be. Tho words came." "You had me at your mercy and showed me little a very little at first afterward none." "The words came," he repeated. "I'm sick with self contempt' I tell you." She set her white gloved elbow on the window sill and rested her chin in her palm. "That money," she said, with an ef fort "You set some aside for me." "Half," he nodded calmly. "Why?" He was silent "Why? I did not ask for it. There was nothing in the the legal pro ceedings to lend you to believe that I desired it, was there?" "No." "Well, then" her breath came un-steadily-r-"what was there In me to make you think I would accept it?" He did not reply. "Answer me. This Is the time to an swer me." "Tho answer Is simple enough," he said In a low voice. "Together we had made a failure of partnership. When that partnership was dissolved there remained the joint capital to be divid ed. And I divided It. Why not?" "That capital was yours In tho be ginning, not mine. What I had of my own .you never controlled, and I took It with mo when 1 went.'' "It was very little," he said. "What of that? Did that concern you? Did you think I would have ac cepted anything from you? A thou sand times I have been ou the point of notifying you through attorney that the deposit now standing In my name Is at your disposal." "Why didn't you notify me then?" he asked, .reddening to the temples. "Because I did not wish to hurt you by dojng It that way. And I had not the courage to say It kindly over my i own signature. That Is wh Captain I Selwy n And as be remained silent: "That is what I had to say; not all, because 1 wish to-to thank you for offering it. You did not have very much either, and you divided what you had. So I thank you, and I return It." The ten sion forced her to attempt a laugh. "So we stand once more on equal terms unless you have anything of mine to return." "I have your photograph," ho said. The silence lasted until he straight ened up and, rubbing the fog from the window glass, looked out, "We are in the park," he remarked, turning toward her. "Yes. 1 did not know how long it might take to explain matters. You are free of me now whenever you wish." He picked up the telephone hesi tated. "Home?" he Inquired with an effort. And at the forgotten word they looked at one another In stricken silence. "Y-yes; to your home first if you will let mo drop yon there" "Thank you. That might bo impru dent" 'No, I think not. ion say you are living with the Gerards?" Yes, temporarily, but I've already I taken another place." "Whore?" i "Oh. it's only a bachelor's kennel, a i couple of rooms" Where, please?" Near Lexington and Sixty-sixth. I could go there. It's only partly fur- nlshed yet" "Then tell Hudson to drive there." "Thank you. but it is not neces-. sary" "Please let me. Tell Hudson or I will." "You are very kind," ho said and gave tho order, "May I ask my question?" she said. "Ask it, child." "Then aro you happy?" no did not answer. "Because I desire It, Philip. I want you to be. You will.be, won't you? I did not dream that I was ruining your army career when I went mad" "IIow did it happen, Allxe?" he nd.n.i n-ihi n fiiM curiosltv that chilled ones," sho said. "But there were mo ments" "Yes, I know It, and bo I nsk you why?" , . "Phil, I don t know, 'lucre was muv quarreMho night you left , n"tter m dance xlt aU RUddenlv intolerable. You seem- trrow suddenly Intolerable. cd so horribly unreal everything seemed unreal In that ghastly city you, I, our marrlago of crazy impulso tho people, tho sunlight, tho deathly iwinr tho torturing, endless creak of the punkha. It was not a question of of love, of anger, of hate. I tell you I was stunned I had no emotions con- "I have your photograph," he said. cernlng you or myself after that last scene only a stupefied, blind necessity to get away, a groping Instinct to move toward home to make my way home and be rid forever of tho dream that drugged me! And then and then"- "He came," said Selwyn very quiet ly. "Goon." But sho had nothing more to Bay. "Allxe!" She shook her head, closing her eyes. "Little glrl-oh, little girl." he said softly, the old familiar phrase finding its way to his Hps and she trembled slightly "was there no other way but that? Had marriage made the world such a living hell for you that there was no other way but that?" "Phil, I helped to make It a hell.' "Yes because I was pitiably Inade quate to design anything better for us. I didn't know how. I didn't under stand. I, the architect of our future failed." "It was worse than that, Phil. "We" she looked blindly at him "we had yet to learn what love might be. We did not know. If we could have waited only waited perhaps because there were moments" She flushed crimson. "I could not make you love me," he repeated. "I did not know how." "Because you yourself had not learn ed how. But at times now looking back to it I think I think we were very near to It at moments. And then that dreadful dream closed down on us again. And then the end." For a long while they sat in silence. Mrs. Ruthvcn's white furs mow cov ered her face. At last the carriage stopped. As ho sprang to the curb he became aware of another vehicle standing in front of the house, a cab, from which Mrs. Ruthven's maid descended. "Wlntt Is she doing hero?" lie asked, turning in astonishment to Mrs. Buth ven. "Phil," she said In a low voice, "I 1 knew you had taken this place. Gerald told me. I'orgivo me. but when I saw J'i'U under the awning It came to me in a Hash what to do. And 1'vo done it. j Are you sorry?" i "No. Did Gerald tell you that I had 1 taken this place?" "Yes. I asked him." 1 Selwyn looked at her gravely, and I sho looked him very steadily in the j eyes. I "Before 1 go may I say one more , word?" he asked gently. 1 "Yes, If you please. Is it about Ger I aid?" j "Yes. Don't let, him gamble. You I saw the signature on that check?" "Yes, Phil." "Then yon understand. Don't lot j him do It again." 1 "No. And-liill?" "What?" "That check is Is deposited to your credit with the rest. I have never ! dreamed of using It" Her cheeks were ' afire ngaln, but with shame this time. "You will have to accept It, Allxe." "I cannot." , "You niusr. Don't you boo you will i affront Gerald? He has repaid me. That check Is not mine, nor Is It Ills." "I can't take It," she said, with a I shudder. "What shall I do with it?" ; "There are ways hospitals, if you l care to. Good night child." I Sho stretched out her gloved arm to him. He took her hand very gently ! and retained it while he spoke. i "I wish you happiness," he said. "I i nsk your forgiveness." j "Give mo mine, then." I "Yes, If there is anything to forgive. Good night" "Good night, boy," she gasped. ne turned sharply, quivering under the familiar name. Her maid, stand ing in tho snow, moved forward, and ho motioned her to enter the brougham. "Home," he said unsteadily and stood there very still for n minute or two, even after tho carriage had whirl ed away into the storm. Then, look ing up at tho house, he felt for his keys, but a sudden horror of being alone arrested him, and he stepped back, calling out to his cabman, who was already turning his horse's head: "Walt a moment I think I'll drive back to Mrs. Gerard's. And tako your time." To bu continued. ' Inconsequent. I sometimes think It hardly fair That I am hero wlillo you are there. Still, I a, ii perfectly uwnro You ml ell) come here or I eo there. And I would Just as soon be there Or here, or have you here or there. Bo, I suppose, I scarcely care In fact, It's neither here nor there. Canadian Magazine. A Study In Language. "Good morning, Mrs. Flnnegun, was you at tho sociable last evening?" "I did," said her friend heartily. "Did wlint?" "Whit" replied the other, New York Herald, '