The Story-Teller.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume X, Issue 895, 25 March 1891, Page 3

The Story-Teller.

"QUITS." imp/ is fluffj-fraited/ ali6fnjr«. teJa^iSal.W t^.My-|hifee? y&M. c* age — and little Lady Loveday was all three — one does not regard with unmixed raptnre the prospects of a whole week with the British Association for the Advancement of Science, But Sir James ad been elected President for the year, and -bis wife, as m duty bound, waa obliged to accompany him. The town of Mudchester, with its forest of tall chimneys and its perpetual gloomy pall, may possibly reDresent v the,- sinews^afyd. gtrenffth. of England, but' it is ' bot exacify a an ideal place m which to spend the early days of ,Septembßr»T >Sir James Lp\veday, however, full of the temporary importance which attaches to the eminent scientist who is Preiifient for the year, was delighted with the whole thing, and espeslallf /prottdf oft-pfeo^wingioffihiif ■ pcetty young wife to his scientific colleagues, whose spouses, though uniting m their persons the manifold virtues of the British matron, could-hardly lay claim to either epithet. He had only been married a year. They had met on a homeward bound Cunarder, and though this particular ship i&ad)r;BeAten the record, there had been time enough for Sir James to become enamored of Miss Lena Gardner, who finding younger to her^ taste on board, had smiled on the elde^'ljcie^tist. until he bad offered his name and his fortune. SnVwas a sensible young woman, with a fair appreciation of .Jha (? gpod o j;hin,gft of this life, and iv sixf weeks* time from their landjin^.^trXiijv.erpocjl, they were quietly married' in Lbndoh. . .Quite 4Jjstle murmur of admiration and' a notable craning of masculine neck«» greeted Lady.. Loveday as she (Continued on'Pourth Page.)

made her appearance m the Town Ball of Mudchest^'on the'fc'g'Kt of _ the, opening address. It was her first introduction to the scientific world, and men of science, much like other men, are apt to appreciate good looks. In her white brocade mantle, a boa of ostrich feathers encircling her pretty throat, and some diamond arrows thrust through her blonde hair, she looked a radiant vision of youth and beauty m the crowd of ill- dressed gawky women who made up the feminine portion of the audience Devotion to the toilet forms no part of the programme of the ladies who attend meetings fyf the British Assooiation^he advancement > ,bf science I being* txndre important m. their ayes than the plaiting of hair and' wadring of gold ?j And so Lena was well able 1 to make mi little eensation.' Shei entered the Iwge' hall lone, for Sir James i was. already ia his place on the platform, and was even giving the preliminary cough whioh precedes the opening address. «By Jove !' said a bronzed young wan to bim«elf--r«t'yiDiJiig;min l irho had Strolled m late, and now found himielf Isn't Lena t Odd that I shonld see her the first»week l arrive id England I What the deuce is she doing be**e? Wonder if she has forgotten ?_Wfllls« it's three years ago.' The opening ad* dress was an enormous, eucce^ as it always During • (hfer' week the popular cooled .- ■jhv-xcßfa.j, ■cientific : lectureSj iaay^atc) ; bUjt^nthe opening night no judge on the bench is surer of a laugh than the eminent scientistr~who—opened • the ' mesitngT " The mildest jokelets are received with rapture the feeblesj, emiles: get -a,- round/ qf applause. Lady Loved'ay was surrounded by admiring chemists, biologists; and botanists, by the time the large audieiiie' was filing, put. v / ,j. r.^.-.i ■•hm' i ' You'll come with our expedition on Thursday, Lady Loveday, won't you?' Urged HP^tfiin young~profess6V from" a Scotch university, whose appearance suggested the suspicion that Jie'< had recently, •ome j out of an, eye hospital,,. ,, Lacfy Loveday smiled and made,, up her mind to'tbe inevitable. After all he was only a little worse than the rest. All thfcijoung men at the meriting . wbfe turn-down collars, and coats which had apparently been made for somebody else. •I shall be delighted,' said she, m her most cordial tone. 'Where are yon going, and what are you going to do to improve me?' 'Oh, it's an expedition down a 9alt mine. We shall have to take you down m a bucket. You won't mind, will yon?' urgerl the weak eyed young man eagealy. • Not at all, if you will iosure the rope not breaking,' But" ail~ the 'same, ~wfien"Tlrurs~day" arrived, aiuli Lenui found b#rsalf alone at the railvvj(y ( s/iftion, for B&'jJa'ineSj hall a committee. . gaeetipff : tbajt; m^i^inff . r at^d could •bniyj^in &er later on iri' the day, she felt Kis'ctttre w'hat depressed' at fth'e prospect before her. "There was a large., anii ! sdm c wli lit ' Weird -look ing\ icnjifd dn\ tbf^kiJoVraV^A- slight drizjjjf r w^s y had onanimously , ,e]ected . to appear ( m; bng like water-proof garments, though, to ibe surejT their; male 'kind 'rtn\C*henii hard m „thq, ; m»t.^r, of '.curious;.. rain.* ment. Most of the travellers had inv.Gßt«j4i m ;p*per ibags foil of, Bat-b buna, for an expedition with the British) Association is generally fraught with peril* m- the ■•'matter -of 'supplies. ''TBe^ weai- -eyed youbg man was m a state of extreme "excitement • bbrderihg on delirium. Lady -Loveday sighed as her eye ran over the mass, of pus.hing*. „per s-spi^ngj/be-matkintoshed^buiari' beings^ on the platform. ff ; r-^ * There isn'ta r soullhere' that-ij wanif to speak to/ she thought,, settling into the comfortable corner place .whicb the youthful professor had secured for her, and: then, as; her eye caught the square' shouldered back jof : a check coated man m .the didthnoe; she added men ally, Ttfati .looks 'like.'a nice man. Hi? hair is <sal beautifully^, shbrt^and : l^e's got a. bro'i?njneck anil properly ironed collar.: He reminds .mp of poor, Dick.' ; » -.- ; - ...,_■ : But, directly at'ter^' the train gteamed out of the station, and Lady. LovedayV reminiscences came to an end. She had to make conVersation with 1 her cicerone for the day and. a whole oarriageful of other people. By the time they had arrived' at the pit's mouth and were waiting- their turn to go dpwnyLena Was not Bur^j4t vghe to, >gg|ge. & " such a perilous experiment. , , , , Only about a quarter of the trainful of people coald be accommoaate4 under the shed which covered the .shaft, the rest were waiting outside. Finally, however; she was jammed ■ with soiAi' seven or eight other people, including her scientific admirer, m the : baizecovered bucket; and was emptied out, after an uncanny descent ( throngh a black void, into the Wack-walled cavern at thfl-bo.trom. The"raine had been de*> coratea with thousands of candles m honor of the event, and each visitor was provided with a tallaw .dip stack into a wooden harfdle'^ Down m the deptlii of the mine the Scotch-HProfessor waxed confidential, not to say tender; v ':'} !l ' <c 'This raati'is getting a bore,* thb'dght Lady Loveday y\ I mffift really ifirade him somehow, and with/ Another' turn of the rock sh^fno/iagoa .to slip<. away fiom bin.. Candle in^UftUjd, she fallowed a H4.#ari,.pf:; {ien|ile m fronts of ; jiffr, . Pivs mly one of the party, ihe young jjiiin wiiose biiek slio had seen on the phit'orfti tffopfioil and, with an aotibn which s))« recognised at once, straok a iiiwrch, stpopud Ms Ijvftil; «n(i lighted a