The Storyteller.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7958, 23 October 1905, Page 4

The Storyteller.

MRS WINOIIAM S FLAT

"Molly—the most dreadlul calamiiy has belsJlcu mc." "Lucy !" . , "I can hardly put it int<» *u" ls It's too awful ' "Good Heavens • Harold lias got into money troubles as;aiu'.''' "No, uot that." "Nor been lending his name to any of those horrible bogus companies ' Tom says "

"No, worse than that. Put Har- ' oW out of the question. It's .Mis Xingham this tunc Ymi know her—my Iriend (save the mark) at Keiisin:ton." "Not in tlic Divorce Court ? 1 always thought, somehow —" "Nonsense, Molly, she is as as a die- 1 w[ll say that for her." "Well, what has she done'.'" 7 "A frightful thing" "Taken to morphia '.'" "What then .'" "Copied my Hat." "fop—led—your—flat '.''' "Ye». Did you i-vcr heat such a thins I" '■' "Never ! But how ' ' ', "Let me begin at the biniiiniut;. T You know she stavid «ith mc f»r a "f we.k last March f" , "Wwl ?" [ "Well, my dear, she must have been |. taking mental notis ,iil iii.t tunc. 1 brlievp she sit up t»i' da;-- | tnak untinj; tout down.' r "(!ood jracious !" f. "While she was here she aoVtiud S The dn-oratioiis wete. I, josl finished, you ki.ow. She fell m K.*ii)-ii' with the drawing-room cup-t at once, and the Louis XYI. seller S was a dream, and that the curtains B? in mr bedroom were fit lot n p.ii&ii «ce "

I "No wonder." %. "She said she bad been tr\in» to .-. pel a rose chintz like tbr one m the i- drawing-room for the last siv veals £„ Ot eoutSv', I thought slie said it out F ol polifctiets." j^ t "Naturally." t'. "She asked me where I got mine " j[. "And you told her ' Mv dear. v,.i; i. Were a—" L- . "I know it. Listen. She was im- | ID(U.sely Struck with mv rose s,;!. n: • t On thi Ireize, chairs, and all over E' the rocra." 5" "Yea, yes !" ft.- "And when I said I bad always to have it.so—down to vicu'v (► -res.- Actric light shades-she said •■ somelfcing about my anisiic * "Tne sliades are lovely •- Y "When [ showed her niy green l„-in?-room, she didn't s.u 'niach biii "J now I come to think of it s h'r askX rt'n? where I picked u» th,. i OV| . JV s.. CII tjnctn Anne <ak chairs."

"Ami yiiu told hor '.'" "How t-oiil.l i p.»siblj imagine I was urs'ii- i Hl'f«iil Hi i,.y bosom: I h.-licl oi HilUii'U.i Wmghun than that. " "So did I." "Well, dear . si,i- was m raptures with the [usii'l i)Hic hangings in my bedim in. Jill said .he h.id alnavs l.lill mil pink v.r i-li-.it-f." '■Oh. th--n. sin- hasn't. . . . "M, hi. a blind, deal. Wan a l)U. Mir went 'in in say t!„- the b.d ilri.ii. ries liad evidently bum copied ironi si in.- !'i(iicli nitjili'l. . ." "And vi,:i lull! h r .'" ■ ! gave n all away. Yes. Molly, 1 i,.'.ii h r ;l,f win'!,- s'.i l\ lit tin' prim in Haloid's copy 1,1 'La Vic Hi!iii.e ut- Ninon il ■ riviM-ln,.' ami "Well. 1 ua'.e >oti cud::, for ninK turn. . . ." "1 know. 1 I'liui.i bile l.iv toio-ile out liiiT aft.r ill. lkmv.ia was mv friend, a nil you i!on 1 expect your fl'lends to !,i- la'.ei:,i.,c V.oli.s m.ls-i|tii'ia-li!iL. ,ii si!. i|;' s clo'iiiug."

"'lii y o.t-n ..iv." -\i:-, but yiu ib-ii'l expect it before \u,l i.llU 11 OUl." "No, lit."." ■She was -really inu-r.-.,tul in the book, and said she would give the. woild to If.-it it " 'And von it'lll il lo il. i .'" "Naturally , 1 thought she wanted to r t ad it- ' "l ean pies*; wli'l happen-.-I.'' "Hut you don t know lull. You lcint-mbcr the set oi sporting prims in the tail, liiat I chose ih,. mulberry papi r on purpose to show off?"' "Yes. ' "Well, she said at the lime that (b'-rgc Winuham bad a set rather like thi in." "Had he?'-'- - "I doubt it i luf.e stand at then ll.il, en and off, for the last l irn uais. and I don't remember exit' seeing llicm." I "Tin ii. «| cuise lie hadn't." "01 eouise nor Well, then she went mad out the blue Dutch tiles jm thi' bathroom, and said sh... w o uld have some like them in hers." "Didn't liiai open >our eyes V' j "Noi lor a moment I i!c>u;Jil she I Was i.iko-m. IV-i.l.s, I harem the im>«"M) i I Dutch hies." I "Nor a iiiultii'ii'y w.illpapei. von 11""' -w«i- '"> <"•'' J "Well. she iik.il the daisy paper in j her udioojii . i gave bet iln- l'li'K. itooui. she said slie had se. n a I'ajir som,'hmg lint- ii in U.IMIOO- - ■■■■*•■<■ •IVriiafs she had ' i "I .-.a,'! tii.n v..:.s unpossil.li } l,f----,a se Aiehe,, ,i, jviner-: --neet. ha-l p.it.-n.'i ih.it | alt,-in." • (Jh. \o,i ii,i„«.,i,; ' •Well—ln w v.j., 1 to compass h i evil ;1.-s,;ns- 1 ~e„,,, ii... „■„,,,,,„ would h.ne .li.s!iiigtii-h;d herself as aitii e..i...jiiia,oi ,a ti.e s-pan..,;, in quiMiio,,. "And s:,e t:., m , sl - ;;i ;,l ( . lilt J. ' A". !i-> oi'ai. n i-- ,-iv.,..,s iluj l>i-e v.:,,i\i iiiei-, on :'n.- , ruinalitv of aiiothi. I e..|i„.|,i ~ j.:,.;:,',-.,, win', stials anotl:- r pr,s- :-.'., ~•,„:, i, , s guilty as .-. :ii;ef wiio p.t-V.s ,: jec.,M More so. i; rt :n p, ie!, :, av , , n ,, , tin- -all.iv, s io'i I, ,' "How ii:.i jou n:,.1 her ~,i; ' ' '■l.a-; v.iyk .-.1,,- ~s':;,l ni.- ;l; re f„i a lev; d,r,s \: Si !. :-;,,- kn.-w I .1 luv, to l-liov. ~i Hi,, h n; ,!,;,. ,„ ~,.,. | (| . ! the l;::|i i:v il,,- i , y,„, r. menh'l >-. i,- ...I <:.. i v.a- like v.i, ;,-,,!, la-t saw a-t;,e t;,„isi tie- map .n Aw.m. ' "I always turr..-'i off m-, !i ■,!,! ih niiiiute i was hi i,,,i so iioiild not -ee i!.i- Jiaslly wind,,v. r„i tains a Illolndit K,,;,;, - TliuH »,;.; "'I litii,ly nii-,s-.>.ry." "I leineiio.er lb,- va:-,s ii. iu-r loi;doir ' i "i-iispLikanle ' Well, -he 1 Civ.l ' me ~s -r,0,. ilu ; ; ... ..... ; % , ,- dni.r. i,;i; 1 fanea-d her manner *as A b;: ii:ri,,ii,. a ,.,i i ,],„., A \. A ,„ n ,j.

self 'Hello !' " "Ah !" '•;>!„. said : 'You Will nolice, ilarlii,K thai I liave bad the plate vcdicorali'd from top to bottom since you wi'i'c here' '' "Cat. What did you notice fust.' "Simplv tnv own ball in replica—iiiulberry'paper, [ lints, and all- 'Well it won't so much matter if she s'ops at the hall,' 1 lo my[self." "Did she '.''' "Wail a bit- S'u- look me into ibe drawiii:;-ro<iiii—my di-awing-ruoiii. Kven lo Ihe parquet lloor—liers was a cheap kind—and the last rosebtiil, on the chintz." "Disgraceful I" "She h,id the grace l » in ' l asliamcil, for she said, with a false, smile: "Rather in the style of yours, siu'l il, dear'.' Imitation is the si newest form of (lattery.' " "What did vuu sav ?'' "1 said : 'Rats !"'' "Whal I ben '.'" "She coloured up and ehaneeil Ihi' ■ubjeet- Hut, my dear, it Was (be same all over the fiat—my ilc Kudus bell—my blue bam;iii(;s (not pink deal ')—my ,'aisy papi r—my rose business sch, me, even to ibe vieux rosei shades on the lamps. When 1 saw the Dutch tiles in the bathroom, 1 fell ii was the last straw—a woman with no mole taste than a hen !' "I'oor itavliiu '" "Hut the Worst is to come. Sim admin,t! to me that our mutual: iienil. Mrs .leniiiiir.s-Smvili, was in liivi- with the lose ehin';/., anil she hud copied il for hj, i diawiu<-ie mi. lliink id it '." "Let us lloue she Won't Cipy ;iiivthitii else " "\o si'Ci luck. II she admires the chiiil?. il means i!i ;l i she had enp>i il tli;. (iii ire i'lirailiire.""Lucy !" "So when I \ is.it my friends I hill slay in replicas ot mv own flat ■vhcivvcr I no. It is a qua in I idea, s 11.i1'1.11l liiimoiotislv iiuls il " "Poor dear •" "Hui toil ilon'l know all ; the "■'or-! is lo conic. .Maude Kletelu-f was hue t(-ilay, anil she sayd—she sav.s—l can hardlv repeat it." "rt'hat dear '.'" "She sats that Mrs Wm-liam "o; s il.oui savins. . . ," What-wliat ?'! . " Tlli ! .. 1 copi.il niv Hat i "in hers !"