FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  
harles, who sat behind her clad in Norfolk jacket and knickerbockers, bore a similar roll protruding from either pocket. Even as they watched, the pair eased up, the lady sprang off, impaled one of her bills upon the garden railing of an empty house, and then jumping on to her seat again was about to hurry onwards when her nephew drew her attention to the two gentlemen upon the footpath. "Oh, now, really I didn't notice you," said she, taking a few turns of the treadle and steering the machine across to them. "Is it not a beautiful morning?" "Lovely," answered the Doctor. "You seem to be very busy." "I am very busy." She pointed to the colored paper which still fluttered from the railing. "We have been pushing our propaganda, you see. Charles and I have been at it since seven o'clock. It is about our meeting. I wish it to be a great success. See!" She smoothed out one of the bills, and the Doctor read his own name in great black letters across the bottom. "We don't forget our chairman, you see. Everybody is coming. Those two dear little old maids opposite, the Williamses, held out for some time; but I have their promise now. Admiral, I am sure that you wish us well." "Hum! I wish you no harm, ma'am." "You will come on the platform?" "I'll be---- No, I don't think I can do that." "To our meeting, then?" "No, ma'am; I don't go out after dinner." "Oh yes, you will come. I will call in if I may, and chat it over with you when you come home. We have not breakfasted yet. Goodbye!" There was a whir of wheels, and the yellow cloud rolled away down the road again. By some legerdemain the Admiral found that he was clutching in his right hand one of the obnoxious bills. He crumpled it up, and threw it into the roadway. "I'll be hanged if I go, Walker," said he, as he resumed his walk. "I've never been hustled into doing a thing yet, whether by woman or man." "I am not a betting man," answered the Doctor, "but I rather think that the odds are in favor of your going." The Admiral had hardly got home, and had just seated himself in his dining-room, when the attack upon him was renewed. He was slowly and lovingly unfolding the Times preparatory to the long read which led up to luncheon, and had even got so far as to fasten his golden pince-nez on to his thin, high-bridged nose, when he heard a crunching of gravel, and, looking over the top of his paper, saw Mrs. Westmacott coming up the garden walk. She wa
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Doctor

 

Admiral

 

coming

 

answered

 
meeting
 

garden

 

railing

 

roadway

 

crumpled

 

breakfasted


Goodbye

 

dinner

 

wheels

 
yellow
 
legerdemain
 
clutching
 

rolled

 

hanged

 

obnoxious

 

fasten


golden

 

luncheon

 

unfolding

 
preparatory
 

Westmacott

 

gravel

 
bridged
 
crunching
 

lovingly

 
slowly

betting
 

resumed

 
hustled
 

dining

 
attack
 

renewed

 

seated

 
Walker
 

Everybody

 

nephew


attention

 
gentlemen
 

footpath

 

onwards

 
jumping
 

steering

 

machine

 

treadle

 
notice
 

taking