Reconeiliation.

Opunake Times, Volume XXI, Issue 751, 27 June 1905, Page 4

Reconeiliation.

Characters ; Ada Waters and Jack Thoms**. ■icßNß:—First-class carriage op the ei- . press# Miss Waters tucked into a CORNER TOTH A PLENTIFUL SUPPLY 0»

I- ILLUSTRATED PAPERS. JACK THOMSON IP p THROWN IN BY THE GUARD JUST AS I'M TRAIN STEAMS OPP. Jack (picking himself np and getting at his dressing-bag): Oonf 0,1 beg jic ar pardon. I didn’t (collapsing on sia'i). Miss Waters Ada (looking over her paper serene $ ! Jackl 1 mean (lamely) Where ara you going ? Jack (shortly): Well, as this is the exp 'e a (Politely I’m awfully sorry, but [’ n afraid you’ll have to put up with me ; It doesn’t stop, you know. (With a nen oi a laugh) At the station none of your Ada (composedly : No—no one you ki o r at all; friends we made last autumn. Jack (coldly): 0 1 and you are visil ir | them! Ada (her chin in tbe air): Why not, pri y f Jack (quickly): I beg your pardon; y>u r aunt used to be so exclusive. Ada (haughtily): Really, Mr. Thomsoi, 1 don’t understand Jack (hastily): Pray forgive me ; it’s nt 1 business of mine, but Ada (frigidly) ; I am sure no one co ill object to the Luttrells Jack (aghast) : You are not going to Ihi Luttrells ? £ Ada: Excuse me Tiai isn’t where you are going ? Jack (with a groan): It is 1 Ada (drops her paper); 0, how very nifortunate I Jack (blankly): What shall we do? I'o you think they’ll meet us ? Ada (dolefully): Of course they will; B a Luttrell promised he’d bring the dog-cart a) d let me drive it back, and Connie— <— Jack (interrupting); She’ll come on h r machine, naturally. Ada (sharply); You know their character! (• tics pretty well. I didn’t know they wei > friends of yours. Jack: They weren’t then. I came acroi i them up the river. Ada (shortly): I see. Can’t we do anything— Jack (hopefully); We might pretend V 6 don’t know each other. Ada (shaking her head): We might; on) f I told Connie —you know. Jack (curtly): 0,1 should rather like i» know wnat you told her. Ada (drawing herself up): Beally, Ml. Thomson 1 Jack: I beg your pardon; only, well, if ,1 rather rough on a fellow Ada: I know. I fear Connie may guesi, and- } Jack : 1 daresay ; Miss Luttrell Is so syn ■ pathetic. Ada: Sympathetic? Poking her nose int i other people’s business 1 Jack (sauvely) :Do you think so ? WeJ I, it’s a charming little nose. Ada : Charming? Why, it is a perfei i snub I Jack (Sotto voce): “ Tip-tilted like a peti 1 of a flower.” Ada (ironically) : Unfortunately quotii g Tennyson won’t get us out of this dilemma Jack (ruefully) : Don’t you think perha we’d better tell the truth ; I fancy Bex wou d be equal to the occasion. Ada : Bex Luttrell always is equal to ai f,j occasion ; he’s never at a loss Jack (disagreeably) : No ; I faneoy h> t always got a plausible fairy tale on hand - he needs so many. Ada (angrily) : How can you say sr jb things ? I ougnt to tell you that Rex L ittrell is Jack (interrupting): Pray say no ma el How idiotic of me— l beg your pardon. I ought to have thought Ada (impatiently); 0, don’t apolog se, Do think what we are to do. Jack : I see wo couldn’t possibly take nhe Luttrells into our confidence. Ada,(decidedly) : Of course we couldn’t 1 We cannot tell them that we—that I—that you broke off an engagement and Jack (quickly) : That would not be true to begin with, and Ada : Not true 1 You don’t mean to insinuate that I Jack (warmly): You threw me over like an old glove, after you had kept me on the moral rack for months. Ada (hotlyi: I threw you over I And what about your b l '- 1 Jack : A.:,-, j „.i. behaviour I had no choice but to write it ? You made it so evident to :ne that our engagement had become irksome to you Ada: Jack I —(correcting herself.) And alter such a letter what coeld you expect mi to do ? . Jack ; Nothing—as things were. You didn’t cave for me and you were well rid of ne—it’s done with now, and it’s no use out quarrelling over it; only what are we going to do about the Luttrells? Ada (testily) : 0, bother the Luttrells 1 Jack (arching his eyebrows): 0 ? Ada (hastily) : I mean they’re very charming, of course ; but some people hart, .;o tact in getting up their house parties. Jack (smiling): Come, that is’nt quite falir, Miss Luttrell is hardly to blame. Ada (opening her eyes) : 0, am I to con gratulate you ? Jack : Congratulate me? (Laughs.) 11 might be a little previous. Ada (laughs unpleasantly) : My dear Jack, when a girl takes to going to Jones’ for hen evening gowns and to Smith’s for her complexion, there is no such thing as being tor,! previous. It’s a forlorn hope with her. Jack (quietly): Really? I shouldn’t havr thought you’d have known so much about it, Ada (flaming) : What do you mean. Jack : I--—(bursts out laughing) You know I never could resist making you flart ip, Ada—that little jerk of your head is delightful. Ada (subsiding) : You certainly always seemed to have the knack of bringing it oul then 1 No one ever teased me as you did. Jack (eagerly) : Really 1 It used to bo rather jolly, though, didn’t it ? —the making up I mean. Ada (staring out of the window): i don’l recollect. (After a pause) Couldn’t yom have a telegram to-night, or something ? Jack (absently): Yes. (Pause.) I say, ] should like to ask you something, may I ? Ada (still staring out of the window): li you like. Jack (drilling a hole in the seat opposite with his stick) : I’m afraid you’ll think il awful cheek, but I’d rather be prepared. Will that fellow Luttrell—l mean—that is—(desparately) will he kiss you at the station ? Ada (facing round suddenly) : How dare you ask me such a thing ? Jack (penitently): I know, but, hang it all, it’s pretty rough on me to have to stand by. Ada (with an icy composure) : I am scarcely in the habit, Mr. Thomson of allowing myself to be embraced by mere acquaintances. Jack (suddenly) : Acquaintances? Why, I thought you said—l mean I understood you were engaged to young Luttrell ? Ada (tossing her head): Every one is not so infatuated with the Luttrell family as you seem to be. Jack (drawing a little nearer): And you are not engaged to him—nor to anyone ? Ada (staring obstinately out of the window): I am not. Jack (drawing still nearer) : Ada, don’l You think we were rather fools last yeai f