Page:A strange, sad comedy (IA strangesadcomedy00seawiala).pdf/35

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A STRANGE, SAD COMEDY
23

and rubbed down, and Miss Jemima went to fetch a glass of the home-made wine, which nearly choked Sir Archy in the effort to gulp it down. He was alone for a few moments with pretty little Letty, who had not for a moment abandoned her standoffish attitude.

"Will you be glad to see me the next time I come, little cousin?" he asked, mischievously.

Here was a chance for Letty to annihilate this brazen new-comer, and she proceeded to do it by quoting one of the Colonel's most elaborate phrases. She got slightly mixed on the word "adamantine," but still Letty thought it sounded very well when she remarked, loftily, "I have an anti-mundane prejudice toward foreigners meddling in domestic broils." And every word was punctuated by a scowl.

Miss Letty fondly imagined that the young Englishman would be awed and delighted at this prodigious remark in one so young, but when Sir Archy burst into one of his rich and ringing laughs, Letty promptly realized that he was laughing at her, and could have pulled his hair with pleasure.

Sir Archy was still laughing and Letty was still blushing and scowling when their elders returned. In a little while Sir Archy was