Colonel Lane had put an announcement of his daughter’s going to join her husband in India in the Hastings Observer to stop the talk. It had been carefully worded and appeared like social news.
Of course Mrs. Hannington had her say on the subject (though not at Pickett’s Farm). She confided to all her numerous acquaintances, with this one exception, that Colonel Lane was pretty artful, but that he couldn’t deceive her. Of course, he had sent that notice to the paper to hoodwink Hastings folk. There was a reason for Miss Lane having to “clear out,” and it was a pity she hadn’t a husband. The only thing was to smuggle her out of the country and hide her shame. The Colonel was as bad as his daughter. Look how he stayed away from home! Then again, who was the woman he had foisted off on the unsuspecting Barrimores? A woman with two boys, too! No doubt the boys were Colonel Lane’s own! All men led double lives, only some of them didn’t get found out. As for Mr. Philip Barrimore, it was to be hoped he would get his deserts for being the ruin of a young girl! And he was friendly with the White House people. What sort of people were they? coming from no one knew where! And why did they keep so much to themselves, if they had not some guilty secret? Miss Le Breton, with all her pretended virtue, had been shut up for hours with that young Mr. Webster—that she knew for a fact—and artists were always on far too intimate terms with their models. Miss Le Breton would be going off to India “to join her husband” next!
After this kind of tirade, Mrs. Hannington usually ended up by thanking God she was not as other women. Mr. Hannington had his own opinion upon this point, and he did not thank God that his wife was not as other women; indeed, he had been heard to express the wish that she could be like any woman he knew—except herself.
CHAPTER XLIII
A MIRACULOUS MEDICINE
There had been a military funeral at the cemetery at Ore. It was the band-sergeant of the Rifles, who had served in the local Artillery and Rifles for thirty-four years, and he was buried with full military honors. Colonel Lane had gone to the funeral, for he had known and liked Band-Sergeant Dean.
It was a bitterly cold day, and Colonel Lane was not well. His health had failed a good deal since his daughter had left him.
When the comrades of the band-sergeant fired a volley over the grave, Colonel Lane was seen to stagger, and but for the timely aid of a friendly hand would have fallen.
He was taken home unconscious.
Mrs. Ransom had sent at once to Hawk’s Nest and to Dr. Nansel.
It was Mrs. Barrimore who first arrived with Mr. Burns.