Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-09-13

possessed anything like heart.
But Wayne really had head, and he |
was handsome and rich; and she was
tired and bored, like the rest of us, and
new sensation would be agreeable.
Should she let him explode, and take
him aud, his money and go over to Eu-
rope, and have the relief of fresh fields
and pastures new
3 Then She shook her head, and frowned
at the image in the mirror, and said con-
geihptuously, = At - - -.3
YOU'RE such an, absurd little brute
Oh. You inhuman, gray-eyed monster,
you. Pm sick of everybody; but, of all
the people that tire me, you are the
most uncomfortable"
Then she went down. TO the drawing
room, w hicfl,of eour Sc, were neari Nv de-
seFted-hefe and there some old bache-
lor, whose dyspepsia wouldn't let him
eat supper, or some old catamaran, who
had too few diseases to run the risk of
spelling her newest one. Naturally,
| they surrounded Miss Churchill, and
made much OF her, till she wished she
had staid up stairs.
It was not so very long before the
people began to get back-the dancing
community being first; and presently
the music struck up again, and any mum
Der of couples began to make short runs,
1 as
ing into the most enhancing galop of the
| season.
| Lydney would not dance; she was in
| one of her languid, lazy moods, and di d
all sorts of horrid things, only she did
| them we'll, and having achieved repu
tation, of course, people were bound to
| be pleased.
:; The next sight that met her eyes--ss
the old d-fashiOned 'story-writers were
1 Of hat. al
4 her way toward her, leaning on the arm
of young man, and that man-yes,
positively, that man was the one who
4 trOd on her new Paris dress,
Verify, he had come at an inauspicioIs
moment! Lydney saw that he was hand
some, better than that, elegant; she
might have said, Thoroughbred, only
she would have died rather than admit
that anylef Mrs. Lofhner's guests could
| be.that.. But she was not appeased-
she did not mean to be civil; no, not
even to crafty her old relative.
/ q Up they eame : Lydney sat beautifully
Unconscious until her aunt spoke.
My slear,'' said Mrs. Churchill, 81
| want you to know Mr.. Lister; his moth
er .wasl my dearest friend. i used to
know him, too, when he was Il boy.''
Poor Mrs. Churchill. She had so many
" dearest friends" lLydney absolutely
hated the words! SO she was almost
rude but,i SUCH a pretty, mischievous
way, and she looked so handsome that
you would never have dared to say it
was unlady-like if you could have seen
and heard her.
"NOw L know Mr.. Lister" said she,
turning to her aunt. 81 am sorry that
your dearest friend, his mother, is not
here to make the family-party COsnplete. !"
| Mrs. Churchill looked implOringly at
her, and fluttered, as partridge women
do.
81 don't know" said Lister, coolly,
''I think rather congratulate my moth
er Oh being safe in Florence ut this mo
meHGs2E sAr%Nsk AAtN$S4sf s8sk4 )
/ He had given her Greek for Greek !;
land she rather liked him for that, ut all
leyents.
"You mean to be lncivil about poor
Mrs. Lorimer's crowd" said she, inno-
lcentiv; .'you'd better not, for she's an
other of auntys dearest friends.'' 1'iz,ie
81 was not thinking of the crowd, -
returned he, with the slightest possible
lemplasis on the last word.
''Oh!" drawled Lytlney, ''I hope you
don't fhink-that really is unpardona-
ble.'
81 believe was that before,'' Lister
said, with a little shrug of his shoul-
defs, and smile which really was the
tperfectiOn of Indifference.
''I haven't u doubt OF it. / would
wonder What you mean, only I'm too
tired.'' -t "'t-
. And in precisely her tone Lister an
; swered,
you look so; really, you ought to be
safe at homesan in bed p 4 4 i',s
And Lydney thought,
Upon my word, he's refreshingi
do believe he could be almost as impu-
dent as | can. I'll make his face tingle
if he has any blood in his veins!' -
} "You see," said she, sweetly, siat this
house annty always meets soImany dear
old friends.'
: Lister laughed outright.
2 "Do their sons all step on your dress :''
= he asked.
"Oh, invariably. 1 always recognize
/ them by that - a-a,.--.-5r .st..
$50 L had heard" said he: 'sthat was
my reason for Introducing myself that
! way"
Mrs. Churchill had been listening
rather uneasily to this dialogue, so op.
posed to all her ideas of what might be
considered decorOusy conversation be-
: tween proper young mari and we'll
regulated young woman; but, fortll-
nately for her peace of mind, somebody
called her away, probably another ol
II hefEearest Of old friends; feis hytlney
, ! used to say, with a graceful little shud.
l. der, that their name was Legion.
l do not know that sleaving. them i'm.
proved matters; they rather went or
; from bad to worse, and managed to uttel
Z as many disagreeable things to each 9th
I er in n polite, graceful fashion, as two
strangers well can. I.ydney grew vexeG
because herzatten1pf4 ATT pntting him
down were unavailing, and said the dis
@ agreeable things; he was only disagree
i Fable in preserving his equanimity, and
g keeping perfectly cool.
! At last he asked hei. to dance
'Perhapss you win khnlly excuse me-
. she said; 81 never do dance i'll tli,
= house," ,..-...g.-, .-r
Y "At least, YOU know I had to do m,
: duty" he answered as placid as Il MAY
morning. OHIO 4 III Is g.tEf
Z She was really angry then; still wher
s Mrs. Lorimer came up, and carried him
{ Of she was sorry. There was, at least,
an excitement i'll using the fOils; and oil
/. the7procession of lHleniwho took his place
in turn, not one but was irretteemably
stupid, Or, what was worse, inclined t.
!, be tender-=.antl Miss Chnrchin was sc
a tired of men who wished to 10 the maud
lin and sentimental. tg i.
!. Later in the evening, there was an
other passage of arms between hersel
anu4IdSter- ana she was compelled to al
4 nit to herself that, if she held her own
1t was quite as much as she did.
t BY that time her aunt was ready to %
t home; the poor old bird had been wink
t ing first one eye. and then the other
e like asieepy blne Jay, for the last hour
Il bat kept her post faithfully, because sh,
fancied that she was pleasing Lydney
: thereby.
g Lister saw them down to the carriage
# and Mrs. Churchill gave him n cordia
$ invitation to come and call OH them, ant
It even added,
d "We'n be glad to see him any time
won't we, Lydney?'
y But Lydney was busy with her wraps
It and did not even hear; and that pro
d voking man Went Oh talking to her aun
;, as If he hal not noticed her lack of ei
J. Witty.
it slow do yon like him, dear?" aske,
! the old lady, as they drove off.
s Lydney did not tanswer-busy still will
her wraps. 9Ii!LtL5 4sa rs
y "His mother was the loveliest woman
: Pm sure he's nice-he looks like her