The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-12-20
Written for the wORKISsNAS's ADVOCATE.
BANDS OF STEEL;
OR,
A WOMAN OF THE WORLD /!
WELDON ). COBB, IN.
By WELDON }. coBs, IN
Part First. SOWING the WIND.
CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.
The far OF purple hills Of morn crowdins to his
vi ion
A. the memory of her loveness wonrous tender
CLEANS,
And glimpses Of the dreamy past reveal ircar.
eysan,
For the beautiful the beautiful lives ever in our dreams
ANON.
Myrtle Villa lay bathed in flood of
mellow silver moonlight upon the evening
succeeding that of the arrival Of Beatrice
Vernon In the interim Of few hours
the naughty belle had not only gained q
thorough knowledge of the house, but had
a very well-calculated idea of the influence
and the power which she held over her new
friends.
Friends they we're, and too sincere in
their regard for her to suspect that she was
but an adventures and an impostOr who
was seeking through them to gain a new
foothold in the society which ranked among
its numbers some of the very best families
in the State. She was determined to hold
her own; she had no idea of making q
brief visit and then going away again.
Rumor held the Colonel very wealthy, and
Myrtle Villa was a place which was not
unsuited to the refined tastes of its pres
ent honored guest, who was treated with
that distinction and eminence as q person
who was an old and valued friend might
only expect. She had won Myrtle's friend
ship, for the daughter Of the house was
chary of the bestOwal of more than this,
and the Colonel's evident pleasure in her
company, and the time he spent in showing
her the beauties of the place were enough
to crafty her and to render her more am
bilious and scheming in her desire to be a
leader among the votaries of fashionable
society. She was not q woman to hesitate
at trifes, and it had more than once sug-
gested to her mind that she might see some
one of those who had known her in her
tragical past. She was fully prepared for
the meeting, for her brazen effrontery
would, she felt assured, give her the means
of sustaining the position which she had
gained by her artful wiles.
The broad acres which were the posses.
sions Of Colonel Robert Adams included q
stretch OF scenery most magnificent and
romantic. 1t extended on the one hand
to blue-topped hills, and on the other gen.
tly undulated into a lake which spread
over the country for miles. The villa it.
self and the immediate grounds surround
ing it were Of q character fully as beauti
full, and all the fair verdure and flower
which 60 to render south land beautiful
were to be seen in the gardens and bower
of Myrtle Villa.
1t is the custom, or rather was the Gus
tom, previous to the war Of the rebellion
for families which, by the right of birtl
of blood, had become q part of the ole
State itself, and were its aristOcracy, Il
mingle together in the social meeting
which were for the most part continued
through . period of . month, or ever
more. To the villa many had been invited
and the acceptance of the invitation b,
some Of the proudest and Oldest families
in the Stats had assured Colonel Adam
that the honored name he bore was no
unremembered by those who had knowr
his family in years agone. The capaciou
villa had been fitted up beautifully, ant
every accessory to enjoyment and comfor
had been secured for the expected guests
A great many were to give their attend
snce to the prolonged series of fetes which
we're to be given BY the Colonel and hi
daughter, and IN enjoyable occasion gen
orally was anticipated. Il was not knowI
that the villa had been 90 finely decorated
and the surroundings % beautifully ar
ranged, and - the guests began to arriv'
upon the day following Min Durand's I'd
vent upon the SCENE, many were the man
ifestations Of surpriss and pleasure from
these, for . vsritabls garden Of ross
was the extensive 6ower-Plst Of the villa
Towards evening, as the imperiOu
nsRnty who he'd % succsnsfully besn th
bale Of the aammsn pask ~ In hgE roon
iemgagsa IN a iSanqul aaEysy q The NAG