The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-03-26
Belling the Cat.

might be considered a fayoritc OF fortune
He had Il good appearance; a nice little
income, paid him by grateful nation for
SIX hours attendance daily in the Water
Department of Somerset House. was
| supplemented by an almost equal amount
accruing from private property. and he
had married the object Of his hearts ador-
alton, one of the prettiest girls in all Eng
land, to wit: Felicia Hope; but Chat
plaguy conjunction generally steps in rs
IN alloN)-bW Felicia's mother had per
mancnlly taken up her abode in the neat
little house at Bavswater which Valentine
had provided for his living treasure.
Felicia was the only offspring OF her
mothers union with the late Colonel Hope,
of the Bombay n H. and had left India
but a year when miSchievons Cupid threw
her in the way of Val Hardy, They met
they loved; he proposed, and she accept
ed him. 1t was quite a love match; Val. s
income was not sufficient to make it worth
the while of q dashinG brunette TO wed
him solely for that: and, one the other
hand, Mrs. Hope had but just enough TO
maintain her position in the world.
Felicia'S mamma was still in what some
persons term the prime Of womanhood :;
She was not vain enough TO think She
could pass for her daughters elder sister
but few would have taken her to have
reached the age of torty-tWo. Her hns-
band. twenty-five Years previously, had
fallen in love with her tender brown eyes
and rose-tinted checks: even now the
eyes had not lost their old expression, and
though the hot Indian sun had driN
away the former fresh, healthy look, leav
inc in its place a tint more Subdued in
tone, Mrs Hope was still very attractive
woman. GriZzled colonels and tanned
majors who knew her amiahility, woman
ly sympathy, and devotion to their deceas
ed comrade,. had more than once limited
that the matrimonial market was still open
TO her. and jealousy and heart-burning had
reigned in the little settlement OF Borrio-
boolah Cha, up the country. ere the
Colonel's widow and her only child re-
solved to return to England But Mrs.
Hope smiled sadly and shook her head :;
she was deaf to all tlattery; the citadel of
her love was impregnable and her future
now was bound up in the happiness of her
child. At one tlme-Soon after the Colonel
and his wife arrived out when her spirits
We're less buoyant than they had been Of
late NearS-there was rumor that, had
her wishes been consulted. she would far
rather have been the spouse OF 4 certain
civilian in England than have iourneyed
to India the bride Of Colonel Hope. This,
however, was only Il rumor. born no one
knew where or how; and when her new
acQuaintanccs witnessed her asSiduity to
her husband, and saw the color returning
to her checks, the lumor died away in the
obscuritv in which it had arisen certainly
il had never reached the ears of Felicia
The day Val Hardy sought the consent
of Mrs. Hope TO the marriage was prob
ably one OF the most miserable the trio
had ever spent. Val. (who really was 4
sott-hearted fellow, despite his burlY form
and thick mOustache), when he witnessed
the emotion OF his future mOthcr-n-aW
considered himself one of the most deS
picabe creatures in the world. Mrs
Hope, amid her tears. told him OF the
yearning love with which she had watched
the growth Of her offspring from infancy
to childhood, and then to blushing, bloom
ing womanhood, and how she hoped that
they might have spent many future years
together; at which the young lover felt
his own eyes moistening, and stammered
forth the suggestion, that, though Felicia
was about to become his wife. the mother
and daughter might still remain undivided
He called upon Felicia to aid him in his
pleading The young people knelt before
the distressed matron. whose face was
buried in the sofa pillows, and the result
of this little episode was that when Val.
took his leave at night it was thorough
understood thing that Mrs Hope was to
merge her home into that of her daughter
I
scattered over various parts OF the world ;
so he confided-tor q young lover must
disclose his hopes and fears to some one
many of the aspirations of his heart TO a
certain Herbert Price, who chanced to be-
long to the same social club which Nalen-
tine in his early manhood had been in
duced to join. Price was many years his
friends senior-indeed, he confessed he
was over forty-and, though their occupa-
tions We're dissimilar-Price being Il con
tributor of ''leaders' and ''reyieWs" TO I,
newspaper, and having to work hard tor Il
limited amount Of ray-a certain sympa-
thy, speedily ripenirg into friendship,
sprang up between them The Journalist
was a bachelor, living in musty chambers
in a street oft the Strand, and Val. knew
nothing of his early career, friends, or
connections, but whenever that Young iel-
low was in any strait he always found
Price able to put him in the right road to
eXtricate himself To him, therefore. one
evening in the smoking room Of the Lon
don Wanderers. Val. communicated the
fact that he was about TO be married, and
that his betrothed's mother would take up
her abode with him; to which responded
Price, shaking the ashes from his hricr
root and reflling:
It'll never do; you'll find all sorts Of
little things at present undreamed Of crop
up to disturb your happiness. OF course
it makes difference the lady being your
wite's mother, and not Your own; but take
my advice and provide for the old lady in
some other way
s.But she isn't an old lady. She's TO
bust, active woman, fond of taking Il lead
ing part in all that is going ON, and
thoroughly devoted to us both
That's where the mischief lies She'll
be so anxious for your interests that she
won't let either of YOU have a moments
peace However, don't want to supply
a wet blanket forany Of your plans, which
have doubtless been we'll considered. have
given you my advice, 50 now suppose we
change the subject
But Val. Hardy, despite sundry disa-
greeable inward promptings, remained
faithful to the plan he had himself pro-
posed, threw up the society Of the London
Wanderers, got married, and on the eX-
piracy of the honeymoon. brought Felicia
to their new hcme in Minerva terrace,
finding everything prepared for their re-
ception, and Mrs. Hope thoroughly in
stalled.
The position Mrs. Hope had assumed
she firmly maintained. Solely to save the
young people trouble, she had taken upon
herself the entire arrangement Of the fur
niture; she had been engaged in wordy
contests with the landlord relative to sun
dry details of whitewashing, paper-hang
ing and painting, and, of course, had car
ried her every point The servants were
of her own engaging; she had decided
upon the butcher, baker and mill1man of
the neighborhood to be patronized; a
ua r1anar had bppn SnOka on tn 'ralotiya tn