The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-19
MISS DUBARLE'S RELATIVES.
BY AMY RANDOLPH.

and short, with ankles like pump-han-
dies, and no visible waist and hands
that were red and fat, instead of white
and slender; and features that belonged
TO no Grecisn type or Roman mould,
but seemed to be setting up, sal gCneriS,
each on its own special account, with no
reference whatever to the others. For
the world is not altogether stocked with
Nenuses audd Hebes. whatever the ro-
nance writer's would like to make us
believe, and there Is no reason why a
plain female cannot be a heroine in
spite of her looks.
But we have not mentioned the most
important fact of all. Miss Dubarle
had forty thousand dollars of her own.
And that was, without doubt, the
reason that her relatives sent her very
pressing invitations to Sc come and visit
them" and dispatched cases of wine
and hampers of game and boxes of new
books down 70 Dubarle Farm and the
little girls worked hideous pincushions
and tides to decorate her rooms and
young men wrote acrostics for her
birthday, and everybody listened po-
litely to her speeches, however prOlix
they might be; for a rich old maid is
worth cult va'ing, and it wasn't at all
marry.
II was bleak October day the red
and brown leaves went whirling round
and round in the blast, and the great
wood fire upon the hearth sent, every
row and then, spiteful little pushes of
smoke into the room where Miss Dubarle
and her second cousin and companion,
Janet Heath, sat together, working
arppbat rnGpa for q Pnuntprnana
Janet, laid Miss Dubarle, polite
~, you're a fool"
Janet looked up with flush of color
on her pretty cheek. She was not all
unRccustomed to these little compli-
mentarv remarks on the part of Miss
Dubarle.
&" BE a sensible girl, >" added the elder
female. Give him up, and I'll buy
you blue silk dress and a black lace
shawl"
"But I love him, Miss Dubarle."
oh, psh-a-aw grimaced the spin
ster. "LOve, indeed l never was in
love u
and" added Janet, growing more
rosy than ever, as she stopped to pick
up her ivory needle, Z" he said he would
be miserable without me. Don't be
angry, please, but indeed, indeed,
must marry him."
Miss Dubarle jumped up so suddenly
that the doing blackbird in it's cage
uttered shrill note of CONSERVATION.
" Very well" she said, every well,
Janet Heath. Pack your trunk as soon
as you please. l can dispense with your
services at Once. And pack mine first,
if you please"
"You are not going away, Miss Du-
barle p queried poor Janet, in cOnster-
nation.
II am going to visit my relatives"
answered Miss Dubarle, with pursed-
up lips.
And then little Janet knew that her
own fate, as far as any worldly advan-
tages would be derived from her kin
ship to the heiress, was sealed.
"Put in the black silk gown, Janet,
said Miss Dubarle, in tone as lugubri-
Gus as If she were giving orders for her
own funeral. "Of all sins | regard in
gratitude as the basest. And the China
Grape scarf to think that have nursed
a viper to turn and sting me at last
And don't forget my easy slippers,
though | don't know either why my
cOrns should be entitled to any more
consideration than my poor bruised
heart"
And then, as Janet Heath began to
cry. Miss Dubarle marched out of the
room.
- never could endure the vipers,"
said Miss Dubarle. "I1l go to my
niece Maria, or maybe I'll make Her
bert Smythe little bit of a visit; he's
always saying how delighted he would
be to entertain me III his bachelor
quarters. They both love me, although
l haven't done half for them that L
have for this little serpent's tooth of
a Janet. / dare say she expected to be
my heiress, but she'll find out her mis-
take, l guess"
And Miss Dubarle, who allowed no
suns to go down on her wrath, took he
first train for New York, and slept that
night in the fifth story of marble
fronted hotel.
Z" didn't think / should miss that
child Janet so much, she said, rather
dolefully, to herself, the next morning,
as she tried to comb out her tangled
back hair" ard nearly strangled her.
self trying TO button up her own boots;
Z" but l don't care; / won't give up to
her lovesick whims, and l will go to see
Maria Brooks and Herbert Smythe.
Maria's little girl wrote me a beau
tiful letter last month, and all out
of her own head, her mother said. Let
me see ; Eudocia her name was. Per-
haps | will adopt Eudocia."
And Miss Dubarle ordered a carriage
and drove to the mansion of Mr.. Secor
Brooks, on an aristocratic side street.
"They seem to live very nicely"
thought the rich relation. 81 didn't
know Secor's income justified such style
as this.
The servant showed Miss Dubarle
into a reception room, furnished after
the style of Louis Quinze. His mistress
was out, but would return presently, he
explained.
I'm wait, >" said Miss Dubarle.
A wizened LITTLE 81 ;-a' Ill iSi ner Ter, mar
chill-looking elbows, was tinkling away
Mt the piano. She looked round as the
guest entered.
You are Eudocia, suppose, said
Miss Dubarle, affably.
Eyes" said the child, I'm Eudocia.
And who are Won ?"
81 am Miss Dubarle, said the heiress,
graciously. You have heard your
mamma tell about Miss Dubarle, haven't |
you?"
"Oh, yes, said Eudocia, her small,
tishy eyes lighting up. You are the
old maid that mamma says is so out |
out"
"Oat of health ?"
Ono; some very big word"
Outrageous ?" suggested Miss Du- |
barle. somewhat discounted.
"No, not that; outlandish And you
are going to die and leave me all your
money, and then we're going to travel in !
Europe. But papa says he don't see but !
what you're going to hold on forever. |
What is it YOU are holding on to, Miss
Dubarle ?"
"Heml' said Miss Dubarle. $50 your |
mammals kind enough to consider me |
outlandish, is she p
Mammals going to invite yOu TO |
visit us" went on the unwisely COM
municative Eudocia, "when the Fitz-
Roy FOrtescues are gone. She says |
she don't want them to be shocked with |
your Noah's ark ways. 1 had a Noah's
ark once" added the infant terrible, |
4" with a dog in it, and Shem, Ham ana
JapeJh."
A.,