The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-03-20
MISS DUBARLE'S RELATIVES.
BY AMY RANDOLPH.

BY AMY RANDOLPH.
Miss Dubarle was five and forty years
of age on the 10Th of March, 18-, well,
no matter what year. And she was stout
and short, with ankles like pump-ban-
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, sui generis,
each on its own special account, with no
reference whatever to the others. For
the world is not altogether stocked with
Venuses aDdd Hebes. whatever the TO-
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 "come and visit
them" and dispatched cases of wine
and hampers of game and boxes of new
books down to 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-
itely to her speeches, however prolix
they might be for q rich old maid is
worth cultivating, and it wasn't at all
likely that Miss Dubarle would ever
marry.
It was a 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
now and then, spiteful little gushes of
smoke into the room where Miss Dubarle
and her second cousin and companion,
Janet Heath, sat together, working
crochet roses for q Counterpart.
"Janet," eaid Miss Dubarle, polite
ly, "yQu're fool"
Janet looked up with flush of color
on her pretty cheek. She was not all
unsccustomed to these little compli-
mentary remarks on the part of Miss
Dubarle.
BE sensible girl" added the elder
female. "Give him up, and I'll buy
you blue silk dress and black lace
shawl"
"But I love him, Miss Dubarle."
"Oh, psh-a-aw grimaced the spin
ster. "Love, indeed I never was in
love I"
"And," added Janet, growing more
rosy than ever, as she stopped to pick
mp her ivory needle, she said he would
be miserable without me. Don't be
angry, please, but indeed, indeed, I
must marry him."
Miss Dubarle jumped up so suddenly
that the DOING blackbird in its cage
uttered shrill note of CONSERVATION.
every WE'LL" she said, every well,
Janet Heath. Pack your trunk as soon
as you please. I can dispense with your
services at once. And pack mine first,
If you please"
You are not going away, Miss Do
barie ?" queried poor Janet, in conster-
nation.
81 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 kim
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
q viper to turn and sting me at last |
And don't forget my easy slippers,
though I don't know either why nv
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.
81 never could endure the vipers. F."
said Miss Dubarle. "Iu go to my
niece Maria, or maybe I'll make Her
bert Snythe little bit of visit he's
always saying how delighted he would
be to entertain me in his bachelor
quarters. They both love me, although |
I haven't done half for them that I |
have for this little serpent's tooth of |
q Janet. 1 dare say she expected to be |
my heiress, but she'll find out her mis-. |
take, 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
don't think I should miss that
child Janet 60 much" she said, rather
dolefully, to herself, the next morning.
as she tried to comb out her tangled
" back hair, and nearly strangled her
self trying to button up her own boots;
" but don't care; I won't give ND TO
her 1ovesick whims, and will 90 to see
Maria Brooks and Herbert Smythe.
Maria's little girl wrote me a beau
tiful letter last month, and all ont
OF her own head, her mother said. Let
me see; Eudocia her name was. Per-
haps will adopt Eudocia."
And Miss Dubarle ordered 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. CT didn't
know Secor's income justified such style
- this"
The servant showed Miss Dubarle
into a reception room, furnished after
The style of Louis Quinze. His mistress
vas out, but would return presently, he
explained.
I'm wait, said Miss Dubarle.
A wizehed little girl, with her hair
braided in long Chinese plaits, and red, ,
elbows, was tinkling away
1t the piano. She looked round as the ,
quest entered.
You are Eudocia, I suppose" said {
Miss Dubarle, affably.
"Yes," said the child, "I'm Eudocia.
Ind who are you ?"
IT am Miss Dubarle, said the heiress.
You have heard your
mamma tell about Miss Dubarle, haven't I
our