The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-12-06

having been on the continent with
Mrs, Mortimer, speaks two or three
modern languages with fiuency.'
How old9'
"About your age, jubge-twety-
four or five.
Maude broke into harsh laugh.
Mrs. Mortimer's niece!' she cried.
.sWell, that is rich! And so young
| Lord Frederick Seymour is in low e
with her =
s:He is certainly very devoted
Everybody thinks it will be
match.
"a match" cried Maude, in anoth-
er burst of hooking merrlment.
lord Frederick Seymour and Esther
Worthington! Well, well: l tell
you" she said, with "a touch or saf-
casm i1I her tones, lit will not be a
match! / will take her down.
"What do you mean!
evil this belle be at Lady kalston S
'' "probablS. But do tell me. Maude,
what YOU know about herr!
know enough to cool Lord Fred
er;ck Sevmour's ardor. said Maude:
.sand he shall learn the truth. TO
think of that girls daring to move in
our set"
:.Well. as to that Cora replied,
"being handsome. accomplished. feilh-
ed, and heiress to double your fortune
Maude. I cannot see where the audac'
ity comes in, especially as Mrs. Hur-
sew has her for a guest, and we all
know how particular she IS. Inc
Scymours themselves are not prouder
than the Hurseys.
"You wait until the evening! L
suppose the girl thinks nobody here
knows her. I'll humble her! She
won't attend any more fashionable
parties after I've told my story!
"But what is your story
.sYou'll hear tonight
s.Tell me now" Cora said coaxing-
".
"No. Let me lie down awhile and
rest. or shall look like ghost this
evening".
A very brilliant ghost it would have
been to resemble Maude Person as
she entered Lady Ralston's saloon a
few hours later. An evening dress OF
garnet velvet, cut to display the beau
tifully rounded shoulders and arms,
and trimmed with rich black lace, Or
naments of diamonds, and cluster OF
white flowers in the jctty bralds OF
hair; all heightened her queenly
beauty.
Looking across the crowded room,
she recognized her rival IN Tall
slender girl, who wore white lace over
peach.colored satin, and ornaments or
fretted gold. Lord Frederick Sey'
mour was already in attendance, APP
parently, for he was leading this lady
TO the head of a quadrille just forming
when Maude entered. The sight
stimulated anew all the hatred OF
Esther Worthington that had oeeh
reused by Coras description.
A cold-hearted. calculating woman
devoted to dress, wealth ana luxury
selfish to her heart s core. carrying ne
smiling face of belle over a plttel
envy of all more fortunate than her
self-Maude Pierson had never 1elt
the touch of womanhood until he,
heart opened to Lord fredericl
Seymour.
An orphan. depende tupon IN aunt
devoted to frivolities of fashion
|, Maude's education had been superb
cial, and an undue value had been civ
ell in her thoughts to the advantages
of birth. position and fortune.
Miss Pierson was very proud of tn
blue blood in her own veins: AM
= Maude's success as q belle was as mucl
a triumph to her aunt rs to herself.
When the long illness set in tina
Il 70 4
:, !. and quiet of a country home. her nice
y had begun to hope that the attention
Z of Lord Fred were more thar
: those called for by the ordinary re
quirementS Of society.
= 1t had been great blow to her t
! be suddenly whirled out of the vorte
= of London gaietv. to be buried aliv
! in the little town where much of he
! childhood had passed, under he
7 aunt's care. But she was far toC
:, polite to murmur loudly, and whe
II her relative died. it was with the fir
conviction that all Maude's tende
9 care and devotion were dictated b
7 the warmest affection. 1t was singl
II larlv characteristic of Miss Pierso
= that in her will she stipulated tina
= Maude should return to London 81
4 months after her death. and wear n
mourning. In one of their last inter
- views she said to her: You will 500
- be twenty-five. Maude, and you sha
~ not bury Yourself here next winter
!, 1t might ruin Your prospects of a goo
- match.
=, And Maude, secretly eXultant. weI
- copiously as she assured her ann
~ that society would have no charm
- for her were she deprived of her lif,
long companion.
Yet the six months dragged wear
u " when she thought of Lord Frede
20 seymour. Would he love her bette
i. for her golden charms. or did he kno
:. her fortune. after all it was small, con
pred with his own princely incom,
! Had fairer face eclipsed her memor,
le Carefully during the long summe
I'd did the beautiful brunette cherish he
IN own charms, and gloriously did the
h. repay her care when she burst upo
is her old friends. more superbly ham