The Republican journal., 1877-05-24

how his heart was beating all the time.
Poor Mrs. HounsloW. Lightly as she
spoke then, it was not without a tragic
scene in her room, With her husbands
portrait for sole spectator, that she had
come to the conclusion to try her expert
ment; not because of the experiment.
but because of its reason All, there was
the bitterness that her idol was broken.
chat Lawrence, whose father was an angel
in heaven, was himself, after all, nothing
but clay. She wiped her eyes only for
another burst of tears, another blaze Of
Indignation, to think that her marvel of
a man was 50 small as to be trcked out
OF his will by such a subterfuge as her
cpntemptible experiment.
As they lived a few miles from town.
Mrs. Hounsow had some excuse for her
company. She had often heard that YOU
never know persons till YOU live with
them: Lawrence Was to have a chance
to know Flora furlong. What il it
should end by his pursuing better ac-
quaintance with Louise McndcI She
began her operations by confding in
Cousin Fanny a maiden lady Of an un-
certain age and temper.
- suppose men are necessary in the
scheme; but if had been making a
world, could have dispensed with the
element"
Fanny" cried Mrs. IIounslow. re
garding this us derogatory 10 her de
fenceless husband, ana outrageous to her
living son.
"Oh indeed" said Cousin Fanny ''the
best OF them is only u stomach. They
are all simple elevations of the jely-tish,
their great prototype. and he is nothing
else. You can reach their feelings, their
affections, their passions, their intellect,
through the stomach. How many u man
has married his cook The whole secret
of domestic quiet is to keep that stomach
we'll filled. "Alrs. Hounslow could not SAY
Il word. 1t was on exactly that theory
that she was proceeding.
Three days of the visit had not passed
before an castcrly storm gave her her
opportunity. Mrs IIounsloW had been
scarcely able to conceal her disgust over
Lawrence's devotion to Miss Furlong
"There is something animal about that
girl" she exclaimed once, as Flora left
the room.
"NerN." echoed Cousin Fanny. ''When
she eats / declare, when she eats, cX-
pect to see her put down her face like u
dog and lap the gravy"
IaWrence's banging door shook the
house. Lawrence WAS doubly kind to
Flora that night. He sang With her, and
then he took her into the little conscrVa-
tory. "lou should always wear those
rich stripes" he said, us she wound an
oriental scarf around her. stepping in.
"lt so recalls that serpent of Old Nile /"
''The sea-serpent, do You mean :"
And then seeing Cleopatra Il stranger
to Miss Furong, Lawrence thought Of the
delight of moltiing the neglected intel
lect belonging to such beauty. AS for the
young lady, it never entered her lovely
head that it did not contain all there was
to know. except some dry facts and fig
ures that had defed it-slch us the mul-
tiplcation table. He was looking back
at the group of girls around Mrs. Houns-
low telling their fortunes.
Flies round honey" she said '!all eager
for a mother in law; :" and she looked up
at him and laughed. II hate a mother
in-law." she added presently. 'Im 50
glad my mother died when | was born
my husband will never have H"H to com
plain Off. They were sweet lips for such
brutal sentiments. Lawrence, in his his
torical parallels, did not think that pUssi-
bly, LucreZia Borgia's were ;ls sweet.
elbow it rains She said. as the slcct
struck the panes.
''And | suppose every variation OF the
Wcatheralects person sensitiNclN strung
as you are
"Oh yes" said Flora, lifting her great
eyes. and it does 50 spoil your boots !"
1t was only beauty that filled the gaps
Of such conversation. Presently some
one was calling. "Flora. Where is she
Such capital idea What do You
think? We are each of us to get up -
dinner" cried Kate Farley, looking in.
"Come and hear about it-only stipu-
late that mine shall br last
Il protest. said Lawrence, as they
joined the group, "against the practice
of any such mysteries, Wilder and me
eNcluded.'
"Thats right" chnned in Wilder. the
young millionaire, who had been added
to the party for the sake of cqulpoise.
"Mr. Wilder.' said cousin Fannie Sc
pulchrallN, ''somc day when You Hrc east
away on Il desert island, and Your wife
cannot even make Il johnny -cakc-"
"Does that desert island mean matli-
mony ?" asked Louise, slyIy, of cousin
Fanny.
"And when cast away on it, said Mrs
HounsloW, sis it that the cook and the
house maids have struck hands and
struck work ~
"Well, if this is to be-" said Lawrence.
''you Will at amy rate lnterspclse pud-
dlngs with plcncs, roasts with rides,
marmalades with moonlight are there
any more allterativts, Miss Louise .'
LAS much," said his mother ''as YOU
can intersperse in weeks gale
"It's Ridiculous" said Flora, turning
away now with young Wilder. Il wish
there wasn't any such thing us 4 llitchcn.' -
'.And vet" said Mrs. IIounsloW, look
ing after her retlcctiVcly, Il should think
she would have genius for cookery she
has a cooks build the typical cooks"
Lawrcncc's eyes were blazing, but his
mother went calmly ON. ''Well, its an
experiment. said she ''We Shall have
to suffer for it-H0Hs 0Htres. What Il
farce kate's dinner will be salt in the
whipped cream, and sugar in the mavon-
naisc-but Flora's will be good"
Good enough" said cousin Fannie,
with Il sniff. ANY glutton must cook"
The storm setting in Justify, there WAS
a fine season for the amateur cooks, who
were going about with culinary literature
next day, like nuns with their missals.
Lawrence said. "Enchantcd into book
worms, we are to eat our way through
these Volumes" he said.
The first dinner was of course an ab-
surd failure, being Rates; but they made
so merry over it that it seemed as Kate
declared, better than if it had been good
Louise replaced it on the following day
10y one as exquisite as any little French
dinner, so perfectly prepared and 50 per
tectly served that Lawrence looked with
an amazed respect at the little being in
his mothers place, whose genius had or
dered it all, and who was as composed
us if she had merely threaded her needle
The next day it was Miss Furlong's turn :;
and certainly IL more beWitching picture
,>f Il, 10 :