National Republican., 1877-03-11
MRS. HOUNSLOW'S PARTY.
ny HARRIET PRESCOTT srorroro


Of hor cap, she had been obliged TO change tho
thought TO that OF the maiden who should be.
come Lawronco's bride, and give her all the com.
fort and none Of the caro- Of y daughter
She had always been a lonesome body; an or
phnn at first, and then so few years o wife before
she was widow, with her unruly boy at school:
and she had looked Nt mothers with their little
rirls, and euvicd them the companionship, the
opportunity OF making charming dresses for the
pretty darlings, the p"nrr tO 1--we their lives over
again In their girls.
when Lawrence c.mc home TO stay she had,
Of course, much comfort in him, and If the young
man "enJoyed his fling" she knew nothing about
It. Yct Lawrence's "hlng" was not a bad one,
as finRs go; he drank his wine with moderation,
from opcurism; II was so pleasant he did not wish
II TO pall he drove a iIsi horse, and he loved a
game dinner. When thn exuberanco OF youth
passed he would settle ulu respectable citizen,
with o bank nccpunt r, her eyes, to-day, he
was paragon.
Settle. But not aicnr 1t followed as the
night the day that Lawrence would marry--a
very pretty girl or very rich one. Neither
would be to Mrs Hounslow's taste; the pretty
girl hardly the companion sho sought for herself,
the fighty head turned by vanity, tho appetite
Unsuitable for hattery; and the rich mastering
Lawrence, and consequently herself. She had
chosen herself n charming young girl with as
sweet q nature Ms ever shone out OF q blue eye;
hhe frequently had her there, although to no
effect except In her own dreams In what dreams
| Mrs. Hounslow indulged by the evoning ire
apropos Of Louise MandelI! somehow the young
orphan girl always seemed sitting on the other
side Of tho fire, its light dancing In her eyes on
her dImpllng smilo aud sometimes Mrs Houns.
( low saw that light glance on little golden we'd.
ding ring, and sometimes on little golden nest
| ling head; and Lawrence was always standing on
the rug between the two, looking, with equal
I topderness In bis dark eyes, at ono side and at
. NkAu Nh.N, -. a
morning Louise moved about the house with her,
cutting flowers, filling vases, concOcting choice
dithes-what mOiherin law sho would make
/ How happy sho was going TO be Ia this dear
daughter! She had even gone so far ~ to buy
al open phaetOn In this dream for Louise to drive
htt out In on sunny evenings and was Just set.
Ting on the color Of tho fringsd silken canopy,
/ when she awOkc 10 sec tIAt Louise was % cipher
beside that great luxurious haEcl.cyed and hato.
full blonde, Flora Furlor Z.
Mira HOunsOw's sou "nd Furlong There
was no worse blood in 'he land; money enough;
family enough; and yet nothing too unscrupu
L,us Of which to suspect tho men; too seIhsh,
silly, Blovenly, stupid, sptteful, Of which to ac.
| Cusc the women!
Young men DO not ause TO think Of such
things. What Flora r., long could work out as
thought; but her lumir ous black.lushed cvcs
with their long white los ana the way she had Of
lining them her melting mouth and Velvet skim
all that was a fascination; aud II he was MT
pafsionately In earnest. he was In a fair way to
be So "Why, she's nothing but clay, rosr'lctf
clay, flesh ana blood! dUI't believe she has u
soul, or any thing that answers for Onr"' crIod
Mrs: IiouIslow to herself "A Furlong never
Flora Furlong to fll the measure OF those
dreams OF hers! 10 make her boys hOme If he
was to have wlle, she was TO have n daugh ghter;
and the daughter was TO be her acquisition or her
burden all day long, and Lswrcnce's delight hut
an hour or twO-LawTcnceh burden, too, instead
Of bis blessing, by and.hy ifit should he tho Fur.
lOngi And she had as good right to assert her
will MS no had to assert his; shc knew the best;
and were not she and Lawrtncc one, after alI,
SO ran her reyere.
Foolish Mrs. Hounslow! The wind bloweth
where IL lleteth; and you might as we'll try to
turn that wind back whittier IL came by blowing
against Il. as 10 lure the young mans fancy hy
II was Flora bv whose side Lawrence was ever
to be seen. II pleased his sense Of beauty to look
her Il pleased his sense o. pride to bo with her;
creature by his sdc. He fqnanderci his money
In flowers and books and musIc and the like. She
Cured to him that the leaves OF tho books were
uncut; and as tCr The the music, he was in tha; state
would have croaked dIyinely.
But Mrs. HounslOw was not q woman to endure
without struggle; She called some wisdom to
slightest dissatisfaction with Flora, but she al.
lowed other people to speak disrespcctfuily Of
the force ofpublic opinion; she took adm d
her beauty, although In the same breath telling
somo incluentul TaultlOn 10 thc uisOfelit oil her
family and she was very hospitablo to two tat
old toothless aunts Of FiOra's dwelling with sym.
PATTY anerward on their loss Of the beauty Of
hounslCw, 'fhat Flora VIII look Just like them
twenty years away. Well, 1t is something to
have had beauty, II one does become little less
than q whale. What fate TO see ones self turn.
ing to blubbcr. Perhaps 1t would be worse though
to see another, II you cared. By.thowny, Flora
called here this afternoon. Sho had the iovellest
enamel belt bueklei she can wear one the size ol
NIL ~ hl lie mt has lnNls al
him with a twinkle that could hardly help being
contagious. "Ah: nh;" she said; what a thing
all the pretty girls declaring me the most de-
lIshtiul old woman But suppose must leave
when l marry, mother" Lawrence IndIg
"Y;u Will sult yourself-and me too. Deal
Inc !" she went On, II had almost forgotten; youi
cousin Fanny is coming, poor thing, and am in
yitnS all these girls to come and make Il cheerful
bedness. And as iSWFenCSp Sp acSrsce en no ono
but bis mother knew how his heIrt was beating
Poor Mrs. IIounslow. Lightly as she spok,
then, was not without ray scene In her roUIn
with her husbands portrait Ior sole spectator
, that she had come TO the conclusion 10 try he
because OF It's reason. Ah, there was the bitter
, ness-tbat her Idol was brOkcp. that Lawrence
whose father was an angel In heaven, was him
, self after oil, nothing but clay! She wlDed he
eyes only Tor another burst OF tears, ano her blaz
OF Indignation, to think that her marvel of m Il
was so small as to bc trcked out of his will b,
such subterfuge as hor contemplate experiment
As they lived n few milcs from town, Mrs
HounslOw had some excuse Tor her company
She had often heard that you never know person
, till you live with them Lawrence was to have
, chance TO know Flora furlong. What II shout,
end by his pursuing II better acgua Intance will
Louise Mandell? She began her operations b!
aontding In Cousin FAny-a maiden lady .
uncertain age and temper.
. "Quite right" responded Cousin Fanny. :"
: suppose men nre necessary In the scheme but
/ 1 had been making world, could have dis
pensed with the element"
n Fanny criod Mrs. HOunsl0v regarding thi
I as derosatory to her deiensolcss husband, an,
outrag cOus to her living son.
A "Un, indeed satd Cousin Fanny, - the host O
them Is only a stomach. They are all simpi
elevations Of the Jelly -ish thor great pre-, ypt
!, and he Is nothing else. You can reach their fee
ings, their affections, their passions, their intel
lect, through the stomach. How many n man ha
a married his cook The whole secret of domesti
4 quiet is just to keep the stomach well filled.
Mrs. Hounslow could not say word. II was o
exactly that theory that she was proceeding.
Three days of the visit had not passed beior
an easterly storm gave her hcr opportunity
" her disgust over Lawrenccs devotion to Nils
" Furlot Z. iThere Is something animal abou
that gill;" she exclaimed once, as Flora lett tn
room.
d "Very," echoed Cousin Fanny. "when sh
eats-I DECLARE when she eats, expect to Sc
II her put down her face like 4 dog and lap tn
D, gravy"
n Lawrencc's banging door shook tho houst
q Lawrence was doubly kind TO Flora that night
IS he sang with her, and then he took her into tn
5. | little cCnEcrvatOTy. "Iou should always wca