The Van Buren press., 1878-09-10

celvers excellent comedy. How !
shall snub You, FAM And for once
shall have the pleasure Of undressing
you. But has not Mr.. Selden seen
you?"
"No; | was married in Maryland and
went Immediately to Europe. | came
back a widow two years ago. but Mr.
selden has never remembered mo until
now. | wonder who this friend is that
he proposes to bring with him 2"
con, men always think in pairs, Fan
They never decide on anything until their
particular friend approves. l dare say
they wrote the letter together. What is
the gentleman S same %
The widow esafrinod the note. My
fliend Mr. Cleve Sullivan ADO you
know him, Clementine ?"
mo, am quite sure that never
saw Mr.. Cleve Sullivan. | don't fall in
love with the namc--do you! But pray
accept the offer for both gentleman, Fan,
and write this morning, dear" Then
Clemcntina returned to the considera-
ton of the lace in coqui,los for her new
evening dress,
The plan SO hastily skctched was sub
sequentIy thoroughly discussed, and
carried out. The cottage at Ryehank
was taken, and one evening at the end
of June the two ladies took possession
of it. The new widow Clare had engaged
a maid in New York, and fell into her
part with charming ease and very
pretty assumption Of authority; and the
real widow, in her plain dress and
pensive, quiet manners, realizod effect
lively the idea of cultivated but dc.
pendent companion. They had two days
in which to rehearse their parts and get
all the household machinery in order,
and then the gentleman arrived at Rye
bank.
Fan and Clementine were quite ready
for their first call; the latter in rich
and exquisite morning costume, the
former in q simple dress Of spotted lawn.
Clementine went through the ntroduc-
tons with consummate ease of manner,
and in half an hour they were very
pleasant party. Johns eousinship'
afforded an excellent basis for informal
companionship, and Clementine gave it
full prominence Ind ed, in a few days
John began to find the relationship tire
some; it had been, "Cousin John, do
this" and cousin John, come here,'
continually; and one night when Clcve
and he sat down to smoke their final
cigar, he was irritable enough to give his
his objections the form of speech.
"Cleve. to tell you the honest truth,
81 think she is very lovely woman,
John"
a. say nothing against her beauty,
Cleve; / don't like her, and l have no
mind to occupy the place that beautiful
ill-used Miss Marat fills, The way
Cousin Clare ignores or snubs woman
to whom she is every way inferior makes
me angry enough assure you"
"Don't fall in love with the wrong wo-
man, John"
"Your advice is too late, Cleve; am
in love. There is no use in US deceiving
ourselves or each other. You seem to
like the widow-why not marry her? |
am quite willing You should
"Thank you, John l have already made
some advances that way. They have been
favorahly received, | think
"You are so handsome, a fellow has no
chan &c against you. But we shall hardly
quarrel, if you do not interfere between
lovely little Clement and myself.
Il could not afford to smile on her,
John; she is too poor. And what on
earth are you going to do with a poor
wife Nothing added to nothing will not
make decent living.
al am going to ask her to be my wife,
and if she does me the honor to say
Yes / will make decent living out Of
my profession"
From this time forth John devoted
himself with some ostentation to his
supposed cousins companion. He was
determined to let the widow perceive
that he had made his choice, and that
he could not be bought with her money.
Mr.. Selden and Miss Marat were always
together, and the widow did not interfere
between her companion and her cousin.
Perhaps she was rather glad of their
close friendship, for the handsome Cieve
made a much more delightful attendant,
Thus the party fell quite naturally into
couples, and the two weeks that the
gentleman had first fixed rs the limit Of
their stay legthcned into two months.
1t was noticeable that as the ladies
became more confidential with their
lovers, they had less to say to each
other; and it began at last to be quite
evident to the real widow that the play
must end for the present, or the denoue-
ment would come prematurely. Circum-
stances forced her determination. One
night Clementine, with radiant face,
came into her friends room, and said,
. Fan, have something to tell you.
Cleve has asked me to marry him.
"Now, Clement you have told him all I;
know you have"
mot word, Fan. He still believes
me the widow Clare"
"Did you accept him ?"
Conditionally. / am to give him a
final answer when we go to the city in
October. You are going to New York
this winter, are you not?'
"Yes. Our little play progresses fine
ly. John Selden asked me to be his wife
to night"
"I told you men think and act in
pairs"
John is q noble fellow. | pretended
to think his cousin had ill.used him, and
he defended him until was ashamed of
myself, absolutely said, Clement, that
you was sufficient excuse for Mr..