The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-01-15

WtQOW Olhlcy anu L yOQI pDOI iIlcuQ duu
companion"
Good very good. The Fair Deceivers'-
an excellent comedy. How | shall snub
you, Fan! And for once / shall have the
pleasure of undressing you. But has not
Mr.. Selden ever seen your
NO; was married in Maryland, and went
Immediately to Europe 1 came back
widow two years ago, but Mr.. Selden has
never remembered me until now. / wonder
who this friend is that he proposes to bring
with him.
'Oh, 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 gen.
tlemans Dame?'
The widow examined the note. ".My
friend, Mr.. Cleve Sullivan Do you know
him. Clementine?"
mo; sm quite sure that never saw Mr.
Cleve Sullivan. l don't fall in love with the
name-do you? But pray accept the offer
for both gentlemen, Fan, and write this
morning, dear" Then Clementine returned
to the consideration of the lace in coquilles
for her new evening dress.
The plan so hastily sketched was subse-
quently thoroughly discussed and carried
out The cottage at Ryebank was taken, and
one evening at the end of June the two
ladies took possession of it. The new widow
Clare had engaged 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 PEN
sive, quiet manner, realized effectively the
idea of a cultivated but dependent COM
panion. They had two days IN which to re-
hesrse their parts and get all the household
machinery in order, and then the gentlemen
arrived ar Ryebank.
Fan and Ciementine were quite ready for
their first call; the latter IN rich and ex-
quisite mourning costume, the former in
simple dress OF spotted lawn. Clementine
went through the introductlons with con-
summate ease of manner, and In half an
hour they were very pleasant party. Johns
'cousinship" afforded an excellent basis for
informal companionshlp, and Clementine
gave it full prominence. Indeed in q few
days John began to find the relationship
tiresome 1t had been Cousin John, do
this, ''and cousin John, come here" contin-
ualiy; and one night when Cleve and he sat
down to smoke their final cigar, he was irri-
table enough to give his objections the form
of speech.
. ''Cleve. to tell you the honest truth, do
not like Mrs. Clare"
81 think she is q very lovely woman,
john
Il say nothing against her beauty, Cleve,
l don't like her. and l have no mind to Oc-
cupy the place that beautiful, ill-used Miss
Marat fills. The way Cousin Clare ignores
or snubs a woman to wnom she is in every
way inferior makes me angry enough 1 as
sure you"
Don't fall in love with the wrong woman,
John.''
Your advice is too late, Cleve; am in
love. There is no use in us deceiviDg our
selves 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
favorably received. am thinking"
You are SO handsome, fellow has no
chances against you. But we shall hardly
quarrel. if you do not interfere between
lovely little Clement and myself"
81 could not afford TO smile on her. John;
she is too poor. And what on earth are you
going to do with poor wife? Nothing add
ed to nothing will not make a decent liv
ing"
II am going to ask her to be my wife, and
il she does me the honor 10 say yes, / will
make a decent living out of my profession"
From this time forth John devoted him
self with some ostentation to his supposed
cousins companion. He was determed 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 hand
some Cleve made a much more delightful
attendant. Thus the party fell quite nat
urally into couples and the two weeks that
the gentlemen had first fixed as the limit of
their stay heightened 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
denouement would come prematurely. Cir
cumstances favored 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; l
know you have"
Not word, Fan. He still believes me
the widow Clare"
ibid you accept him?"
"Conditlonally. am to give him final
answer when we go to the city in October.
You are going to New York this winter, are
1 you not?'
Eyes. Our little play progresses finely
| John Selden asked me to be his wife to-
night"
Il told you that men think and act in
pairs"
sJohn is noble fellow. 1 pretended to
think his cousin had ill used HIM, and he
defended him until was ashamed of my
self; absolutely said, Clement, that you
were sufficient excuse for Mr.. Clare's will.
Then he blamed his own past idleness SO
much, and promised if 1 would only try and
endure the sings and arrows of your out
rageous temper, Clement for two years
longer, he would have made home for me
in which l could be happy. Yes, Clement.
should marry John Selden il We had not q
five dollar bill between us, -
81 wish Cleve had been little more ex-
plicit about his money affairs. However,
there is time enough yet. When they leave
tomorrow, what shall We do?"
.We will remain here another month !;
Levine will have the house ready tor me by
that time. have written to him about re-
furnishing the parlors."
So next day the lovers parted, with
many promises of constant letters and
future happy days together. This interval
Was long and dull enough but it
passed, and one morning both gentlemen re-
ceived notes of invitation to a small dinner
party at the widow Clare's mansion in -
street. There was good deal of dressing for
this party. Cleve wished to make his en-
trance into his future home as became the
prospective master of million and half oil