The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-09-16
PHEMA'S WAY.

IL uare say you UOu lliuk Iue very
wise. mamma; but person can't be
convicted of extreme Stiffness on one
count
Let the matter drop, my dear, il
YOU please. We won't argue it. You
have consented to wait till September
before final decision, and the thing i.
too disagreeable tor discussion" Mrs
Bayard drew her soft shawl gracefully
about her and left the room.
If ever anybody was ''born to thu
purple in this republican country
Euphemia Bayard had been. Her in
Their belonged to one of its oldest fami
lies. her mother counted Dutch ances
tors back to the time when that stolit
nation "took Holland" The Vande
veers had been rich before Mrs. Bay.
daughter of a ninth son. and the family
wealth would not bear such minutes.
imal division as this, for all the nine
sons had their own families, and a mill
ion will fade fast under division ant
subdivision. She married Mr.. BayarC
because he had position and money, anC
why he had married her nobody knew
Perhaps he did not. She was sallow
skinny. green-eyed. dull-ha;red ant
cold-blooded as fish; graceful anC
stylish, it is true, but, to travesty al
old quotation, look in her face, and
you forgot it ALL" Mr.. Ba, ard was a
handsome. genial. prosperous young
fellow when they were married, and
Euphemia, their only child, was tended
and educated like princess. Velvet
and Nalenciennes. swansdOwn and
linen cambria were scarcely good
enough to lap her tiny, lovely shape,
and two nurses combined with hel
mother to spoil her utterly; but she in.
herited from her father keen sense,
quick perception, humor, generosity
and deep feeling. These went far to
atone for the high temper, the educated
selishness. and the willfui disposition
of Miss Phema.
1t would have been better for her il
her father had lived, but at six wears
old she lost him. lie was killed instant.
~ by fall from too spirited horse
which he was trying, and Phema had
only a childish memory left.
She grew up under the most expens.
i've covernesses into the most fashion.
able finishing schools, petted, admired
pampered with every luxury, and hel
vanity fed and fostered from hour to
hour. That she had her own way was
Il foregone conclusion: but her charac.
ter was so strong that it asserted itself
even in its willfulness, and "Phelna's
way was proverbial, both at home
and at school.
At eighteen she came out into socie.
ty. beautiful, accomplished and head.
strong. Mrs. Bayard had spent all
these years since her husbands death
in recklessly eXtravagant life, and
now, to her great surprise, found hel
property was deprecated and her in
come suddenly lessened. She repaired
at once to her husbands lawyer. and,
having learned the full state Of the case,
determined, entirely against his advice.
TO sell everything she owned and buy
an annuity. In vain old Mr.. Paine rep
resented to her that this would utterly
impoverish her daughter, in case OF hel
own death.
81 cannot help that" she replied,
with cool seltishness that chilled him
81 can never live. nor can Phema
without our accustomed Injuries. She
must marry well; and she cannot dc
that without an entrance of the right
sort into society. l trust she viii
not need much more think not ,
And Mrs. Bayard's green eyes flashed
with pride that might be called ma.
ternal, but did not deserve so sacred q
name. So she bought handsome an.
nuity, without consulting or even in.
forming Euphemia, the property having
been all left in her hands, and then
gave the young lady a triumphant in
PRODUCTION into society.
But scarcely had she appeared on the
stage when Mrs. Bayard's mother died
and, since Phema must be with lrawn
at once from the scene of her glories
Mrs. Bayard resolved to send her fol
the early part of the summer out tt
Desborough, a country town of some
Importance, high among the Massachu
sets hills. Here, under the wing OF
an old aunt of Mr.. Bayard's, she would
not be seen too much to make her flu.
ture debut stale and Improbable, and
she would acquire freshness of com.
pleXion that boarding school up to
Eater and fortnight of balls directly
after had good deal impaired.
Aunt Allen was clergyman widow
lovely. gentle old lady, living in a
square white house, set in it's grassy
yard like flower on leaf. and cano
pied with dropping elms. Phema was
charmed. Her city elegancies ant af
fcctations fell back like the calyx from
a rosebud. and she delighted her Aunt
Allen by her keen enjoyment. her COM
mo hnr - L.
all wholesome country wavs, and her
unaffected interest in everything.
Nobody in Desborough knew more
about this pretty Miss Bayard than the
fact that she was Mrs. Aliens niece
and. as she laid away the finery hel
mother and her maid had packed into
her trunk, and contented herself with
gowns of delicate lawn and printed
cambria, with now and then q white
dress for Sundays. and nobody there
knew enough to recognize the hand o.
an artist in the exquisite simplicity o.
these garments or to know that the
little chip hat, with its gold buckle anC
floating feather, was really fresh from
Paris, she was not suspected of being
rich or fashionable; and, being very
P~so' AASAA' aAN SOOu.AdUuICus ouS
soon made friends in Desborouyh, and,
moreover, carried away captive the
heart of Mr.. Mather, the only LAWYER OF
the place, a handsome, intelligent
young fellow. come of q good race,
sturdy and self-reliant, oafv-he was
poor! But this did not disturb Euphe.
mia. She fell in love with him as ut
terly and simply as if Arcadia was her
birthplace; and before her signal of re.
call car & both were plunged fathoms
deep in an honest. old-fashioned pas.
sion. with which society and money had
no more to do than they have with
Heaven.
Aunt Allen did not interfere, for she
saw no occasion to. It was all right, in
her unworldly eyes. She knew Stephen
Mather was good enough for any body,
as she had often declared, and both she
and Euphemia thought John Bayard'a