Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1880-12-16
A Painful Scene at an English Gar
den Parfv


The London Truth. in a recent pum-
Der, says: Not long ago strange
scene took place in a pretty garde.1 not
hundred miles from London. The
tree shaded lawn was scattered over
with seats, with here and there a
bright colored Persian rug for the spe-
cial behoof of any guests who object
to open air amusements on account of
damp grass
TO some minds grass is ALWAYS damn.
1t was early in the afternoon and the
only tenants in the garden were the
servants, who were arranging refresh
ments upon some tables under the trees.
They seemed full of mods and becks.
and whispers of apparently mysterious
imports passed among then. A car
riaSe drives up to tie gate, and two
ladies, entering look arouml for their
hostess. The servant who las admit
ted them goes in search cf his mistress.
and few moments afterward a Young
and beautifully dressed woman issues
from the house, her face deeply flushed.
her eyes half closed and her gait uncers
tain
Just at this moment another car
riage drives up, gentleman and lady
being the occupants. They, too, enter
the garden gate and advance towards
the house across the lawn. As they
approach the uncertain, swaying figure
of their hostess they look at each 9th
er significantly, and the lady says in a
low voice: 81 was afraid of this.
Where can Mr.. Y. be to allow her to be
seen in that state?" The interpreta-
ton of those wild looks, that disorder
ed hair, and those meaningless words
is that Mrs. X. is intoxicated, though
not sufficiently so to be quite HELPLESS.
She wanders about among her guests.
her condition, however, being so palp-
able, so unmistakable, that the majority
laugh and litter, while the friendly
few pity, though they condemn her. The
painful scene was ended by the arrival
of her husband, whose look of misery.
as he led his wife on his arm through
the gronps of gaily dressed people into
the house, touched even the laughers
with pity.
This is no exaggeration of facts. It
Is, unfortunately, a scene from real
life, and, fear, not an uncommon one
The love of strong drinks appears in
creasing among the educated women
of our day. During the season just
passed instances OF this were so fire.
quent as to lead to the conjecture that
kind of epidemic of drink was per-
vading those classes of society in
which culture, position, and the pos
session of every comfort of life would
appear to be u sufficient guarantee
against so degrading a vice. Society"
ladies, in fact, live too much upon ex-
citement not tc suffer fJi the inevita-
bic REACTION. Tor fev4 4n6ntns III ;ae
year they endure contin5ed fatigue in
treading the social mill, md for the re-
mainder they are a prey g ennui.
They try the first dos of choral us
an experiment. MY eye; lcoS so dull
and heavy this morning. So-and-so
says cbloral is such capital thing:
think I'll try it." In this case, us in
rouge, it is not .'the first step that
costs 1t is easy enough But, from
being an experiment it becomes prac-
tice, and from practice it develops in
to necessity. 1t is no longor servant,
but master. Ny lady has her half pint
of champagne about IN hour after
breakfast. another at llncteon, Il IS
Of liquor instead of afternoon tea, a
regular sequence of wine at dinner, and
brandy in her post-prandial coffee. Her
chloral in her dressing-room is as
permanent and Indispensable an ar
rangement rs her bath, and. much
sooner missed frcm its usual position
| than her Bible