Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-05-22
numbers in this odd double misunderstanding

bumpeIs IN tnls O0d double misunderstanding
OF ours. Mr.. Ashe."
So,wi courteous fareveIs Alex took his leave
and finding 1t too la'e for further Gals went bacl
10 his hoIel heavy-hearted. for with all heI
courtesy and all her Pleasantness, Mrs. Ashurst
bah not asked him TO call again. What could
DE done? for go he must and would: that he was
reSoA ed upon. His spirits rose when little
later he missed his letter case. al shall have
10 call TO ask fol Ii, he thought: aud fortified
by this reflection, went to bed and slept soundIy
Next morning he devoted himself to the
''other AShursts." who were easily found. No.
1SL4 proved TO De mansion OF pretensions,
woe ana ample. with bays balconies carved
sIone-work, stable alongside, and In all re-
SpectS belonging TO that order of architecture
hnSWn Ia newspaper parlance as the "truly
palaIial. MI. AShe was uShered through
marble paved hall into two dnly lighted and
msgnl1lcent drawing rooms, where rivulets of
sat1n meandered down either side OF lofty,
lose pnneed windows, and parterre OF huge
alc-colored flowers from the looms OF Aubis.
son covered the floor. Each giIded and carved
cnalr ana sofa wore jacket OF linen for the pro-
tectloh OF It's sllken gories, each table aud con.
soie ooasted us unmeanlng Strew OF costly
tribes; chandeliers, pictures mirrors. all were
SWaIhed In tarlatan as protection from posi-.
De tiles; while the family hearth was represent.
ed by lacquered register which grinned nm.
cheerfully from the midst OF a slab of marble
monumental apparently, which filled the whole
opening OF the fireplace This chill and gorge.
Gus solitude Alex had to himself for quarter OF
an hour, before a rustling on the stairs an.
nounced the approach OF the ladies of the fami.
~, and Mrs. AShurst and her daughters appeared
ia dependence OF French dresses. She, q
S,ately Game OF the conventional type welcomed
him graciously, and invited him to dinner on the
neXt Gay out one. 1t was but short notice to
correct a party. she remarked but they would
40 lhelr pest The young ladies, three In num-
oer, were handsome creatures. very like each
otheT, and like half hundred girls whom
Alex had met before. They talked enough for
amir atlon, and not too much for good taste:
their attitudes and movements were st1donsIv
JlpY had Shrli mi
ana were SO perfectly at their ease as to give
Tue impression OF having been born equal to
every social emergency which could possibly
aISe IN the course of their lives. Alex men,
tloned bis mistake Of the nigh before and fOund
the tale received with rather contemptuous
Mrs aSr;t There was family OF that name
a s1 them They lived near 18th street, did
lney? An! very odd. to be sure Hadn't She
heard somewhere that they taught Something
or rrotner,nappealing TO her girls. Miss Asnurst
tnOugnt That they did, and with a faint-yery
lalnt-degree Of interest asked isn't one of the
Ject dropped.
Alex Ashe was conscious of a sense of relief
Mnen. the Cal over, he found himself again In
! Ne street. "What tireSome women =" he mutt
tered. Yet why were they so tiresome? He
n mao peen familiar with just such women all his
lie, out never before had found them unen-
durable. But then 1 had never seen ANY
AshurSt, j" he meditated. Marry one of thos
girls Not II they owned the mines of Col
COHud. anu QCIe Nat went down his
TO me-" NV
HIS call of inquiry after the note-case he
Timed SO as to hut what he suspected to be the
ielsureiy hour of the family, in the later even.
ing. lie was fortunate; the ladies were at
nome, ana evidently expecting him, for the
!etter.caSe lay conspicuous on the table. and
hTS. AshurSt began with apology.
Shou nave sent 1t to you had we known
member" ~
Il should have been most unwilling to give
you that trouble; and bestdes'-candidly-
when NV missed 1t. was very glad. for it gave
me preteXt for seeing you all again"
he was so frankly handsome as he smoke
looking straight into Mrs. Ashurst's ewes the
VILE, mat she was greatly pleased with him.
text" she said. And now, Mr.. Ashe. sit dpWn
and tell us II your quest Of to-day has been suc
cess1ul. II you have found your uncle's Ashursts
The real Simon DureS."
50 began another evening of enchantment.
ibis time when our hero took leave, Mrs. AS
hurst cordially invited him to come again. and
whlle he eagerly thanked her, Amy taking the
,orgo1ten letter-case from the table, handedit to
MN, With wicked little SMILE saying .'You
mustn't forget this, Mr.. Ashe;;" and he quite
unable TO keep from laughing, replied, mo.
since MIS- Ashurst Is so kind as to say may
hard to leave it for the second time"
, Other evenings followed, each pleasanter than
Lne laSt. ihere was the sweetest atmosphere
ABOUT the mother and daughters, Alex thought;
NSiO ~ COlOldl, 81 luGblliSeSG so un.
affectedly fond of one another Little by little
ne gathered the facts OF their history. not from
any formal revelation. but by chance hints and
;aSual aliusions. Mrs. Ashurst. as he con-
ler husbands death. and with far sighted
wisdom had used her little capital in
living her girls a flrst-rate education In
eachers They had but lately returned,
md were not yet thoroughly at home In Their
,Wn country; but already Miss Ashurst was in
tructing large classes In French and German,
mo Amy giving music lessons to a number OF
,up1ls. Their evenings they kept free for the
nJoyment OF each other and of the little home
, ,liI - tnsy 80 valued and entering into the
luilly content, Alex realized for the first time
'hat the charm OF home may be- where each
innate has Independent occupation, but where
III interests are shared and united as only they
an De In those homes where love is lord and
lie dined duly with 1.-THE other Ashursts.n
nd duly paid his digestion visit" but there
ne acquaintance rested. The 1nsipidity of
.eenly, as contrasted with the domestic life he
lad just learned to understand; the elaborate
races taught In worldly schools seemed so poor
md shallow compared with 1.-The mind. the
music, breathing In the face of Amy. that it
tIuck MIN as sheer waste OF time to devote his
hours to them.
Who would care for doll, though its clothes were
And its petticoats trimmed in the fashion?n
ne hummed to himself, as he walked home af-
Ter bis second call at 1914; and from thencefOr-
ward he gave himself up with heart and soul to
-he cultivation OF his ''happy accident"
Uncle Nat was grievOusly disappointed when
MS favorite nephew, after stay in Philadel-
phia so prolonged as to justify his most sangu-
me hopes, wrote to announce his engagement
TO an entirely wrong Miss Ashurst "A girl
without penny, sir, l give you my word" and
y was long before the old gentleman could for
give the outrage He never did forgive it, in
TACT, I'LL Mrs. Alexander Ashe came to Boston in
IsOp''td persO91f, and then she made such a
conquest OF Uncle Nat as left him nothing to
SAY In bis own justification or to the reproach
)1 his mel hew. H lived to thank Heaven for
his own bad handwriting.
For" as he would explain, ''if the tails of
my SIS had been one whit less indistinct than
hey are, you would never have gone astray In
Hemlock street that night, my boy, and we
should never have had this little jewel Of ours
Tor our own, and sad thing that would have
been for us all-hey, now wouldn't it,"
TO which Alex Ashe replied, with emphasis,
Rather" N'
Our Business Men.
:, our success La resuming our place among ma