Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-17
sJRIeINAL sToRYI
THE WAYS0F' THE WORLD.
goRIcINAL SERIAL sroRY.l
BY JUN1Us HENRI BROWNE.

reaQlnB up Ou d Case, OsCAf, tnaL L We De-
come interested in. VIII you stay here
and turn over my books, or have you some
thing better to do ?"
Something different, doctor. But if
nothing happens I'll meet you at the Gray
sons"
The invitations had been issued in the
name of Mr.. Seth Grayson and his daugh-
ter, but it was she, as may be imagined,
who had conceived and arranged the din
ner. He was accustomed to consult Ruth
about everything, for he had most ex-
allied opinion of her wisdom. He was
constitutionally conservative; he mad no
variety in his life, and wanted none. Hav-
ing married rather late, and having lost
his wife in few years, he transferred the
( affection he had cherished for her to their
only child, whom he considered exception
ally attractive and sagacious.
Having retired before 80 from business
! he had been shipping merchant-with
comfortable competency, he had not en-
tered into 1t again, prefering financial GER
| tainty to the most promising uncertainty.
He was now 60, and divided his time be-
tween looking shrewdIy after his property
and admiring Ruth, just turned of %.
Not regularly educated himself, he was on
that account more DESTROYS that she should
I be. She had had the best instructors, and
he was fond of drawing out her erudition,
although he understood very little of it.
When she was in her early teens, he formed
many plans for her matrimonial settle.
ment but when she had grown older and
asserted her views on the independ-
ence of women, eyincing small sym
pathy with wedlock, he fully agreed
with her. He was frequently heard
to declare that there were too many
marriages, and that women of the highest
order could not afford to be absorbed by
domestic conditions. Notwithstanding his
temperamental conservatism, he accepted
without hesitation Ruths radical notions,
and was won't to express his native and
borrowed ideas in the same conversation
without seeing their incongruity.
James Rivers, who good.naturedly
laughed at what he called the old gentle
mans duality of nature, called him the
Oracle, because he seldom knew what he
said until his daughter, the priestess, had
interpreted it.
Generally Grayson was very quiet,
showing his over.appreciation of Ruth by
reverent silence in her company. He was
noted for amiability, which was rarely ruff
fled except when somebody interrupted
her. Then he manifested unmistakable
irritation, and was very likely to intimate,
on the first convenient occasion, that the
interrupter was deficient in understanding.
When dinner was served, the guests
present were ten, Mrs. Martha Royden,
Elise Northrup and her father, two other
ladies, Mrs. Pritchard and niece, remark
able for nothing in particular, James Riv-
ers, De Witt Yardley, DR.. Archer, Norman
Kinmont and Oscar Goodwin. w. Neville
Royden, Philip and Margaret Royden and
several others had sent regrets The talk,
as usual at table, was rambling and frag-
mentary, much of it empty and common
place, with parts indicative of the char
acter of the takers.
81 have just heard, Mrs. Royden," re-
marked Kinmont, prone to say whatever
might come into his head, "of your
daughters engagement to the Count de
Barigues. Allow me to congratulate you.
Thanks, Mr.. Kinmont, think 1 merit
congratulation. Mr.. Royden and myself
are very unwilling, as you may understand,
to part with cur daughter; but the fact
that she is to be Countess, and will be
allied to one of the oldest and noblest
families Of France, reconciles us, in meas
ure, to our loss. Dear child, she'll do
credit to her native land in her foreign
home"
" You will, madam, rejoice all the
more, observed Archer, with sly irony,
that your daughter will go from repub-
lie to republic"
In all frankness, cannot admit that.
Republics are doubtless good for the people
at large; but they hinder the establish
ment of an upper class distinguished for
birth, breeding and refinement"
"Ah, Mrs. Royden," cried Northrup.
you must not be disloyal to the cause of
democracy. There is no land SO blessed
as ours under the canopy of heaven. One
of our States is worth the whole of king
crushed Europe"
He's wasting breath, said Yardley in
an under-tone to his left-hand neighbor,
Goodwin " women can't vote yet"
Goodwin replied in the same way:
Northrup is addressing the table over
Mrs. Royden's shoulders. He does not ex-
pect to influence her. He is merely de-
claiming in behalf of his private popular.
ity."
Mrs. Royden resumed: " Don't accuse
me, Mr.. Northrup, of disloyalty to
America. It has many advantages and
disadvantages also. The Roydens are
Americans but the Nevilles, from whom
my husband is directly descended on his
mothers side. are English. and were origin
ally Norman"
"Then you are sorry, Mrs. Royden,"
broke in Kinmont, "that France has
adopted the popular form of government. -
81 suppose l might as well confess it,
Mr.. Kinmont. France ought not to be
republic. 1t has never been what it was
under its legitimate princes, or under the
empire Now that my family is to be con-
nected with the nobility of France, l
heartily wish it might become monarchy