Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-10-13
Only a Private Secretary.

"Both are handsome, and have equal
ly accomplished manners, hear. They
will make most welcome acquisition
to the limited society of this poor little
village" remarked Claudia Thone,
with great animation, that was sudden
ly augmented by the appearance of an
elegant equipage that she had just seen
coming down the pleasant, shadowy
street. There they are now, Aggie,
DEAR" she continued, excitedly; land
is not that carriage altogether too sty-
lish for this dreadfully Questionable
d prosy place? and that prancing,
Deckled, reddish horse must be price
less flyer I think" she commented
somewhat doubtfully, for she was con-
scious of her utter deficiency in equine
lore.
Meanwhile the spirited, dappled roam
an animal neither extraordinarily fine
nor fast-was trotting past the garden
gate, the senescent blossoms Of the
lofty locust trees falling in white show
ers over glded harness and glittering
wheels.
"The conference.-the one with that
Saxon and distinguished look and the
tawny, curling hair and beard-he who
is driving, must be the millionaire who,
I am informed, is the son OF noble.
man, but is too Americanized or repub-
Iicanized to assume his illustrious title.
The other, with the dark hair and stout
ish figure, must te the private secretary
or travelling companion. One can al.
ways discern the difference between the
patrician and plebeian, can one not p
Certainly have noFdch subtle gift
of discrimination-in tle sense you in
fer. One whose soul id ignoble must
be plebeian, think, however aristocrat-
ic the birth or iou, ensemble Of that one
may be-" answered Agnes Rothsay,
quietly.
She aud Claudia Thorne were cousins
and ostensibly friends, andfho, lying
together life of genteel ecd emy,
having jointly inherited \ small legacy
devised by an eccentric relative recently
deceased whom neither had ever seen.
In the picturesque and tiny hamlet of
Rosebithe-a haven of roses-they had
made their summer home.
Agnes had been pleased and con-
tented with the small tranquil place,
with its vide, grassy, outrageous
streets, and sparse clusters of quaint
houses builded about the obtuse,
wooded angle OF crags that iutted into
the tumbling waters. just where wild,
narrow stream frothed into the surf of
the sea.
But Claudia had thought it all--the
serene seclusion, the isolated but i'm
posing scenery, simple habitants with
their homely way-uninteresting and in
sufferably dull.
They were very unlike-those two
young ladies, who had yet all the bloom
and brightness of fresh. sweet woman
hood.
Miss Rothsay was tall and notably
graceful blonde, with that rarely and
peculiarly fair complexion that no care
can wrinkle and no time can yellow.
Her fine features we're much too mobile
for the artistic Grccian type, and her
large eyes-splendid and indescribable
were too passionful and tender to be
gray. and too discerning and imperious
to be the ideal and poetic blue. Her
magnificent masses of hair had the
subtle and beautiful shades Of amber
and ruddy auburn; and her attitudes,
her action, her manner of speaking,
were distinguished By majesty, q dig
nifty and gentle graciousness that were
as natural - irresistible. Among in
feriors she would have been misunder-
stood and possibly hated, feared and
traduced. Among her peers she was
loved aud revered.
Claudia Thorne belonged to quite o
dissimilar sphere Of mind, feeling and
volition. She had more cunning than
intellect; she was moro emotional than
sympathetic; she liked only the excite
ment that could Be made egotistically
sensational, and she Ens inordinasely
ambitions for very eminent social dis
tinction- She hated he Diseased lega-
or z1ho had Is1o75za.bza hex : huruffs