Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-12-06
CHAPTER III.
NArRJCE Du

for he was a rich merchant of rich
town. His friends, and those of his
wife, were numerous. The provision
1aade for them was on a generous and
| ample scale, and they had responded
cordially to the invitation sent out to
chem. -
Mr.. Biddulph, of whom so much had
both that afternoon and evening been
said, was the first to arrive, while only
Tom and Margaret were in the drawing
room. He-Maurice Biddulph-was
man concerning whom men held differ
ent opinions, and who caused much
speculation in the bosoms of his lady
friends. He was well oft, and still
young. He had many advantages, and
| there was no doubt that he was a man
of the world. Nor was there any room
for disputing the fact that he was good
looking and agreeable-many persons
said clever, too. but that is matter of
opinion, for which no absolute rule can
be established. He was tall, had q good
| figure, and generally ight-brown APP
pearance, with closely cut, pointed
beard, and eyes which looked exceed
:ngB pleasant, as rule. He did things
| with ease, and as a matter of course,
which some other men, especially very
young men, found it very difficult to do
| at all. For instance, every one knew
that the ball that night was given in
honor of Margaret Barrington's coming
CT age, and half the bachelors who were
to be there would have been very glad
to make an offering in the shape of a
bouquet-tiowers being considered APP
propria.e gifts on such an occasion. and
some of them succeeded in accomplish
Ing the feat, with more or less elegance
Of demeanor and charm of diction; but
=arioCs motives restrained the ardor of
The most part of them: shyness-a
hideous dread of being the only one to
Go it. and so becoming the marked man
of the occasion-and again, with that
modest distrust of his own powers of
pleasing which characterizes the very
young man of the present day, the fear
lest poor Miss Darlington should con-
strue the gift as being intended to con-
vey deeper meaning. and so have her
hopes unduly raised. 1t is sad, in the
face of SO much tender consideration,
to'have to record that Margaret had
been known to make the sweeping as
sertion that boys under sixteen were
often very good fun, and men over
thirty good company if they were clever.
but that anything between those ages,
of the masculine gender, was an I'M
mitigated bore.
Mr.. Biddulph, being Qet him have
the benefit OF the doubt) clever, and
over thirty, came, it is to- be presumed,
under the head Of good company; and
he, at any rate, had had the courage to
bring a bouquet with him. and was also
sustained through the operation of pre-
senting it and his congratulations to
Margaret-and who will deny that it is
formidable task to make a congrat,l-
latory speech to sarcastic young lady,
in the presence of an impertinent school
boy who has the faculty for seeing some
thing amusing in all that is said and
done by his elders?
81 congratulate you, Mr.. Biddulph.'
remarked Tom; So short, but able, and
very much to the point as the news
papers say"
Margaret received the offering with q
smile of happy omen, granted Mr.. Bid
dulph the dances he asked for, always
excepting the first, and, it is to be pre-
sumed, succeeded in her efforts on be-
half of Marion Percival, for Mr.. Bid
dulph was heard to murmur that he
knew Miss Percival-of course, he knew
her-and later was perceived dancing
with her more than once. Margaret
was pleased to see that Miss Percival
appeared to be really enjoying herself;
there was bright flush on her cheek
and animation in her dark eyes.
"Really. Madge, that girl looks quite
pretty" observed Mrs. Pierce, conde-
scendingly.
"Of course. When is girl to look
sf nf xxyhon che &c fhoro,,rblx,
joying herself?'
Fancy her chattering away in that
style to Mr.. Biddulph! / didn't think
she had so much conversation in her.
Why can't she talk to me in that way?
I am sure she is dull enough whenever
I have anything to do with her.
$50 would you be, if you had been
struggling all day with two headstrong
girls said Margaret, who never could
be got to agree with Mrs. Pierce plain 1
tive lament that her chifdren-alf7 ch7f-<
dren-if properly managed, were far
more of a pleasure than a trouble, and
that she could not understand why gov
ernesses complained of their charges.
Margaret, who had an almost magic
influence over children herself, main
tanned che very preverse, saying that
VI COuTSC LutIc NVCIt ways anu ways Oh
treating them, but that, adopt what
way you pleased, they were trouble,
and always would be- They did not
pause now to have one of their dis
cussions on this topic; but Mrs. Pierce
shook her head, and wondered how it
was that Miss Percival could not always
look like that.
Supper was over. Mr.. Biddulph had
taken Margaret, having managed his
tactics in such a manner that she could
not refuse to go with him whe. he
asked her. Margaret was off her guard
tonight. The idea which had flashed
into her mind while Miss Percival had
been with her had never left it since.
1t possessed all her thoughts and made
her very absent. Already her scheme
was ripening and she had arranged
thousand details lin her mind. She
A.,