The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-02-15
SELECT STORY.
LADY BEsT's MISTAKE.
BY JEAN MlDJLEMANS.

They lived in a creeper-covered cot
tage, nesting among verdurc in the
highly cultivated valley of one
of the Home counties. There was
small dairy farm attached to it, upon
which Lady Best bestowed all her leis-
ure hours and thereby managed to add
no inconsiderable sum to her income,
which since her husbands death had
been rather limited.
With the money derived from this
source she had been able to send her
only son, Arthur to Oxford-Arthur,
who was the apple Of her eye, the
only one being for whom she cared.
She had given him first class educa-
ton, and it had not been received on
stony ground, for Arthur was clever,
and book worm, too much so for
worldly purposes, since he had INDUCED
in study and contemplation until he had
become dreamer. BY the time he reach
ed the age of 25, it had been declared
by all the neighbors, and Lady Bests
circle generally, that Arthur would new
er do any good for himself in life hard
verdict considering that he had not
single vice and was handsome and
manly looking. Not that his habits
and pursuits were exactly manly; fish
ing was the only sport in which ne had
ever been known to indulge, and he
spent his time for the most part in
wandering lstlessly about the valley,
wearing clothes of a somewhat esthet.
ic cut, which was particularly distaste-
full to his rural neighbors, a slouching
felt hat on his head, and book-gen-
orally poetry-in his hand.
Idolizing Arthur though she did, it
depressed Lady Best not little to see
him take to an effeminate do-nothing
style of life and since she had now
wasted more than year in this sort of
dream, she began to despair OF seeing
him embark in any of the professions
for which she hoped his education
would have fitted him. What was she
to do-how was she to change the cur
rent of events-she did not know.
"Was he In love? Had he had a
disappointment ?" her acquaintauces
asked her till she was tired of answer
ing. The question, however, at last
suggested remedy. Why should not
a touch of the very disease from which
the people thought he was suffering,
bring about his cure?
Girls b! She would surround him
with girls; of course, while she had
due regard for good looks, never for
getting, that in her estimate nothing
made the eyes glisten with so much
pleasure as the sight of gold.
So Lady Best gave tennis party,
and invited all the beauty of the coun-
try, including two or three heiresses,
but before the afternoon was half over
Arthur had disappeared. He had wan
dered down the valley away from "the
noise" as he called the musical laugh
ter of the maidens, promising himself
to return as soon as they should all be
gone.
Lady Best was disappointed, but not
crushed; she would try again, this time
in quieter, but she hoped more eff
fectual way.
| arthur was out so much she was at
times very dull she told him; more
over, she wanted some assistance in eff
fecting one or two dairy reforms. Her
eldest brother s daughter-Hannah Mil
ton-aged 10, was she understood, a
decidedly practical, energetic girl. She
had not seen her since she was ba-
by, but she would like to invite her Oh
a long visit and make her acquain-
tanoe. Had Arthur any objection 2"
"No; none whatever. OF course his
mother was perfectly free to do as she
liked"
But would he be civil and kind to
this unknown cousin when she came
'lf she pleased him, certainly; but,
doubtless, she would in no way inter-
fere with his pursuits"
Not very encouraging if Lady Best
had any serious intentions in reference
to Miss Hannah Milton, who-we will
observe in parenthesis-sh believed
would sooner or later come into the
possession of at least a hundred thous-
ard pounds.
Not word of this did she, howev er,
utter to Arthur, but, without further
discussion, wrote an affectionate letter
to her niece, asking her to come and
stay at the cottage as long as she could
endure the frugality and smallness of
their impecunious life.
| Miss Hannah Milton answered by
return of post that she should be de-
lighted to avail herself OF her aunt's in
vitation, more especially as her father
was going abroad on business, and she
should be her own mistress for the
next two months. She might be ex-
lpected to arrive, bag and baggage, at
the cottage on the 5th of July. 1t was
then the end of June.
| To this announcement followed a
POSTSCRIPT that she hoped her dear
aunt did not object to living animals,
as of course she could not leave hers
all alone at Milton Hall during her own
and her fathers absence.
Lady Best was delighted at the sue.
cess of her letter, and wrote again to
say that both she and Arthur were par
ticularly fond of pets.
| Arlnur nau reau MISS milton letter.
and merely said that he hoped the dogs
if they were dogs, were thoroughbred
he hated everything that was not per
feet.
So, till the 9TH of July, the cottage
whenever Arthur went out-for i
could not be expected that he SHOULD
endure fuss and clatter-was convulseC
with preparations for the arrival of the
heiress niece and her retinue. A bee
room was turned into a boudoir for he
private use, and two bed rooms adjoin
ing were set aside for herself and maid
The cottage was one of those establish
ments with countless small rooms, ca
pable of taking in far larger numbe
of people than its exterior would lea,
you to imagine.
Hannah Millions home was in tn
North, 1t would be quite evening be
fore she would arrive and Lady Bes
passed all the day in a state of feveris1
excitement, wandering about from roou
to room. She seemed to feel that ther
l Il -. Al