The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-02-16
LADY RESTS MISTAKE
KY JEAN NnoIEMAss


 age. nes;ling among verlure in the -hishiy cultivated valley of one of the Home counties. There @as small dairy farm attached to II. upon which Lady Res; bestowed all her leisure hours. and thereby managed 10 add no inoonsid- erable 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 onlv soR. Arthur, to Oxford d-Arthur who was the apple of her eye, the one only belng for whom she really cared. She had given him d first-class education and Il had not been received on stony ground for Arthur was clever, and book-worm. soo much 50 for worldly purposes. since he had indulged in study and contempla- .lon tll he had become a dreamer. By the ,ime he reached the age of e5 Ii had heen declared by all the neighbors, and ady Besi's circle generally. that Arthur would never do any good for himself in llie hard verdict, considering that he had not single vice. and was handsome and manly looking. Not tha, his habits and pursuits were exactly manly; fishing
 
 been known to indulge, and he spent his tune for the most par, Tn wandering list iessly about the valley wearing clothes oi a somethat .esthetic cut. which was particularly distas,eful 10 his rural neighbors, slouohing felt hat on his head, and book generally poetry-in his hand.
 ldolizing Arthur though she did. 1t de- pressed Lady Best not little to see him ,ake 10 an effeminate do-no,hing style of life; and since he had now wasted more than year ,n this sort of dream she be- gan to despair of seeing him embark m any of the professions for which she had hoped his eduea;io would have fitted hlm. What she was to do-how she WAS 10 change the current ot events she did no, know.
 Was he in love Had he had dis appointment: her aceuain,anees asked her till she was tired of answering The question, however, al last suggested remedy. Why should no; touch ot the very disease from which people though, that he wzs suffering, bring about his cure.
 Clrls she would surround him with g!rls: of course, while she had due re- gard for good looks. never forgetting that, in her estimation, nothing made the eyes glis,en with so much pleasure as the sight of gold.
 50 Lady Best gave tennis parry. and invited all the beauty of the country. ln- Cluding two or three helresses bu, be- fore the afternoon was half over, Arthur had disappeared. lie had wandered down the valley. away from the noise" as he called the musical laughter of these madens, promising himself to return as soon as they should all be gone.
 Lady Best was disappointed, but no, crushed; she would try again. this time in quieter, but, she hoped, more effect ual way
 Arthur was out so much, stc was at times very dull' she told him more over. she wanted some assistance Tn ef- fecslng one or two dairy reforms. Her eldest brothers daughtei Hannah Mh- ion. aged i9 was, she understood. a de- cidediy practical, energetic girl. She Lad not seen her since she was a baby. but she should like 10 invite her on q long visit. and make her acquaintance. Had Arthur any objection ?"
 No; none whatever. of course his mother was perfectly free to do as she liked"
 Bu, would he be civil and kind to this unknown cousin when she came:
 . If she pleased him, certainly; bu; doubtless. she would in no way interfere with his pursuits"
 No, very encouraging if Lady Best had any serious intentions in reference to Miss Hannah Milton, who-we wiil ob- serve in parenthesis-she believed would sooner or later come into the possession of a, least a hundred thousand pounds.
 Not word of this did she. however, utter 10 Arthur ; but. without, further o,s- cussion. wrote an affectonaie letter to her niece. asking her 10 come and stay ai inc cottage as long as she could endure the frugaiity and smaliness of their impecc- nious life.
 Miss Hannah Milton answeSed by re- turn of pos; ,ha; she should be delighted to avail herself of her aun,'s invitation, more especially as her father was going abroad on business. and she should be her own mistress for the next txo months. She migh, be expected to arrive, bag and baggage. al the cottage on the 5th Of lu!y. l. was then ;he end of June.
 To this announcement followed post scrip, that she hoped her dear aunt did not object to living animals, as of course she could not leave hers alone at Milton Hall during her own and her fathers a5- sence.
 Ladv Best was delighted al the success of her letter, and wrote again io say that both she and Arthur were particularly fond of pets.
 Arthur had read Miss Milton's letter. and merely said that he hoped the dogs. If they were dogs. were thoroushoTeds he hated everything that was no, perfect
 So, till the S,h of July. the Cottage, whenever Arthur went ou,-for Il could not be expected that he should endure fuss and clatter-was convulsed with pre- parations for the arrival of the heiress- niece and her rettinue. A bedroom was turned into boudoir for her private use, and ,wo bedrooms zdtoininr were sci