Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-30
THE SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, MARCH 3d. 1884,


Mrs. Dalmayne hesitated.
81 am so stupid. Ireally don't under
stand these things"
mo threatening letters ' demanded the
Duchess, grimly.
'sOh, no. They loveus all so dearly. 1t
is quite beautiful to see nv Ermyntrude
among them all. All, my Ermyntrude,
fear l shall soon lose her. The neighbor
inc Earl"
'eOh!' said the Duchess, smiling. $50
there is neighboring Earl! Who is itf'
Mrs. Dalmayne Redeemed.
1.-THE Earl-oh, the Earl"-( stammer-
ing )-''ah, he is quite like son to me, and
calls me his little mother.'
''Ah, seef' said the Duchess, kindly.
"DOn't tell me his name. shall probably
see it soon near your daughters in the
Morning Post"
"Oh, Duchessw murmured Mrs. Dali
mayne, inwardly vOwing that she would
never approach $50 delicate subject as
Abergowrie in such company again.
just then La Scala began her variations
on Dutch airs, and every one settled to
attention. 1t was a trying time both for
singer and audience, and began with one
long high note, commencing p.D.p., get
ting f.f.f. in the middle, and then dying
off into p.p.p. again at the end. 1t was
known among the irreyerent as ia
Scala's Death Shrek" On this OCCASION
1T WAS the signal for an event never to be
forgotten by any of those present that
night. just as the first p.p.p. was devel-
Oping into an ear-splitting I. heavy
sound, as of some one descending tie
stairs flight at a time, with a violence
that seemed to shake the house, startled
the company and appeared to turn the
three Dalmaynes into stones. Next a
small scuffie at the doorway, and a hOarse
whisper of "LOr miss. don't get so eX-
cited. What will your ma say? Oh, my
poor eyer' Then there scudded into the
middle OF the room figure in an old blue
dressing-gown, Tapping open and reveal
ing petticoat and petticOat body, with
coarse black hair streaked with gray fall
cealing face livid with rage.
A shout at La Scala of ''StOp that row !"
instantly had the desired result, and
Elise, for it was none but she, turned upon
her unhappy mother. There was a mos
mentary and intense silence. Then
You're beauty, you are! You're a set
of beauties, you areH' gasped Elise, vino
now, having dropped all artificial re-
straint, evinced cOckney brOgue and a
Billingsgate force OF language that lent
additional horror to the scene.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen and
Duchess Stck-in-the-Mud, or whatever
yer blooming name Is, you
want little rousin'; I'll rouse
yer, all, rouse yer better than
that old cockatOO there" pointing malici-
Ously at La Scala, who turned purple and
speechless at once; ''Pll tell you tale,
and true one too, thatH make yer 'air
curl if you've any to curl. This ere wo-
man, my mother, is fraud from beginnin'
to end. 'Er name amt Dalmayne at all.
It's DObbs. plain DObbs,' voice rising 10
a Shrek j; ''lather KEEP pub in the Old
Kent Road, e did, and made is money.
Ma was a lady's maid when 'e married
'er. and after e died she worked 'erself
up with the aid of some tin left 'er by her
brother, who was in the 'Olesale drapery
line. That girls name amt Ermyntrude,
it's Jane Ann, and that one is 'Hilda, and
mine amt Elise, it's plain Liza. She
amt got no place called AbergOWrie,
bless yer 'eart; We've none Of us ever
been in Scotland in our lives. We al
ways 'as a week or so at Margate, and
all the rest of the year we're in this
blessed old 'ouse. She tries all she can to
get to grand places and know grand peO-
pie, and she was a-gOing to have this 'ere
Duchess 'eTe tonight, and she didn't want
me to come, cause she thought | should
spoil sport, so what dye think they did?
Why, they gave me a sleepin' draught to-
day In 'Opes | should be snOrin' while they
was eniOyin' themselves. Mrs. Dobbs
Well, l can tell yer Pm not such a fool as
l look. Pm as wide awake as most of
yer. If you want to find a idiot you d
better ask that half-bOiled shrimp there"
with cOntemptuOus toss of the head at
the terrified Customary covering behind
his mothers ample form J, cell 'elp you
search. They tell a lot of fibs about 'ay-
in let me drop on the floor. It's only
cause We not lad the book learnin' of
the other two. Old Mrs. DObbs does lay
it on thick when she's put to it. L 'spOse
when they settled to give me the sleepln'
draught they took lesson in pisOn from
that man there who pisoned his wife,
(here the individual in question turned
livid and made for the dOOr;) "but he
didn't teach ZEN enough, for it only made
me feel queer for bit, and / Jest slep' a
hour or two, and then l thought I'd come
down and ave my revenge, and | think
Pye 'ad it too; so good night, pleasant
dreams, and sweet repOse;" and Elise
left the room as quickly as she came.
There was another breathless silence.
Then La Scala flOunced up to Mrs. Dali
mayne. Il am going; eef you aire nawt
satisfied you can go to law wild NEE. l
deed not know you keep lunatic
asylum"
81 am so sorry. My unfortunate child
has always been weak in the head. owing
to a fail in childhood, but never like to-
night; l shall, indeed, be obliged to place
her under restraint" said Mrs. Dali
mayne, white and calm, trying to stem
the current of her departing guests, but
in vain; civilly but firmly they took their
leave, surprise not unmingled with dis
gust on their faces. The last to 90 was
the Duchess.
''Good night, Mrs. Dalmayne; | am
sorry your daughters afiliction spoiled
what would otherwise have been charm
ing party"
Then. left alone with GwendOline and
Ermyntrude, who stood, in their still
fresh tnery, looking blankly into each
others faces, Mrs. Dalmayne threw up
her arms and fell senseless at her
daughters feet.
A week later, Ermyntrude, entering
the drawing-rOOm listlessly, for no one
ever came to call now, was surprised to
find her mother on her knees on the
hearth-rug, laughing and crying over
card which she held in her hand. The
card ran thus:
''MRS. AND THE MISSES DALMAYNE,
The Duchess of Armstrong
at home,
Thursday, July ID.
Dancing. RS. V. p
ARMSTRONG HOUSE, MISREPRESENTATION
-BeiGrGUiG.