Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-23
THE DEMOCRAT.
MINERAL POINT, WIS.
Serial Story.
4 FAMILY AFFAIR
BY HUGH CONWAY,
Apthcr Of Called Back and ''Durk Days.
Serial Story.
BY HUGH CONWAY,
spthor of''caued Back" and ''Durk Days
CHATTER ".

GIAr-i>E,s PRCpcSAL
n e.ssI.. ::,li1,sr Hazlewood House and its be-
tongiHgs, 10 mention has been made of Miss
C3auson, for this resson-hcr position in that
well-reglilated establishment was, as yet,
scarcely defined. She was neither mistress
| nor guest. She was, in short, the only
daughter-indeed, the only surviving result
Of that brilliant marriage made by Miss
Talbert when she allied herself with Sir
Maingay Clauson. Bart.
There is no reason for enlarging upon the
admirable way in which Lady Clauson filed
the position which her own merits had gained,
or to which fate had assigned her. Socislly
and domestically-in the outward as well as
the inward hfe-She was all baronet's wife
should be-an save that she presented her
husband with no heir to his titles and estates.
This was sad omission, but, for the sake of
her many other good qualities, Sir Maingay
overlooked it, and made her a very good hus-
band, as husbands go. When Lady ClauSon
died, some twelve years after the birth Of the
| daughter who lived, Sir Maingay wept copi-
ouSly He even opened his Bible-the first
time for many years-and by the aid Of
''Cruden's Concordance" looked out a text
appropriate to her many virtues Moreover,
for her sake, or his own, he remained single
for five long years. Then he went the way
of all middle-aged, titled, wife-bereft flesh,
and married again.
Beatrice ClauSon. Just about to leave school.
romantic young lady, whose head for the
| present was, however, only occupied by pref
ty filial dreams Of looking after her father,
inlnistering to his comforts, ruling his house,
! and generally doing the best she could TO fill
the place of her dead mother, found herself,
without a word OF warning, presented to q
new mother; one, moreover, but four years
older than hcrSe f. 1t wa u crushing blow !
1t was girls first lesson in the vanity and
instability of mundane expectations
She ought, of course TO have anticipated
it; but she was young, and like most Young
people, considered her nliddle-aged father
abnorlnally old aud staid. Besides, she could
remember her own mother well enough, and
remembered also Sir Mainsay'S sincere grief
when death claimed his wife. She remem-
bered the way ii which the weeping man
threw his arms around herself, and told her
that shS was now his ALL-hiS treasured
memsI-to of his wife-his one IT, to life. Re
calling all this, she was sangIiine enough to
| fancy tLat memory was even more vivid,
that grief had craven its lines deeper with her
father than with herself s. the bolt came
from tie lluest of the bite!
At seventeen Beatrice Clauson was still a
| spoiled child All distracted widowers, until
they marry again, spoil an only child; there
fore il only on salrtary grounds, n second
| alliance Is to be recommended. We will,
then, take it for granted that at the time of
! Sir Maingay's Seco:,d marriage, Miss Clauson
was spoiled Moreover, we may at least sus-
peCt that she was both impetuous and stub
born, heaaStrong AMI romantic; also, in her
own way, as proud as Lacifer
Tho second Lady Cl2uscn was . beauty and
| nothing mere Her family was what is
| called respectable terra, the Specification
| Of which no man CT Tonap Las as YET been
able exactly to define. Like the Bible, we in
| teTprct it Us we choose.
When tho inforeed meeting between Lady
| Clauscn and her steplnughter took place, the
| young lady, by means of those signs and
| tokens, the masonrT of which women alone
| fully comprehend, showed the state of her
mind so clcaIlJ- that war 80 tho knife was
! then ami there declared.
And civil war in faInilies-barunets or
otherwisc-is deplo:able thing; douby- de-
| plorable for the Il utfal parties, who lack
! the excitement of tie int rnccine combat.
! For q while Sir M&l,cay'S life Yves anything
buS q l.appy enc.
| 1t matters little Who was most to blame
| the girl for her UnieasonablenesS and stub
born spirit, and want of resignation to the
| inevitablc-Lady Claas03 for retaliating
with all an injured woEians pettiness
md soite-Sir Maiagay for the thoroughly
naI-1ilIe conduct III letting things drift,
! Thy did drift with vengeancel The
| > edch between tie two ladies soon became
| . enormous to be bridged ever by any
tI.il diplomatic engineering.
! h, s,:irnisleS lCtwccl the belligerents are
! ~ y,:.th noticing. The battle-royal was
Jgli5 when the time came for Miss Clauson
E.a PIC catod. Lady Ciauson asserted that
| OWES tic proper person to present her step
aunt r. Beatrice coi,iiy declined her aid
| Ter ladyslip insisted; her stepdaughter was
rnl in her refusal Sir Maingay declared
il:.sclf under his Eifc's Lanner, and for once
gtampted to exercise parental authority.
! FhereuDon Miss Clauson cut the matter
hort, and declined being presented at all. 1t
| N,.s u most dreadful state of afrairsl You
an. ut least, drive q horse to the water, even
| yuu Can't make him drink; but You dare
rot haul refractory young woman into the
| rev nee Of gracious sovereign.
| Lady Clauson, who was rigidly exact in
! .ollowing the prescribed usages of society,
nav not have been far wrong when she de-
Jared that "a baronet's daughter. who re
| fused to tc presented, was-well, mon
| atroSity!"
Sir Maingay began to wish his ancestors
! lad not separated themselves from the
roman Catholic communion. He could have
ent his daughter to nunnery. But then,
le sadly reflected, she wouldn't have gone at
| my price If put there by force, the Pro
estant league would soon have her out, and
,erhaps take her round The country spouting.
The only thing the worried baronet could
1 4 Ia; n1.,l
ier advice as to the best means of disposing
| # her troublesome self.
When alone with her father Beatrice always
behaved prettily. She was very fond of him,
! although TIE remembrance of the tears, the
| ext, tho distracted vows, when contrasted
With his second marriage for nothing but
God looks, made her look upon him with a
! title contempt Size did not know that man
| 9 SO gT-egariou3 q creature that it is not meet
| or him to live alone. She heard his remarks
| n silence, then gave him her opinion on the
natter
Il dcn's want to be a nuisance to you,
3apa am eighteen pow-too cid to go back
| % school. It's nonsense, O. course, to say I
| hJuld like to earn my own living, because
i hen como of age l shall have some money.
| lay 60 and live ct Fa!rholIner
Fairholme ives Sir Ma:ngay's seldom-used
cat In one OF the southern counties,
But you can't 1.-Two there alone, he said.
Yes, could Hrs. Williams could take
are of me shall be happy enough
My dear girl, why not tie reasonable and
make friends with Lady ClaUson. Then we
| ,ould all 20 abroad together"
Lady ClauSoD, who was by no means fool,
| Lad By this time found out that she needed
| something more than mere good looks to go
/ down, or go up, IL the society her heart longed
| for. She had, therefore, made up her mind to
| become Travelled woman, and bad arranged
| that Sin Mningay should take her to variety
of foreign countries. The proposed tour was
| to be an affair of years, and her ladyship had
dim idea Of writing, or Of getting some one
else to write book, describing the weil-worn
pathways she meant to tread, She hoped to
take the world by storm as Literary woman
4 can't go abroad with you, }" said Beatrice.
81 shall be miserable myself and pke you
miserable"
''eut if you stay in England you must be
.ccserted and come Gu, and all that sort Of
ring
If ever do &c: married. sad Beatrice
:Irily, Il viii be presented as Lady C1aIisor
was, on my marriage
Sir Maingays check Tsddened he was
r9uch hurt by the sarcasm. Poor old King
Lear found fitting siInils for an ungrateful
n