Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-07-31

! taboo. so far as their own table was con
cerned. all conventional Christmas fare. As
| Horace gravely said, there is, to- educated
minds,y something savoring of vulgarity in
supposing that the celebration of q certain
| holy day must be attended by the consump-
| ton of certain class of comestibles. So
their dinner consisted of clear SOUP fish, a
| brace of birds and an omelet
1--WE never thought of Beatrice, said Her
bert penitently. Beatrice might have liked
| roast beef and plum pudding"
But Miss Clauson did not yearn for Christ
mas diet Moreover, her thoughts were far
away from eating and drinking. Indeed,
| during the last three 1Aonths the girl had
| been, even for her, strangely quiet and
thoughtful. AS for little while longer we
| must be contented to regard her from the
outside only, her musings cannot be divulged
To-day. no doubt, she was thinking a great
| deal about an impending visit to her fathers
house.
| Horace and Herbert had urged it earnestly.
Not, as they kindly and truthfully told her,
that they wished to lose her for even day,
but it was well that the world should think
| that the Clausons werea united family. Its
curious what a simpleton most people think
the world, and how easily they fancy it can
| be taken in.
Beatrice consented to be guided by her
| uncles' advice. So on the day after Christ
| mas she left Oakbury. Sir Maingay and his
family were wintering in London. 1t is sur
prising the number of respectable families
who do winter in London.
| Sir Maingay met her at Paddington The
baronet looked little rounder and little
more commonplace than when last she saw
him. He greeted his daughter affectionately
but told her she looked i'll and careworn.
| Then he inquired for Horace and Herbert.
As from the very first day they had Kept Sir
Maingay in his proper place, he looked upon
them with the greatest respect SIS it true
they have adopted child!" he asked. Some
| garbled version of the affair hadreached him.
| tNo,n said Beatrice. Il have.p
ssYou, my dear! Adopt child! Why, it is
time you thought of the possibility of having
children of your own. Ihave for months
been hoping to hear you were engaged to be
| married" -e
CT shall never marry, said Beatrice rather
cold1y.
depend upon it, it is the best state" said
| Sir Maingay eagerly. Then he started OF Oh
the subject of the precocity which Beatrice's
little half brothers displayed. How the elder
| said this Yesterday and the younger did that
the day before-a record of individual but
| not general interest.
Butjust before they reached his house Sir
Maingay made more notable remark. 81
| made the acquaintance this week of young
relative Of your poor mothers-a Mr.. Carrll-
theirs, who was staying with you some time
ago. told him you were coming up, and he
| promised to CALI
1t was growing dusk, so the flush that
leaped to Miss Clauson's cheek was unseen.
She was silent for half a minute, then she
said, quietly:
81 shall be very glad to see Mr.. Car
ruthers."
Lady Clauson was gracious and conde-
scending. She had gained some sort of sue
cess in town last season, so could afford to
be so. Nevertheless, Beatrice was shown in
various ways that she was a st anger within
her fathers gates. The little boys were
brought down to see her dressed in their
company clothes and manners. They were
good, ordinary, uninteresting little fellows,
and no doubt Miss CIauson contrasted them
with golden-haired pet of hers at Oakbury
Although the ladies were civil to each other
they did not sympathize. Like many others,
| Lady Clauson was utterly unable to under
stand Beatrice.
''Never, if you can help it, marry a
widower," she said to bosom friend ''No
one can tell the anxiety first wife's child is
mo one who has not experienced it,"
cit must be- said the friend with great
feeling. ..s.....g~ -
eff she did not alway dress so carefully"
continued Lady Clauson sorrowfully, 81
should believe she had made up her mind to
be an old maid, and might then do something
for the boys, She has more money than any
young girl should have" SiS
CarTuthers called; Carruthers dined at Sir
Maingay's, and moreover, presuming on his
distant relationship, Carruthers had the auda.
city and, after oil that had happened, we may
say humility, to escort Miss Clauson to an
afternoon classical concert. Since last Octo-
Der Frank had thousand times pictured his
meeting with Beatrice and thousand times
settled how he would deport himself The
result was that he forgot all his self training
and bore himself simply as nature pron2pqttc.'
NIL. ne was ea'a asIa Ienoe Elm which
AC,o onslH osei no LEV I'LL u, yet he dared not
81, ~. : love. In his inner heart he
knew that for well or i'll he must some day
resay those passionate words-but not yet.
The second cast of the die must, should be-
! the last His nearest verbal approach to
| love-making was this: s>sa
He told Beatrice he had received letter
| from Horace begging him to spend a few
| days at Oakbury before the Lent term began.
lit is great compliment" he said.
| eyes" answered Beatrice, livery great.
Are you goings" FL r. f1slzs
| 'That is for you to decide, not for me-"
She dropped her eyes and was silent.
| Frank waited
"Do you forbid it?" he asked in that au
| thoritative voice which women lovo to hear
with a man. Still she was silent. He re-
peated the question.
81 have no right to forbid it," she said.
'sYou have every right. We do not
allude to the past, but we do not forget it.
| Look up and answer me. Shall I go to
| Halewood?
| Strange to say, he spoke in commanding
way, such as he had never before displayed
| when addressing her. Perhaps she liked him
raised her eyes to his.
''It is most unwise," she whispered.
"Unwise you mean for me, of course" he
said, quickly. 'That part is for me to decide,
| not for you"
| She held out her hand impulsively. eve
can be friends, Frank, she said. d;
"Always," answered Carruthers. "And
now we may as well settle to go down to-
gether." = " ''-.-i'~
| To this she made no objection, and Franks
love-making ended for the time. His dreams
that night may have been pleasant ones, but
| as for Beatrice she sat for hours in her room
| gazing lnUO Cne IRE W1Gl u palneu, hopeless
look on her face The little line which Frank
had once noticed between her brows seemed
to have grown deeper and more distinct.
If Carruthers had hoped for great deal
from that journey to- Blacktown he was
doomed to be disappointed. Events occurred
at Lakewood House which took Beatrice
back in hot haste and alone r-I4
One morning Horace and Herbert were in
earnest discussion respecting hip bath, the
paint of which showed signs of wear. The
question was whether it should be sent to the
auctioneer's and sold for the best price, OR
should be rejapanned. Herbert, who was
given to temporising, favored the reparation.
Horace, who was more thorough in his ideas,
thought it should go at once to the saleroom.
The matter was so important and interesting
that neither of the brothers heard the sound
of carriage wheels outside the house.
The wheels were those belonging to a gig,
genuine, unmistakable gig Whitaker,
who saw it come UP the drive and stop at the
front, not the side door, was much disguised.
n J;d not lpo1y tha traditional reSDacta hiitv