Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-06-26
CHAPTER ".
BEATRICE'S PROPOSAL.

In describing Lakewood House and its be-
longings, no mention has been made OF Miss
Clauson, for this reason-her position in that
well-regulated establishment was, as yet,
scarcely defined. She was neither mistress
nor guest She was, in short, the only
aughter-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 charging upon the
admirable way in which Lady Clauson filed
the position which her ownmerits had gained,
or to which fate had assigned her. Socially
and domestically-in the outward as well as
the inward ife-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 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
ssCruden'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. 81
Beatrice Clauson, just about to leave school,
a romantic young lady, whose head for the
present was, however, only occupied by pref
ty, filial dreams of looking after her father,
ministering 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
new mother; one, moreover, but four years
OlI fIo,,I
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 middle-aged father
abnormally old and staid. Besides, she could
remember her own mother well enough, and
remembered also Sir Maingay's sincere grief
when death claimed his wife, She remem-
bered the way in which the weeping man
threw his arms around herself, and told her
that she was now his ALL-his treasured
memento of his wife-hiS one tie to life. Re
calling all this, she was sanguine enough to
fancy that memory was even more vivid,
that grief had craven its lines deeper with her
father than with herself. So the bolt came
from the bluest of the blue!
At seventeen Beatrice Clauson was still
spoiled child. All distracted widowers, until
they marry again, spoil an only child; there
fore, if only on salutary grounds, a second
alliance is to be recommended We will,
then, take it for granted that at the time of
Sir Maingay's second marriage, Miss Clauson
was spoiled. Moreover, we may at least sls-
pect that she was both inpetuous and stub
born, headstrong and romantic also, in her
own way, as proud as Lucifer.
The second Lady Clauson was beauty, and
nothing more Her family was what is
called respectable-a term, the Specification
of which no man or woman has as yet been
able exactly to define. Like the Bible, we in
terpret it as we choose. .--'
When the inforced meeting between Lady
Clauson and her stepdaughter took place, the
young lady, by means Of those signs and
tokens, the masonry of which women alone
fully comprehend, showed the state of her
mind so clearly that war to the knife was
then and there declared
And civil war in families baronets or
otherwise deplorable thing; doubly de-
plorable for the neutral parties, who lack
the excitement of the internecine combat
For while Sir Maingay's life was anything
but a happy one
It matters little who was most to blame
the girl for her unreasonableness and stub
born spirit, and want of resignation to the
inevitable-Lady Clauson for retaliating
with all an injured woman's pettiness
and spite-Sir Maingay for the thoroughly
man-like conduct in letting things drift.
They did drift with a vengeancel The
breach between the two ladies soon became
ZOO enormous to be bridged over by any
iamily diplomatic engineering.
The skirmishes between the belligerents are
lot worth noticing. The battle-royal was
fought when the time came for Miss Clauson
10 be presented. Lady Clauson asserted that
10 was the proper person to present her STEP
,aughter. Beatrice coldly declined her aid.
Her ladyship insisted; her stepdaughter was
firm in her refusal Sir Maingay declared
himself under his wifes banner, and for once
attempted to exercise parental authority.
Whereupon Miss Clauson cut the matter
short, and declined being presented at all. 1t
was most dreadful state of affairs! You
can, at least, drive horse to the water, even
if you can't make him drink; but you dare
not haul a refractory young woman into the
presence of gracious sovereign.
Lady Clauson, who was rigidly exact in
following the prescribed usages Of society,
may not have been far wrong when she de-
CARED that "a baronet's daughter, who re-
fused to be presented, was-well a mon
strosityW 5s
Sir Maingay began to wish his ancestors
mad not separated themselves from the
| Roman Catholic communion. He could have
| sent his daughter to a nunnery. But then,
| he sadly reflected, she wouldn't have gone at
any price. If put there by force, the Pro-
| testant league would soon have her out, and
| rerhans take her round the country spouting.
| ah5 To be Continued.