Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-10

and the man of business, swallowing a de-
cided lump in his throat, kissed her again,
brushing the tears from his eyes. as he
muttered a few invented words of bene-
diction above her sunny head.
No maid nor lackey accompanied this
couple, and their surroundings were so I'M
o%bstrusive that the crowd upon the side
walk gave vent to audible remonstrance at
what in their judgment seemed an unequal
distribution OF parental favors.
gone; walters ran to and fro with piles of
used plates, and solaced themselves at in
tervals with hidden bottles of champagne.
The musicians were packing up their In.
struments in green baize bags; the little
male and female Talbots were skirmish.
ing on the stairs, unwilling to succumb t
bedtime and to nursery authority. A few
remote relations, members of the family
unearthed for weddings and funerals,
were seen wandering around the house,
peering into shut rooms, and handling
with itching fingers the wedding presents,
over which a Gorgon-like maid kept guard.
An elderly cousin in black silk, festooned
with an antique shawl Of llama lace, was
discovered-no one knows how she got
therein the butler's pantry ogling an I'M
touched Strasburg pie, while a pocket
handkerchief full of grapes, cake and
Another ~spinster made it her business to
go around among the wax candles, snuff.
ing them ont with commendable economy.
In the large drawing-room Mrs. Talbot
herself, looking the picture of fatigue and
woe in her trailing satin and Venetian
chair, the two schoolgirl daughters on
either side'of her lost in happy dreams Of
future possibilities of their own. In a
carved chair at the freside corner, erect
and placid, Aunt Hope, a shrewd -looking
widow, sat at her knitting. All about
u or.o Aroov,inr AnuyoHo fvry,ikyro r,ShaI
into unwonted corners, the general air of
discomfort after the feast which enter
tanners knew so we'll. Poor Mr.. Talbot
wandered about, getting in everybody's
way snubbed BY the hired walters, who
restless, and dispirited.
'As it is now half-past seven, and there
seems no reasonable prospect of dinner
here, Maria" he said ut last, after assist
ing the butler forcibly to eject an intoxi-
Gated hireling who was found sitting with
his head in the punch- bowl, amid a wreck
of broken glass; 81 think I'll go down to
the club and get q chop and a bottle of
claret."
"No, indeed. John; you must wait for
US. There,ll be something presently. Sit
down here with Aunt Hope and me. The
girls awe gone to a rosebud dinner at the
it, before they are even ''outp But they
were SO set, just gave them leave for the
sake of peace. Heigho! our two Oldest
gone, therell be these two to launch ext
winter, John, and a coming-out ball, of
course. How lucky that one can give such
things at Delmonico's!"
81 wish you'd please to take another
time h this, Maria, to talk about your
Delmonico balls and fallals. Wait till
these bills are paid, and see what they
amount to-. And what with George at
college, and Tom at Dr.. Blanks, and those
k..> 80 tl,o toc pn0khinr h,t on
pay, from morning till night"
swell, John, l think you are very un-
grateful, for a fine family like ours, to be-
grudge giving them all the young. people
they associate with expect" said Mrs.
Talbot, tired and ulngrammatical.. "Just
as our two poor girls are married and
= swat till John has had his dinner, and
he will sing a different song,'' said Aunt
Hope, cheerily; and dinner being just then
announced, John did brighten up as was
predicted.
But not for long, however. Aunt Hope,
who rarely left her country home to visit
her city relatives, was struck with the
iaded look her prosperous nephew's face
had assumed of late years. His once ac-
tive step has begun to lag, and an un-
wonted peevishness had taken the place
of his light spirit of yore. :.
"And what will Ellinor do on her re.
turn?n Aunt Hope asked, when they were
again talking over affairs after dinner.
s.What a Queenly creature she was, to be
sure, under her veil!'
"What does everybody do?" asked Mrs.
complacently. "They will prob
ably not want to go to housekeeping at
once. since Ellinor will be over-run with
engagements, and I have advised Mr..
Eliot to take rooms at the Hotel Guelph, |
where their meals are served, don't you
know. and Ellinor will have no cares, no
responsibilities. OF course we will fur
nish the rooms, and I I'M to go tomorrow
to meet Palette. He has such taste, you
know, and Nth all El!inor's presents their
rooms will be a dream! The only thing to
really worry over is that poor Ellinor will
keep no carriage at first. Mr.. Eliot was
mise. Luckily l can cali for her for Wis
ia md the can nave cabs for going
ont to dinner. l think it is the most de-
iightful arrangements. just fancy, Eilinor
win have absolutely nothing to do but to
amuse herself" %,
~ had rather not think Of it, Maria,"
Amt Hope said, with unusual gravity,
which was quite lost upon Mrs. Talbot.
u0f course with Ellinor's looks we had
n RIGHT to expect everything in her mar
deur girl; but she was absolutely
infntI:ated with this young man, and, TO
ha snre. he has always held the best
Mace in society-invited everywhere-and
gances to perfection. His ideas ana tastes
nra inst like Ellinor's, and he has been
IaviSh in flowers during the engage
mani He is never seen anywhere except
with men from the - ana tne - cluDs,
which with Ellinor is everything. She is J