New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-10

Adelaide her kinship had here been shown with
qiqantIc unselishness. She had educated ADELAIDE
shs had Given the girl n coming out" ball she
was perpetualy offering to matrOnze net at various
entertainments. II was dreadiul-posltlVely rear
mt hat Adelaide had not gone oil properly at this
tbe end of her third Most OF the other girls
wbS had come out when her niece did were com
foItably married.
subjects, privately disapproved OF her aunt she
possessed all the qualities that make New-1ork
girls widely opposite from Their London sister
hood She had a reluctance to concern herself with
the backgrounds of life. Her musical voice could
lac well raised IN argument or dispute. she kneW
how to hold her own, and sometimes she held 1t,
woman-ike. a good deal tighter because III nap
pened to be her own. She mad her opinions, her
theories, her preiudices, and II you Knocked at
the proper mental door behind which those dwet,
they would unhesltatlngly come lOrth ana snow
themselves. She was just as lar removed, IN her
way, from vulgarity as any OF the sOit-Speabing'
taciturn English dainscs whom can meet IN
1yde Park OF May afternoon and yet wlth all
her innate modesty and feminlnity she blended that
selfrelance and security OF intellect which mas pc
come a stamp of her She had viewed her
aunt's conduct in every light condemnatory or eX-
tenuatng, and thongh she haied corday eno 's,
all thought of dependence, it had become very
plain to her that Mrs. Newburgh gave aims with
churlish and ungraclOus hand.
$50 you will 60 tonight, my deaI y the aunt soon
said to her niece Mrs. Newburgh, in street dress
of black silk, lavlshy trimmed with Ougles ana
black lace, bad seated herself before tho hre She
looked almost painfully smart and prosperous amid
the homespun simplicity of her present surround
ings. " | think it just we'll that you should co.
she continued with patronage as dstlnct us IL was
That is what tell Adelaide" said Ms. vanyel
sor. There's no, use dropping out OF the ranks:
Everybody will be there. When you do drop out
of tho ranks your place IS so soon llled by some
G0b. true enough admitted the sister OF the last
speaker. nodding so that hor modsh bugled bonnet
shimmered in the freight. "Tnat Is one OF the
laws of existence, Kate. Nothing is so easy as to
be forgotten" .
q Ii was not that way when were young said
Mrs. Vanvelsor with pensive infection. :" But IL
is that way now New has grown 50 immense
"New-YOT is much pleasanter than 1t used 10 be,
pronounced Mrs. Ncwburgh. at grows less provn-
clal and more truly enjoyable every year"
Mrs. Vanvelsor pursed her thin lips IN wintrY,
plantive smile. "Of course you lind 1t 80, Linda"
She said 1t would be strange # you did not.
But how few people there are Win your prlhcey
al only wish my purse ,cds punoey" said Mrs
Newburgh, with light laugh, not Just IN the right
key. could 90 "a great many things with 1t then
that l am forbidden TO do now"
Forbidden echoed Mrs Vanvelsor banterlngly,
but with an undercurrent OF lalnentatlon that she
had learned years to employ IN addressing her
wealthy sister. " There's no such word, should
say, in yoUr dictionary. Linda
Adelaide tried TO give her mother an admonishhg
look, but failed. Perhaps Mrs. Nanvelsor knew
that she tried. This lady ended her last sentence
while she again fixed her gaze upon tho hre. Tho
head-shaking was like continuation OF her recent
words it seemed to convey the idea OF vast ruinl-
nation on the subject OF what her slstor might DO
or not do as she chose with the bountiful fortune
fate had allotted her.
There was no quarrel that day. though Adelaide
feared one. Such quarrels usually ended by MIS-.
Ncwburgh Saying something very pointed and bit
ter about putting reckless trust IN dissipated
spendthrift husbands and then getting mp to 90,
leaving her sister fearful and tremulOus. Such
episodes were always torture TO Adelaide; some Of
the shocking in her childhood, when her
dead father made home an almost CHASTITY place,
were hardly less endurable; aud these occurrences,
with their attendant rk and pinch OF poverty. their
pteous makeShfts OF pretcnce ana hypocrisy before
the eyes of the Outer world, had seemd to leave
something In her nature as the girl often told her
self, tired. hardened, and unduly aged. -.
Il was very glad that you didn't swell into one
of your larger walls mamma" she SAID, after Mrs.
Nowburgh had gone, having promised 70 stop Tor
her in the carriage at half-past 10 that evening.
q You know so well Just how Aunt Linda dslikcs
being reminded OF her wealth when yOu do the
reminding. And yOu always manage TO put IN that
GrrieTe peRsee of reproach." Here Adelaide heayed
"a heavy sigh. "Why not BIO an optimist On the sub
jcct, and consider how she might have cast US into
the streets IL she had chosenP
al never can get over the fact that blood s
stronger than water" said Mrs. yanvelsor. all
traces of the old furtve lament gone from her voice
and a good deal of quiet postiveness replacing u.
BY the wy. dld Dir. Champiin net ask you LOT the
german this evening my dear y
Adelaide colored little. and then coyertly bit
her lip as IL annoyed that she had done so. " II lie
had asked me-" she said, somewhat below her
breath . shOud not have hesitated about going.
No girl can safely break an engagement OF that
Mrs. vanvelsor was excavating her sewing from
behind the pOrtere. Her voice had queer, hollow.
far-away sound, for this reason. mo. OF course
not But | thought y0u told me that he said some
you for il at the last +. G.. d. G. next Tuesday ~
lie asked me for neither said Adelaide rather
But he said something insisted her mother. who
had now become simply voice, heard behind the
aOh.1 declared Adelaide, very much as If the
whole matter bored her If you must know, mamma,
he said he would like 10 dance with me provided
he did not 60 to Boston this afternoon"
Mrs. VanyclsoT here Te-emerged with the crumplcd
mass Of muslin held against her person. p" My dear
Adelaide" she said, tartly, You are out OF humOr
to-day, for some reason. You have taken me up at
least twenty tines"
Adelaide sank into n chair. and mechanically
rc1ched ont her nand for her book which lay on tie
table. But her hand dropped idly at her side before
il had secured the book
" oh, perhaps am a little Cross she exclaimed.
with Il sudden break IN her voice that ma lc Der
mother turn quickly and give her sharp, mquHeng
glance / thought few hours ago it was this
damp. hateful weather. But know, now. that Il
isn't. Its-t's or hDc-yes. that's what it il, and
nothing else Pm SICK Of STRUGGLING TO appear
what we're not! and cvory body secs through it all
We've simply nothing lett but position Us they
Position is "A great deal" said Mrs. Yanvcls,r.
1t was her last plank poor lady, and no wonder
she chung there teaacOusy.
It's very little nowadays, without money!
affirmed Adelaide the break coming into her vOlce
again. lyon know that as well rs do. mamma.
Look at the people whom we've seen spring M since
/ began to go out. " hat are We beside those soap
peOpic-the iOdgsOnsY Even Aunt Ida visits
them now. I'd like 70 go-yes would-tO that
winter boarding house in the Cat3kills where Lily
AnchnclOss and her mother living ut eight dol
lars a week. Thered be some consistency, some
decency in such a Lire"
DON'T be nQnsenslcal" said her mother. who was
placidly sewing again with dropped lids. Imagine
me in the CatslSIls all winter with my weak chest
You'd better suggest acottage at the North Pole
and be done with IL. Besides you'll" here Mrs.
Vanvesor bit of her thread and prepared com
posedly TO repenish her needle" you'll mary,
some day: of course you will"
Marryw repeated Adelaide. with whitening
sarcasm that would have struck her as drOll ii she
had heard any else employ 1t. " That's always
your cry; it's always Aunt Liudls; it's always
eyerybodys! And there isn't a soul no, not sOHi
\ bnt /