The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-05-22
Gh ~gatsLigsmer.
oaos, Nos, IS and 81 Fourtssnth susot,
LADY LANGLEY.

Lady Langley prided herself on being
woman Of fsahiOn, By a ~iudiclous hort
cultural process her visiting list Cdntaine,
only the names Of well known people, AM
she vas not only anxious to get into tn
smRrtest set in London, but was in a f4i
way to do so bslors long. Using he
friends as stepping stones across the rive
Of social advancement, she had "droppeI
them as carelessly as other women dlscarl
their last seasons gowns or their trouble
some admirers. To know Lady Langley
one season, to be at her smallest dinner
or most select dances, was nc gualaltel
that one would be admitted to her soCis
circle six months hence. 1t must be ownsI
that the people she dropped" did not up
prsCiate the process. Perhaps they WeTr
unaware that Lady Langley waa only full
filling the law OF social evolution. eth
survival Of the iittest" expressed the who'll
Of her worldly creed.
Time was, when Sir Samuel was plRiI
Mr., Levy and the family mansion hal
been in the vicinity OF BaysWater, wheI
to see 8 city knight at her dinner table o.
. Minister from Peru at her balls haC
been the summit Of this lady's ambition
But times had changed, The HUSBAND
had made a big coup on the Stock Elk
change, changed his Hebrew patrouymic
entsred Parliament and voted with hiI
party so obediently that he had been 70
WaTded with u baronetcy by an outgoing
Tory Cabinet. The wife, a gOOd-lOOkinq
woman with no ~obtrusively lsraslitish
characteristics, now set up ior a beauty, Z
Wit and a woman OF fashion. She wa,
not EXCEPTIONALLY pushing, nor did she
exhibit the mingled shyness aud pride
which Is 80 often seen in the women Of
her race. Her dinners, well served, well
composed and not too long, were trlumphs
Of their kind, and the company was often
admirably selected, The mansion in Park
Lane was we'll adapted for balls, and ii
was not Lady Langley's fault il these lat
ter entertainments we're sometimes u tribe
mixed. Ot her own choice she admitted
only the best people within her doors
theTest she quietly and politely ignored,
But do what she would, there was ont
woman who refused 10 b9 discarded, who
called pertiuaCiously at all hours Of the
day at Park Lane, and inundated the
Langleys with Invitations, and that was
her elder sister, RebeCca Abrahams. Mrs.
Morris Abrahams was the wife Of an opu'
lent monBy-Iender VINO lived in Berkeley
Square. They gave suPpers, at which Ger
tam young sprlgs Of the nobility were GLAD
to appease their host by putting in an ap'
pearanCe, and where q few dramatic and
literary lions were sometimes to be seen.
For the last few years, indeed, Mr.. Abrs'
hams, in wOolHg responsibility, hac
avoided shady transactions, and had even
beeu known TO lend money st % percent
on good security a piece OF seli.deniaI
which raised him, in his own eyes, to the
position Of a philRnthropist and q bene'
factor TO society.
Now, Lady Langley'a house was the
only one Of any social status into which
the money.lender and bis spouse had thu
entry, and they were hefoically deter
mined never to give up the right which
their relationship implied.
Lady Langley was, however, equally de
termined TO bs rid Of this last connection
Of her iermer aud less brilliant days. Re
becCa must be made to feel thather society
was no longer acceptable. Mira. Morrit
AbEahams was q large, OVerdressed woman
with small black eyes, and q nose OF the
most unegnivOCal type, q woman whom il
was Impossible to cut, because she seem
ed impervious to the most deliberate
snnbbing. SO Lady Langley determined
to hasten the crisis by leaving her sister
out Of her bal poudre.
This. dance was 10 be the event OF the
prg.Lenlen season. Somehow or othei
Lady LaDgley's party had become the top
ic OF the hour. II was known on RoOr
authority that a certain royal pergonsg,
would probably look in for an hour, AM
the Ingredients Of this soiree in time hat
been carefully chosen. 1t was 10 be quite
a small dance but all the women, II posi-
bic, YER 10 be noted beauties, and the
smartest young men in town had beer
beaten up for the occasion. There was L
be q cotilion, lasting three.quarters Of al
hour, about which the most extraordinary
rumors were rife; and 1t was known tina
q marvellous supper was to DO served, a
small tables Tor two, exactly at ! o'clock
The women would all appear in eigh
teenth.century gowns, with powdered
locks; the men were to take their choice
OF court dress, with white hair, or q cor
rect last.Century costume. Not q RinglC
Israelite had been invited, and Lady Lang
ley was determined that her rooms shoulC
not be Spoiled" by the compromising
nasal organ and overdone toilet Of her sis
ter. No, the dance was to be nothing |
not smart-she had made ita vital ques.
ton. She would stand or fall on the sue
cess OF her balpoudre,
A week before the dance Mrs. Morrii
Abrahams called on her sister In Park
Lane. LsdyLangley was smiling and bland
Mrs. Abmhams was overwhelmingly al
feCtionate, but she angled for an invitation
in vain.
"Merely a little dance got up for one o.
two OF my pretty girl triends-quite a ID,
yenile partyl But | have taken q world
Of trouble 70 get the best people together
There's that new American, you know
tho Prince wouldn't come unless she wa
asked"
at seems on odd thing, Maria, that yor
consider your own sister not good enough
for your ball." blurted out Mrs. Morris
with rising wrath.
my dear, don't put things in that bru
tai way. You must know what | feel
You can't come to tho dance withou
Norris and Morris is-well, he isn't OK
aCtly In orr setl"
mo, thank heaven we aren't In You.
set, Maria. sincerely hope your ball viii
be a SUGGEST" and Mrs. Morris Abraham
swept to the door and rustled her lonI
skirts for the last time over her sister,
threshhold.
The money.lendet's spouse was livit
with rage and modification as she droVl
back to Berkeley Square. OF ono thin
she was resolved, II SHOULD be wal to tn
knife hencetorward between her younge
sister and herself.
For some days she nursed Ydriou
schemes Of vengeance, aud at last hit upoi
a plan. Having a small supper party ar
ranged for the night before the iamou
powdered ball, she wrote a little note to
Z.alatA AZ Tns,tWuhnNn a Snttna tnttk0al