Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-24
MIR. PETTIsoLES REVENGE.


w. Titus Pettisole was a bachelor, rich, middle
AGED and extremely uasttractive. such at least
WAS the opinion OF the great majority OF Mr. Petit
sole's acquaintance, male snd female, though Il
VERY Tar from being that Of Mr.. Pvttfsole him
self To begin with, he was punny In stature and
extremely ugly, though he considered his figure
dapper ard neat, ana his face charming from its
intellectual expression: he was constitutionaily
mean, but he prded himself upon his astuteuess
ana knowledge OF the world. He had never been
known toOhligs a friend 70 his own Inconvenience
OF 10 forgive an enemy; but Titus put down his
chuTlishness 20 q resolve not 70 be sponged upon
and lie positively glOred In his reputation for re-
veEgefulness. 'Im good friend" he would say,
chucA.ins, "Dut a bad enemy, and I don't forget"
u bad never yet been discovered that MT Pettisole
had any title whatever TO the former character
isfics; but no one attempted to deny that he had
frequently proved hts right TO claim the latter. so
upon this point, at all events, Mr. Pettisoe and all
who knew him were agreed
Now. Il there were one thing upon which Mr.
PrttiSOle pTided himself more than another 10 was
His naccesslbility TO the charms and wlles OF the
faIrer sex OF course, ugly, objectionable and
cantankerOuS as the man was, there were plenty
% fashionable matrOns who would have been
few manageable maidens who Tor the sake Of his
money, would gladly have married him But
PrttisOie took a malicious pleasure IN meeting
lheir advances halt way, and then drawing back
Without having definitely committed himself, and
II u had not been for chance meeting with Mss
Aura Berkeley, there Is no know ng nov long
Mr.. PettlsOle might have carried on this anus
ins game But, unluckiiy FOR hiin, Aura was
a great DIAL more than h = match. she was Jwen-
ty-thTee, and Knew much more about men and
their ways than he gave her credit for She had
lately been disappointed In love. The man she
cared for JACK VandeIeur OF the yOth lanciers had
come 10 hopeless grief on the turf and had retired
70 India, without any prospect OF returning ana
frame OF mind: and lastly. she was an exceedingly
clever woman. Hence II came about that the un-
happy PettiSOle was as wax IN her hands. and that
when she made up her mind, partly for amuse-
Inent and partly because she disliked the man in-
tensely, 10 make him fail In love with her, he be-
came comparatively easy prey.
AFTER a months assiduous wooing he proposed
10 her. when she placidly Informed him that she
was engaged 20 marry Sr. James DundeT. Petit
sole lost ms temper, but the young lady rang the
bell and he was SHOWN out by her aunt'S fOOtman,
and had 70 content himself with futile impreca-
tons on the doorstep. He registered VOW OF i'm
Piacable vengeance-she had dared TO make
1OO Of him, Titus Pettisole. for whose hand maid
en- innumerabe had sighed In vain, Sir James
Dunder was sixty, whereas Titus was nifty and
called himself thirty-nye- The baronet was bald
and fat; be was slim auc dapper. OF course Sir
James was wealthy, but 30 was PettisOle. she had
tpOied him purpOSrly. there was doubt OF It. ana
titus ground his teeth In impotent Jury.
Ill Dc reTenged on you Vet, my lady," Snarled
Titus Pettisoie, as he hailed hanson on that
mOmeDtOus day, 'even II have 10 wait ten years.
lanes Dunder 20 spite Pettisole for tney could
discover no other reason for her choice. Perhaps
they were right In any case the marriage was
t0Ok good care 70 ne well-informed upon this
Point. began to lay his plans with view TO the
Sir James Dunder slightly and the first step was
20 become intimately acquainted with him. In
TINS there was little difficulty, for the two men
had more than one club in common. Sir James
was oy no means popular. and as be knew that
PettiSOle could not possibly want 20 borrow money
from him, he was accessible enough TO that gen.
tsman's discreet advances. Aura had not told
her husband that PettiSole was o rejected
sutton; IN fact, she never, Of her own
needless TO remark that Titus himself re-
trained from publishing his own discontinue.
friendly. They dIned together at various clubs
and discussed in bachelor freedom the wlles and
wssknesses OF the female sex; Pettisole was fire.
tainn nts at ST. James house, In GrosvenOr
sduATe, where he was received by her ladyship
with an unconscious and haif-scornful ndinerence
which irritated him even more than downright
TuieBess or neglect. She utterly ignored the past:
but - did titus Pettisoe. He watched and waited
Tor his Opportunity, and It was not very long In
coming
There was a ball at Lady Dunder's and Mr.
Fettisole cnanced 10 put In an appearance rather
early. He Mas standing IDLY about when very
smart woman and bronzed, soldierly- LOOKING
man adv lneed toward their hostess. The ladies
shook han1s, and then tie visitor said 10 Lady
DundeT:
'-Of course, you remember my cousin JACKIE
The man. thought PettisOle looked strangely
uncomfortable; and, what was more surprising
Lady Dunier herself flushed mOnentariiy and
then seemed 10 recover her compOsure with an ef
fort
"When a woman in society bushes, thought
Titus. 'there must be something queer in the
wind.'
The next day, OF course, he made il his business
% Ind out the whole story. There had been an un-
expected death In the Vandeleur family, and the
penniiess scapegraee. Jack, had suddenly found
himself the pOssessor OF substantial income. He
had come straight home from India: and It wa,
SAID that he was about 10 leave the army or else
had been love-passageS between Lady Dunder In
maiden days and jack Vandeleur, and he deter
upon the pair.
.Sne hasn't forgotten her old fame. he thought:
buI 10 Will he precious hard 10 catch her tripping
Women don't risk 10000 a year and title for
nothing
But that Lady Dunder should be caught tripping,
and through his instrumentality, was PetIlsOle )
fOndeSt hope, and he felt that In order TO attain
This end he must make Sir James suspicious
Time went on. and little by little Jack yande-
leur's attentions 10 his old love became more and
more marked. There was nothing compromising
Ia them and II IL had not been for MI. Pettisole
artIul devices no notice would have been taken OF
The harmless fiirtations. But that gentleman con-
tTived 10 do wonders with hint here a Significant
Nod there, yelled inSinuatiOn In another quarter
ana thus 70 make her friendship with Jack the
talk OF the clubs. The next step was to arouse
>ir James Jealousy. and. this Mr.. Pettisole knew
u u sOTcewhat difficult and delicate task
chance, however, favored him The baronet hap
pened % Oyerhear scrap OF conversation In the
han Of one Of his clubs on a certain evening Wnen
he was going TO dine with Titus, and when the
Two men met Ar. PetttsOie knew from the other 3
portfltOu' air That something was amiss. Sir
not the least difficulty In discovering what the
trouble Was The SOUP was scarcely ON the table
beiure De began 20 expatiate upon his WRONGS.
-'Do you know, sir, he said, with terrific grav-
ry, that people are actually coupling my w!fes
N'@e VIII that young Jackanapes. Nandeleur?-
P"JtiScle's game was % fan his friends wrath so
b. repiied teprecatingiy:
We'll. you know, sir James. club gossip doesn't
- Tor mIrn- Every pretty woman gets talked
"But don't choose my wife 10 be talked about 2,
~flCrt-d : r James.
Nj. PejriSOe shrugged his shoulders. The ges-
TURF eX&spSrated the DarOnet stiu further
DO YOU elieye there Is anything in it?- he al.
most shouted.
certainly nOt-gOod gracious. no, But then.
y"o Sc ne was an Old lover OF her. and all sorts
of things
'Ah what sort OF thing-an Old lover-what the
devil 10 yOI me4n?r
why. Of course, you knew responded Petit
sDie 10 Affected surprise, 'that they were engaged
once"
40, I'm hanged II did!- said Sir James.
only bOy-and-giri sort OF affair" continued
fettisOie- " ande-ur got broke-went 10 India.
you know. and
aid % sac married mer' calculated the other,
'Nian alive; thought Titus, "you don't SUPPOSE
that any smart girl would marry an Old ngurp-
head Ike you TOR love, d. yOu?r But he maint aimed
= discreet, stti efalnently suggestive silence
slsLru IN sl IDpatLetIc manner. and passed the
champagne. sir James drank a great deal and
ate IN a savage and vOraclOus manner; but he sand
nothing. Mr.. PettisOle was not 50 foolish as no
and b. the time they adjourned TO the sinoaing.
RON Sir JAMS was unsteady Ia his gait and JnIcS
AMI garru4OGs Ia his speech
"iuDk here, Old man." said he AZ length tsyou-re