St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-02-04
THE MASCULINE DECOY.
Colonel Cadder's Tale Of Modern
Society.

1t was q musicale at Mrs. Wander.
Drinks. We, Colonel Calder and my
self, sat in a small alcove, far from the
piano, and almost hidden from the
rest Of the company by flowers and
drapery. It was possible to converse
in an undertone without annoying
Others, and as | am not 'up to" the
severe species of music now in vogue.
encouraged my companion to talk
about the people whose faces attracted
my notice I think he found me a salts
factory listener. chuckled at the right
places. but said nothing myself, except
what was necessary to draw him on.
He had pretty well gone the rounds
OF the company, mentioning some in
teresting detail about each one, calcu-
lated to impress me with the trite fact
that this is a very queer world, when a
young man walked slowly down the
staircase and seated himself facing us,
but at considerable distance.
Colonel Calder started as he espied
him; and said: "Aha! There is Went
worth!'
| observed the new conner carefully,
but said nothing.
The Colonel was silent for a minute
ortwo, stroking the gloves which lay
upon his knee.
There are only few men," he said,
presently, ''Who have any suspicious of
that young mans true sphere in life.
He is the most interesting and mys-
FERROUS character that know. Inquire
about him at random, and you will be
told that he is the son of the late George
Wentworth. well known in Wall street
ten years ago, who left snug fortune
to his widow and this youth. His
mother, they would explain, lives in a
quiet sort of way on Thirty eighth
street. and Hugh himself passes the
easy, INDECENT life of the average So
ciety young man. You will find him
well liked everywhere, and those who
know him well would, perhaps, speak
enthusiastically of his brilliant CONVEX
o1eiUlA ttlitt
Yes" Iassented; "he looks all that
you say"
serutinized the young mans face
more carefully. I call him young,
though | suppose he was in the neigh
borhood of thirty. To man who has
toiled through half century of ex-
istence, every man not forty is juene
encore. His countenance showed more
character than was to be observed in
most of the young men who frequented
Mrs. Vanderbrink' 5 parlors, but it was
not striking in any way.
"And wherein is the world laboring
under an error?" I asked.
I'm supposing that he has any prop
erty. Old Wentworth was not as rich
as people imagined, and what money
he left was SO ilI-invested that it finally
all disappeared-by evaporation.
so this elegant young man is COM
PEELED to live upon the charity of his
relatiyesP' said /, enquiringly.
mo. his degradation is infinitely
greater than that. He has no wealthy
relatives, and is, therefore, forced to
earn q living for himself and those de-
pendent upon him. No one suspects him
of it, yet he enjoys handsome income
from profoundly mysterious source. =
us he private detectivep" I haz-
arded; this being the only mysterious
business / knew any thing about
The Colonel shook his head.
Perhaps he leads germans for the
nouyeaux riches I continued, ..or
begs Wall street pointers from the wives
of brokers who talk in their Sleep
Neither of those" said the Colonel.
Then, leaning over, he whispered in my
ear, He lisa Decoy."
'Indeedf' l said, with fortunate
presence of mind. II would not have
expected il"
Presently, as the Colonel showed no
disposition to proceed, was compelled
to ask humbly for explanations.
THE Decoy is a new idea, " he said,
recently introduced from Paris, where
all onr bright ideas originate. Society
in Paris, however, does not present the
opportunities for the display OF the De-
-coy's genius which are offered here. In
France girl marries to suit her pa
rents; in America she arbitrates her
own destiny. The French girl has
plainly the advantage, because she has
some one else on whom to lay the
blame. Y
''Of course 7 said; ..but the De-
coyP''
The Decoy, repeated the Colonel.
impressively, ut is the business of
the Decoy to prevent those nesalli-
ances which are the bane of our social
system. =
! continued to look mystifed, and the
Colonel resumed: