St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-09
THE SIREN.

London World.
The China Steamship company still
remains close corporation: the fact is
that John Vaughan is the steamship
company. The vast machine may be
said to work itself, and John Vaughan,
aged tifty-nine. has little else to do but
week and pocket his enormous profits.
Young George Vaughan does all the
work, and at the lowest calculation
takes $1,000 year out OF the business
as his quarter share of the net profits.
don't think the great China line will
ever be converted into limited com.
pany.
Now we've nothing to do with the
Office at COrnnill, but it is with the
Vaughan family in their great house in
Park lane that we are concerned. Place
aux danes. Mrs. Vaughan was five
and-forty; she had once been a hand
some woman; her fS0,000 were settled
tightly on herself; her principal char
acteriStic was her unreaSOning Jealousy,
and she had the temper of tigreSS.
She was very fond of her son George
her only son, mind you. She had a
power of disposition by will of the
whole of her settled property. and it
was the dream of her life that George
Vaughan should make a brilliant mar
rage.
Now John Vaughan was by no means
a mari garcon; he wasn't fast man,
and Mrs. Vaughan's continued suspic-
ions during the SiX-and-twenty years of
their married life had been undeServed.
But it had better be understood at once
that John Vaughan was man of taste,
that he was an admirer OF female
beauty, end that he had what might bs
termed a rowing eye. The fact is that
he was fancer, judge. critic. and
he looked upon handsome or pretty
woman as being that he was bound to
admire, and see as frequently as posi-
BILE. For this reason John Vaughan pat
roniZed the drama. He went INTO society
too, a good deal on this account, though
he said he did it as duty to
George, as he would have to find wife
for him, because Mrs. Vaughan wouldn't
take the trouble. Mrs. Vaughan hated
trouble. She read French novels from
morning till night, and she compared
john Vaughan, her husband, to the
vuriOuS diaboiical villains therein de-
picted. Her only wonder was that he
hadn't asSassipated her long ago. These
two unfortunate people never spoke to
each other unless they were Obliged;
but there was no apparent rupture, no
open scandal. John Vaughan dined
out, except on those occasions when he
entertained i'm Park lane, and then his
wife took the head of his table. and none
of their friends knew that they were
practically separated,
Now Mrs. Vaughan was always pro-
vided with companion. She hatei
dowdy peoples; she preferred having
some one who was really nice about her.
and Mrs. Vaughan'S companions du-
ties were not onerous; thy had to read
the French novels, they had to- dress
well, and to drive with Mrs. Vaughan,
and they were habitually treated bv the
whole of the Vaughan family as ladies
in fact, as a rule, Mrs. Vaughan'S
companions had generally what the
Americans term as a high old time;
and Mrs. Vaughan was liberal, and al
ways gave a salary of $500 a
year. Three of Mrs. Vaugan's compan-
ions had been married from her house,
and all three had married well; one had
been dismissed at ali hours notice for
setting her cap at George. Her present
companion, Miss Ethel Stuait-mark
the spelling, reader-was well con-
nected. penniless, utterly unprincipled.
and what the nOvelists call ''dTeam of
loneliness. She WAS so very beautiful
that people turned round to stare at her
wherever she went. She was tall
and exceedingly graceful; she had
great, expressive black eyes, an
iyOry-like complexion and charm
ing little color that went and came; for
Miss Ethel Stuart had habit of blush
ing on the slightest provocation, which
was perfectly delightful. But her great
Oft hnr uar Gtr,,
was perfection, and the great plaits of
raven hair that she wore in the classic
style, were all her own. She was SO
beautiful that when Mr.. Coarsly, K. A.
saw her for the first time he whispered
into the ear of the eminent caricaturist
upon whose arm he leant, "GOdiva, by
heaveni Dye gods and little fiSheS!'
and we all know that CoarslY is
judge.
Now Miss Ethel Stuart knew per-
fectiy well that to set her can at young
Vaughan was the objectionable crime,
in which il she INDUCED, and was de-
tected, it would result i'm her Instant
exclusion from the Park lane paradise
and her return to the parental roof and
shabby frOcks. There are some girls
who must always be making fool of
somebody; it is there raisOn d'etre,
their mission in this life. Ethel Stuart
was one of these. At ! O'Clock Mrs.
Vaughan would say to Ethel: ''WOuld
you kindly give Mr.. Vaughan his lunch,
Miss Stuart? don't feel equal to it to-
day." That was the lady's SteTeOtyped
phrase. and for ten years she had not
felt equal to giving Mr.. Vaughan his
lunch.
So every day Miss Stuart and Mr..
Vaug han had an hours midday tete-a-
tete, and we know the sort Of man John
Vaughan was. | regret to say that be-
fore she had Ueen a monty in the house
the unfortunate man was deSper a;ely in
love with artful Ethel. We won't blame
him too much, reader: her eyes. her
figure and her bushes finished him;
and he invariably began to pay her cunn-
pliments when he got to his third glass
of priceless East In ia sherry. But he
didn't stop at compliments; the fool
wrote letters. and in the second of his
letters he enclosed heart-shaped dia-
mOnd loeket, "as token of respectful
admiration"
Wicked Ethel Stuart kept the locket.
The infatuated old gentleman used to
pass his mornings in the composition of
ardent epistles stuffed full of poetry.
which he invariably clandestlnply
handed to his eDSiaver during the mid
day meal, and the unprncipled mink
answered the letters in an equally ten
der vein.
One day poor John Vaughan's dream
of love was dissipated in the most brutal
manner. Miss Stuart handed him
note and rather large parcel; the par
eel contained his letters to her, the note
was short and to the point.
"Dear Mr.. Vaughan: Unjust ask you,
as man of honor. to return my letters.
Were they to fall into the hands of
third person they might seriously CON-
promise both of us. ! would send back
your many kind presents, but they tell
no tales, and | should be the last to
wish TO hurt your feelings. DO not ask
me why do this. j am sure you will
see the prOpriety of the step | am
taking. Your own, your br0ken-heart-
ed ETHEL"
Now next day happened to be quarter
day. John Vaughan, who was man of
honor nassau niyht Of aponv The old