Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-06-20
AIrs.Eo6
BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER,
Author OF ''Boottes' BobU," Beautiful
Tim" Etc, Etc.


After Mrs TrafTord's niece was married
20 the Honorable Marcus OriOrd of the
Black Horse and her daughter to Sir
Anthony stanton of the same regiment,
she declared TO everybody that she no
.o.ger intended TO live in Blankhampton.
There were ill-natured and eny ious peO-
pie in the Town who remarked that
Blankhampt0n lad done uncommOnlY
well by Mrs Trafford, and that for her TO
betake herself out of 1t as soon as she
had secured the two best matches OF
that year was a regular case Of burning
her boats behind her and kicking down
the ladder by which she had climbed TO
fame and fortune.
Mrs. Trafford was resolute however and
actually before the Stauntons had return
ed from their honeymoon she. with her
eldest and only unmarried flower, Julia,
packed up their boxes and went off to
London town for the ostensible purpose
of finding what Mrs. TrafIord. like good
many other people who do not wish to
set up a large establishment called
pfed-1-teTre
Il was an inD0cent pilgrimage. They
put up at the Grand and worked from
thence West by Southwest. They wanted
to be nearer the Park than Charing Cross,
and IN fact to he in the best part Of May
fair, a part OF London in which it is not
easy to establish a pted-d-terrc on reason
able terms They were really very un-
1ucky-they Just missed a charming little
bijou residence over saddler's shop in
South Audley Street, what in prosac Ian
guage IL called au upper part" but, con
sidering the tiny rooms the bad lookout.
the narrow passages and stupid twisted
tuf,. IL l-.lrr Nrz
ford would have consented 10 change her
smart commodious house in the best part
OF Blankhampton, for which she paid Il
modest fifty pounds year, for the bijou
residence in South Audley Street at IA
yearly rental OF two hundred pounds.
At all events she did nothing of the
kind: after thoroughly searching over all
the best districts IN town, after interview
Ing innumerable housc-agents. worrying
greater number Of carctakers. visiting
quite quantity or flats large and small,
and generally having an uncommouly
good time. Mrs. Tralford and Julia went
back to Blankhampton and took up their
quarters again at No. Z s.. Ewes well,
had not quite decided to leave" Mrs.
TrufT0rd explained elHb0ratcly during the
next week or two, Though ! had more
than half Il mind to live in London in
future as being nearer my young people,
or at least as being always likely and
convenient centre for all of us. But we
did not see anything that we liked, and
dear Laura and Nudge begged us 40 not
10 leave ST. Ewes tili the regiment goes,
that Julia aud Thought we would let The
question rest for the present. Besides
that = Mrs. Trtrord added, with the little
candid laugh that hitherto hal stood her
In such good stead, II am not a million
airc, but "a poor little widow who has just
had two smart weddings to drain her
purse, and really house rent ia London
means quite an incomc-twO hundred a
year for u little hole could not get my
piano into.
So the question remained in allowance
aud Mrs. TrulIord and her eldest flower
took up the thread of their old life once
more, and the people who had said dis
agreeable THINGS about huruug boats had,
of course, nothing further TO say.
Bur although life in BIaukhampton Is
Of the dullrst aud You may 20 dreaming
ON from day to duy until you begin to
wonder for what reason YOU were born
and why YOU 20 Oh living, To woman of
Mrs TralIord - temperament there is al
ways morc than enough to I'LL up the day.
GNiit lai htl NOUS, hS hfl'iblbItr an litl
old society excepting such MS She had
iudiciously Wccdcd OUT, aud "a rrcut many
new friends whose acquaintance she had
made after or about the iinr Of the two
smart marriages which had sn drained her
purse. And in BIauI,hamptou, like
great many other provincial towns, the
keeping up of society is very serious
matter. Almost amy afternoon between
the hours Of three aud 1--WE You may see n
dozen nld ladies sallying forth in all tn"
glory at their best honncts, holding in
then pale lId-Cuvrred fingers Il rcsplen
dent card case. II il Is silver one. SO
much the better or II nay Toe OF carved
ivory hailtnE from CHINA or at ivory ana
SILVER from the tar on lhiHi strand
Failing these comes IN the usciu. aud
highly "rnam"nted mothcro' pearl which
Is sometimes made up with hille squares
OF shining green substance, some Kind of
shell, fancy. Ali dear, dear. it IL all
very fnnuyl
Mrs. Frniturd was great CA cljiiug and
she was also one of those little friendly
women who make virtue Of calling out
side the regulation hours-at some houses,
that * to say. Aud also she had, besides
her house aud her acquaintance to keep
mp, great aud serious object in life, nm
hhItti NUiJh was sue very wei Know not
to bc entered on lightly or with frjyoljty.
mn object which IN plain language was iu
get her remaining flower, Julia, suitably
settled IA life.
In the case OF Mrs Marcus Oxford mat
ters had arranged themselves Lady
Stauuton's marriage had uudoubtcdIy
come about hy reason Of the other. but
with Julia il was rather different. Julia
was no longer in her first youth. and she
was not pretty, neither was she an inter
csttng or particularly accomplished young
lady. She sang a little. it is true, hut.
somehow, her singing did not seem 10
catch on with the Blankhampton PEG
pie, who rather pride themselves ON their
TASTE Tor music, Nor was Julh traitor"
popular IN the town: she had hlEA-pljch-
ei somewhat cracked voice and a laugh
that did not ring true,
sui Mrs Trauord did not despair.
Julia had inherited all these Charactcris-
ties from her aud they had not in her
case prevented her from making match
which was really brilliant one, aud,
moreover, she had since the two smart
marriages, come l" le'I hets'u qule Ike
general 10 Whom aeleat Is an unknown
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