The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-12-19

cousins No. ~ slipper trodi ] would \
have crawlcd ON my knees Go have her
accept the heart that was hers IN Its /
every pulsc' Now ! hated that brcvut /
second lieutenant with u mortal hate. |
would sooner have mixed my heart In |
hot flip aud proffcrcd 1t to the bearded |
lip Of the overturned than have yielded !
It 10 the tcndcrest bcseccmngs Of the
false, the perhdious, the shameless Bette
Blythe.
All things, however, even fortunes,
have an end, and in course of time we
reached "Shadynook." The minated
mistress Of the mansion was on the
porch, in the primmest of caps and most
blankety of shawls, as soon rs our sleigh
whirled into the circular drive. Miss
Anna flew down the steps and twined
herself around Miss Blythe, still impli-
Gated in the furs. They were wrapped
In each others arms should calculate
some twenty seconds-they seemed to
me as many minutes-and, as they I'M
coiled, got the damaged remnant of
confidence | distinctly caught the
whispered words, "the dearest of fell
lowsl" and call fixed and ready" from
the perfidious lips of Miss Blythe, To
me at that moment the argus eyed spin
ster, panopled in immaculate cap and
ditto virtue. seemed q pitiful fagot of
weak precautions. l felt bitterly supe-
rior to her unworldliness, and thrilled
with unholy satisfaction that under her
so guarded roof was introduced clandes-
tine passion none dreamed of save myself.
As for Miss Anna, she seemed blonder
and weaker and more white mousey than
ever in the reflection of the snow. | all
solutely despised her as the symbol of
fragility in her seX-as a phantom flower
without even the fiber of womanhood.
Tom seemed to share my feelings in this
respect at least. He barely touched the
tips of her fingers, and passed ON to
salute ancient Prudence in the porch.
WHO could wonder? The girl looked
like bleached celery after the spice plant
he had just left!
Dinner that day was "a cheerful meal.
The old lady sat grimly at the head of
the table, with me on her right, Tom
and his cousin opposite and the White
Mouse at my side. Bette, from wild
exuberance of spirits, suddenly relapsed
into deep quiet that was almost sadness.
Tom, seeming frantically hungry and
eating doggedly, said no word. Anna
Bolton never talked before her aunt, so
the burden of conversation devolved on
me. As l have said, the ancient un-
welded was very deaf, and, like many
deaf people, she had the special gift OF
yelling especially loud when she desired
to be most confidential Less for hel
convenience than to feed my new borr
grudge, enunciated most emphatically
all said to her, but at the guilty couple
opposite.
/ spoke most feelingly on the sin o.
deceiving doting parents philosophic
ally of the folly of impecunious mar
riages. This was stirrup, and using il
at once, the old lady mounted her hobby
with agility surprising for her years
and logged along till dessert. In common
with every very grabbed spinster l eve
met, she believed herself especially al
fait in the delicate intricacies of tn,
married state. Had her three scor
years and ten been passed with Il success
sion of inhuman but rapidly removed
husbands she could not have reposet
more implicit confidence in her perfec
knowledge of double infelicity. AM
however size might wander from it, sh
invariably came back to money as tn
sole pivot around which all happiness il
married life revolved.
"Frightful indeed would it be" wa
the peroration of her long lecture, ii
young girls were permitted to choose TO
themselves without consulting the wis
dom of their elders What is the use o
our experience, our sufferings our MAJ
tyrdom, if we may not point out to on
children the true path to happiness"
What, indeed?' | assented in striden
voice, and then l added as spur. "Af
how many poor girl carves out for he1
self a miserable future by an n,conside1
ate choice and hasty plunge into tn
dark gulf of married lifer'
, / looked full at Miss Blythe, who neve
colored at my words, nor even raised he
eyes from the pudding on her plate. A
for Tom he ate his in great, absen
spoonfuls, and seemed to have joine
Mrs. Jellyby in one of her rambles
Africa. But my shot was not wasted
1t scattered, and one slug hit the spiI
ster Ozark gulf was good, and sh
bridled up in minated pride as she al
swered:
Z "How many, indeed! But rejoice
l believe that some husbands are 50 we
regulated as to have the will of thei
a head both for their law and their d,
i light" Here the old party raised he
voice to the confidential pitch, SOM
: where at A above the line. "My ow
;. experience is a proof of my belief, fc
5 next month my niece will
: Miss Bolton turned scarlet, only
grow more white and limp than ever.
Y understood then that her engagemel
8 must have been arranged and affai
l FASTENED since her return; but the a
fusion seemed peculiarly painful to her
8 "Aunty! auntyw she cried, risin,
Y "shall we not order coffee in the parlor
AS we rose from the table the old lad
g took my arm and led me to the post
honor, the corner of her special sofa
. side the great fireplace. The othe
grouped about the room, with the defial
purpose to be agreeable, but it was N
written that the talk that night was
!, be pleasant to them. The aunt won
give me, at her highest confidence pitc
. the details of her strategy to surrouI
Goodwin, the enemy, and of her can
paign to crush incipient mutiny in IL
White Mouse contingent. That cast
, gated branch would vince at each fires
/. sentence, while the conscious coup
i from DiEafon ouiatlu OF nla o,loncao