St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-27
Tonight God knows what thing shall tide,
The earth is racked and faint

.
i'm Durance.
No man will ever know the exact
truth of this story, though women may
sometimes whisper it to one another
after dance, when they are putting up
their hair for the night and comparing
lists of victims. "A man. of course, can
not assist at these functions. 80 the
tale must be told from the outslde-lh
the Gark-all wrong.
Never praise a sister to a sister in the
hone of YOUR compliments reaching the
proper ears, and so preparing the way
for YOU later on. Sisters are women
first and sisters afterward, and you Will
find that Won do yourself harm. Sau-
mareZ knew this when he made up his
mind to propose to the elder Miss Cop
leigh. SaumareZ was a strange man.
with few merits, so far as men could
see, though he was popular with
women, and carried enough concert to
stock a viceroy's council and leave
little over for the commander-ln-chlefS
staff He was a civilian. very
many women took an interest IN
Saumarez. perhaps because his man
ner to them was offensive. If you hit a
pony over the nose at the outset of your
acquaintance he may not love you, but
he will take a deep interest in your
movements ever afterward. The elder
Miss Coplelgh was nice, plump, winning
and pretty. The younger was not
pretty, and, from men disregarding the
hint set forth above, her style was re-
peIIant and unattractiVe. Both girls
had practically the same figure, and
there was strong likeness between
them in look and voice, though no one
could doubt for an instant which was
the nicer of the two.
Saumarez made up his mind, as soon
as they came into the station from Be-
har to marry the elder one. At least
we all made sure that he would, which
comes to the same thing. She was
twenty-five and he was thirty
three, with pay and allowances
of nearly l,400 rupees month. So the
match, as we arranged it, was in every
way a good one. Saumarez was his
name and summary his nature, as
man once said. Having drafted his
resolution. he formed select committee
of one to sit upon it, and resolved to
take his time. In our unpleasant slang.
the Copleigh girls ''hunted in couples"
That is to say, you could do nothing
with one without the other. They were
very loving sisters; but their mutual
affection was sometimes incOnvenent.
SaumareZ held the balance hair true be-
tween them, and none but himself could
have said to which side his heart in
clined, though every one guessed. lie
rode with them a good deal, and danced
with them, but he never succeeded III
detaching them from each other for any
length of time.
Women said that the two girls kept
together through deep miStruSt, each
fearing that the other would steal
march on her. But that has nothing to
do with man. SaumareZ was silent
for good or bad. and as buSiness-likely
attentive as he could be, having due re-
gard TO his work and his polo. Beyond
doubt both girls were fond OF him,
AS the hot weather drew near and
SaumareZ made no sign women said
that Won could see their trouble in the
ewes of the girIs-that they were looking
strange, anxious and irritable. Men are
quite blind in these matters unless they
have more of the woman than the man
in their composition, in which case it
does not matter what they say or
think. / maintain it was the hot
April DAYS that took the color out
of the Copleigh girls cheeks. They
should have been sent to the hills early.
No one-man or Woman-feelS an angel
when the hot weather is approaching:
The younger sister grew more cynical
MOTTO say acid-in her ways, and the
Willingness of the elder wore thin.
There was more effort IN 1t.
Now the station wherein all these
things happened was, though not lit
file one. off the line of rail and suffered
through want of attention. There were
no gardens or bands or amusementS
worth speaking of. and it was nearly
DAVIS Journey to come into Lahore Tor a
dance. People were grateful for small
things to interest them.
About the beginning of May. and just
before the final exodus of hill goers,
when the weather was very hot and
there were not more than twenty people
in the station. Saumarez gave a moon
light riding picnic at an old tomb SIX
miles away, near the bed OF the river:
1t was "Noab'S Ark" picnic, ana
there was to be the usual arrangement
of auarter-mile intervals between each
couple on account of the dust.
SIX couples came altogether, including
chaperons. Moonlight picnics are use
full Just at the very end OF the season,
before all the girls go away to the hills.
They lead to underStandingS,an and should
be encouraged by chaperOnS; especially
those whose girls look sweetest in rid
ing habits. | knew a case once. But
that is another story. The picnic was
called the Great Pop Picnic" because
every one knew Saumarez would pro
pose to the eldest Miss CopleIgh; and,
besides his affair, there was another
which might possibly come TO nap
piness. The social atmosphere was
heavily charged and wanted clearing.
No of ID.
The night was fearfully hot. The
horses sweated even at walking pace,
Int ANYTHING was better than sitting
still in our own dark houses. When
we moved off under the full moon we
were four couples, one triplet. and MIR.
Saumarez rode with the Copleigh girls,
and | loitered at the tail of the process
sion wondering with whom Saumarez
would ride home. Every one was happy
and eontented, but we all felt that things
were going to happen. We rode slowly,
and it was nearly midnight before we
reached the old tomb facing the ruined
tank in the decayed gardens, where we
going to eat and drink. was late in
coming up, and, before | went into the
garden. saw that the horizon to the
north carried a faint, dun-coloreG
feather. But no one would have
thanked Illc lOI SpOlitIS ~ NOil man
aged an entertainment as this picnic
and dust storm, more or less, does nc
great harm.
We gathered by the tank. Some one
had brought out banjo, which is
most sentimental instrument, and three
or four of US sang. You must not laugh
at this. Our amusements in out-of-tne
way stations are very few indeed. Their
we talked in groups or together, lylne
under the trees, with the sun-baket
roses dropping their petals on our feet
until supper was ready. 1t was beau
tiful supper. as cold and as iced as vol
could wish, and we stayed long over it
had felt that the air was CROWNS
hotter and hotter, but nobody seemed II
notice it until the moon went out and
burning hot wind began laShing the or
ange trees with sound like the nois,
of the sea. Before we knew where W.
were the dust storm was on us an,
everything was roaring, whirling dark