The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-12

The Countess of SCISSORS was about to
separate from her husband; the Countess
of scissors was coming home to AmeFic;.
The merciless ocean telegraph, which
proves the greatest gossip of this gossip
ing age, announced the fact, and the
newspapers reported it among the latest
bits of choice society news Eager tongues
in the magic circle elaborated the story
through the length and breadth of Muir
ray Hill, and long winded slanderers out
side the pale added fresh revelations,
gloating over them with the glee of South
Sea Islanders seeming a cannibal feast,
Reasons for the rupture were given
without stint, and scarcely a show of rea-
son in any Of them: but this did not pre-
vent each report having scores Of devout
adhcrents. It was generally conceded
that the breach was Of the countess caus-
ing though she was none the less blamed
on that account, Most people tried to
think she only made matters public be-
cause she wanted to be first in the field,
and having discovered that the count in
tended to expose her shocking conduct,
invented this complaint against marital
cruelty in order to dull the edge of his
chronicle when it should appear
The telegraph, the newspapers and the
gossips Ind it their own way for few
days; such of the countess republican
relatives as anybody ventured to mention
the naster to could only answer that they
had heard nothing from the lady herself
Letters did come, however, or rather
letter, from the countess to her stepmoth-
err it had been delayed, as the epistles
one Is anxious to receive always are It
was not satisfactory explanation,
though it was sufficiently clear, in all
conscience.
Thus much was truth: the countess had
left her husband and taken refuge under
his aunt's roof; She intended to come back
to America She had borne enough, that
was apparent; but she was too proud a
woman to try to excite sympathy by a
worry narration of her wrongs. She
could have told that she had been more
than once dragged out of bed by the
beautiful hair which men raved over, and
Owen Meredith had written poems about;
she could have mentioned a descent down
stairs FASTENED by an application of no
bility's boot heels; but she forbore. She
was likewise silent in regard to the fla
grant insult and browning wrong, which
no woman ought TO endure, that had
unused her hastily TO quit her outraged
and deseerated home
She was not coming back to crave pro
lection Mrs. Laurence thoroughly conn
pretended this. She stated distinctly that,
though the bulk of her fortune was gone,
she had enough left to live upon--if not,
she would teach, sew; none of her rela-
tons need be afraid OF her throwing her
self on their bounty She requested her
stepmother to make this truth plain to
the clan, and to add that she no more de-
sired advice than she did assistance.
But almost before Mrs. Laurence still
young and pretty, had read and digested
the epistle, the telegraph blurted out fresh
news; the newspapers caught it up, the
scandal nlongers went nearly mad with
excitement. The count had been shot In
duel by the husband of the little Spanish
lady on whose account the countess had
taken her decisive step
But that was not all. Surprises are
like misfortunes, they never come singly.
One of the Laurences died off in South
America and left his half million to his
beloved niece, Adele. Countess of Soissons;
she had been christened by that pretty
French name, as if her mother had
presentmenJ it would suit best with the
appellaIion she was to bear in later
years.
There WIS revolution in the senti-
meftts at least OF society, without delay.
A woman returning to her old home dam
aged in reputation by an unexplained
parting from her husband, beggarded in
pocket by the extravaganza Of her noble
lord, was woman to be properly bounced
upon and condemned But young widow,
possessor OF an ample fortune, well con-
nected, with a title and beauty, was
person to be received with sympathy and
affection. Besides, the withered old mar
quise, who certainly would have been taken
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