Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-25

tlp VI buO t4d4i AlcfO lC4oOQ
it to the tenderest beseechings of the
false, the perfdious, the shameless Bette
Blythe.
All things, however, even tortures,
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 as 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 l should calculate
some twenty seconds-they seemed to
me as many minutes-and, as they I'M
coiled, got the damaged remnant of a
confidence. l distinctly caught the
whispered words, ''the dearest of fel-
the perfdious lips of Miss Blythe. To
me at that moment the argus eyed spin
ster, panoplied in immaculate cap and
ditto virtue, seemed a 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 a 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. l alb
solutely despised her as the symbol of
fragility in her sex-as 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 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 | have said, the ancient I'M
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 her
convenience than to feed my new born
grudge. enunciated most enphatically
all said to her, but at the guilty couple
opposite.
spoke most feelingly on the sin of
deceiving doting parents -philosophic-
ally of the folly of impecunious mar
riages. This was stirrup, and using it
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 | ever
met, she believed herself especially au
fait in the delicate intricacies of the
married state. Had her three score
years and ten been passed with "a success
sion of inhuman but rapidly removed
husbands she could not have reposed
more implicit confidence in her perfect
knowledge of double infeliciry. And
however size might wander from it, she
invariably came back to money as the
sole pivot around which all happiness in
married HE reyOlVe6.
''Frightful indeed would it be-" was
the peroration of her long lecture, ''if
young girls were permitted to choose for
themselves without consulting the wis
dom of their elders. What is the use of
our experience, our sufferings, our mar
tyrdom, if we may not point out to our
children the true path to happiness"
E.Il 7 ia u. l..
voice, and then | added as spur. ''Ah,
how many a poor girl carves ont for her
self miserable future by an inconsider-
ate choice and hasty plunge into the
dark gulf of married lifer'
looked full at Miss Blythe, who never
colored at my words, nor even raised her
eyes from the pudding on her plate. AS
for Tom he ate his in great, absent
spoonfuls, and seemed to have Joined
Mrs. Jellyby in one of her rambles to
Africa. But my shot was not wasted.
1t scattered and one slug hit the spin
ster. Ozark gulf was good, and she
bridled up in minated pride as she an
swered
GLOW many, indeed! But 1 rejoice to
believe that some husbands are so well
regulated as to have the will of their
head both for their law and their de-
light" Here the old party raised her
voice to the confidential pitch, some
where at A above the line. MY own
experience is a proof of my belief, for
next month my niece will'-
Miss Bolton turned scarlet, only to
grow more white and limp than ever. l
understood then that her engagement
must have been arranged and affairs
fastened since her return; but the al
lusion seemed peculiarly painful to her.
''Aunty! aunty!' she cried, rising,
"shall we not order coffee in the parlor?''
AS we rose from the table the old lady
took my arm and led me to the post of
honor, the corner of her special sofa be-
side the great fireplace. The others
grouped about the room, with the defiant
purpose to be agreeable, but it was not
written that the talk that night was to
be pleasant to them. The aunt would
give me, at her highest confidence pitch,
the details of her strategy to surround
Goodwin, the enemy, and of her cam
paign to crush incipient mutiny in the
White Mouse contingent. That casti-
gated branch would vince at each fresh
sentence, while the conscious couple