The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-06-01
"A MODEL SON.IN-LAW. "
a Racy Story of London Society.

s'Really, Maria, you are the most fortunate of
mothersr observed the Hou. Mrs. Hunter to
her intimate friend Lady Fisher, as they sat side
by side at the Duchess of Beckington's ball.
''Your younger daughter, Lottie, is the belle
of her first season, and has all the men at
her feet while your elder, Alice, who has now
been out five years, has secured the attentions
of that most eligible parti, Sir Rupert Hamil-
ton.'
s'He is her cousin, you know" the other lady
replied, as if deprecating the notion of anything
beyond cousinly affection; though it must be
admitted that she glanced with evident satisfac-
ton toward the opposite side of the room, where
her rather plain elder daughter, who had so far
been matrimonial failure, sat listening, with
downcast eyes, to the pretty speeches of the
handsome young baronet.
''And what if he is % returned Mrs. Hunter.
81 only wish my girls had few such cousins! !!
The premier baronet, and twenty thousand
year!-why, my dear Maria, if he were her
grandfather, and the law permitted it, you
surely would not object to your daughters
marriage with such pani as that" !"
''But my dear Julia,' Lady Fisher returned,
in tone of mild remonstrance ''their ac-
quaintanceship hitherto has only reached the
stage of light firtation, and | do not allow my
self to hope anything yet; for dear Alice, you
know, is not favored with beauty, though she is
a good, true-hearted girl'
''Plain girls are always that!' the other
answered candidly. ''Dear me! Who's that
strange and over-dressed young man, just enter
ing the room ~
Lady Fisher adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses
to her eyes, and had good stare at the young
man in question.
"Ah ~ she said. ''That is young Waters
you have heard of him, have you not ~
''What ?-the son of the great tailor?"
"The same, my dear"
''Then how comes he here? The dear Ouch
,ess is generally so very particular about her
invitations
Lady Fisher smiled rather sarcastically. "My
dear Jua,' she answered, "since it has become
known that he is worth ten thousand year,
the ladies of the polite world have grown
strangely forgetful of his parentage and he is
asked to all sorts of great houses, though l, for
my part, would never ask him to mine"
Mrs. Hunter did not answer. Since she had
learned the wealth of the tailor's son she had
conceived an interest in him, and was following
him about with her watchful eyes. Presently
she exclaimed: ''See, Maria Alice knows
him, if you don't. He's just talking to her
now and is, / believe, asking her for dance"
Lady Fisher glanced in the direction indi-
Gated, and her face assumed an expression of
annoyance, as she remarked
~ was not aware that he had been intro
duced to Alice. But hope she will know bet
ter than to dance with him."
Her hope, however, was destined to be frus,
trated, for when the next Yalse struck up
young Waters approached her daughter and
led her away on his arm.
Lady Fisher said nothing but sat with hel
lips tightly pursed and veXed expression on
her face, gazing toward where Sir Rupert stood
flirting with the daughter of rival chaperone
Mrs Hunter observed her friends annoyance
and secretly rejoiced at it.
"Dear Alice seems to be getting on very nicely
with the tailor's son." she said sweetly.
"Eh-oh-umph-l wasn't noticing" replied
the other lady, with an air OF assumed indif
ference. But that she had been noticing pretty
carefully was made clear when her daughter re-
turned to her after the yalse.
"Alicen she said, soto pOce, but very Sc
yerely, show could you bring yourself to dance
with that young man, and encourage his TAMIL
iarity?"
"0h mamma" Alice replied, 81 know he's
not one of us, but he's very amusing"
''NIy dear" was the chilling answer, "girl'
who choose their partners because they are
amusing will never do credit either to them
selves or to their mothers"
In the meantime her late partner, Mr. Leon