Connecticut western news., 1890-03-12
A FULL HAND.

"You may trust Annie Shearer to take case of heSse!f, and have lovely time into the bargain"
 This boast, spoken in businesslike Lut by no means unpleasant ice by Mrs. Arthur $. Shearer, was about as true word 0s she h d ever uttered. The charmingly pretty American tune, but perhaps t..e winning card in her hand was her clear common sense. She had drifted over from America about two years before the time of which we write, and if she had really been fotsam or jetsam washed on our shores, there could not have been less clue as to her antecedents.
 The ori in of the Earldom of Mar, in the sublime words of the Peerage, Is "lost in the mists of antiquity" and Mrs. Shearer's pedigree was equally untraceable. Whether the solid fortune she enjoyed had been dug by some male relation out of silver or gold mine, whether he had run an hotel or . dry-goods store, or had successfully manipulated stocks and shares in Wall street, no one knew further than that the money was undoubte lily there. Some said she had been Baltimore belle, others that she had queened it at Frisco; but where she had left her family circle. or if she had one at all, no one had the faintest idea.
 When cross questioned she generally said her home was s'out West,n and adroitly changed the subject; but it seemed to have been 8 moveable habi- tation, for sometimes she alluded to it as being situated "down South." In two years she had educated London society into the belief that no party was complete without the beautiful Mrs. Shearer; she dictated terms to duchesses, and led countesses captive. From the first she had seen in the cear- est manner that very pretty woman, with plenty of money, hampered by no ties, exqui,itely dressed, and extreme ly agreeable. could hold her own any where; 30 she sold herself as dearly as possible-that is to say, she made favor of her society, and in every way took moro than she gave.
 At the present moment she was hay ing five-o'clock tea in the drawing room at Framlingham castle, having consented to pay few days visit to the Duke and Duchess of Dorset, and she was winning all round here as else where. There was a large party in the house, and the room was full of vis;- tors. The fat, good-natured duchess allowed them to look after themselves, and was busily engaged as usual in knitting stockings for the poor; her daughters, hot and dishevelled after a lawn-tennis afternoon, were making tea and handing cakes; most of the guests had been engaged in some athletic pur- suit that loTely August day, and in riding-habits, boots and gaiters, or tennis get-up, were standing or sitting about.
 Our American beauty, too, had been ont, but had found ample time on re- turning home to don white plush tea gown. trimmed with silver, to recurl her fair golden locks. to powder her pretty little nose, and 10 look very much more attractive parsonage than any of the others. A band of young men seemed to vie with each other in lookin ing after her, and as she sat little apart from the rest under gigantic palm that nearly touched the ceiling, a . sea-green plush screen making most telling background, she looked an ex- quisite picture. She knew by intuition that the dark plush threw mp the color of her fair hair and enhanced her beauty, and she would have thought herself stupid not to have taken ad- vantage of such good accessories. What were footstools good for but to display . tiny Am rican foot with high instep and slender heel shod in a suede shoe embroidered in silver? While the other ladies of the party looked (we are bound to say unbecomingly) lot after their afternoons exertions, in useful but not over-becoming attire, Mrs. Arthur was like fairy princess under apalm-tree.
 First on her list of adorers we sup pose mast be plat ed the Duke himself. The attentions of that elderly magnate were not very fatal to her peace of mind, but she saw how much they added to hcr importance at the Castle; she always sat at his left hand at dinner, whatever ieh-born dame had the right of being taken in by the master of the house; the head-gardener had orders to send her some of his choicest flow. CTS every morning; she dictated many of the amusements of the day, while the Duchess only laughed, shruggins her fat shoulders, and reflected tha she had often seen his grace mucf worse employed.
 If ths Duke came first on her list little Somers-"Sprite" Somers as ht was called in his regiment-should, by virtue of h 8 small stature, unimport ance, youth, and baby face, be abou the last; but perhaps in her heart c1 hearts, if she possessed such compli cated machinery, she was nearer car ing for him than the others. Any woman, even an American beauty feels touched by real passion, and thi boy was desperately in love win Ter ThiR did not prevent her making ful use of him, and he not only Jagged fo her, but took pride ani pleasure il his Tagging, quite satisfied to receiv, as reward one sweet glance from he laughing blue eyes.
 Bst neither the attentions of Duk nor efr::iGA could possibly mean busi ness, snd Colonel Damer stood on yer, different footing from either. He ha, arrived at years of discretion, to whic1 the Sprite had not yet attained ant which the Duke had long passed-il other words, he was about thirty year of age, z od-looking, extremely clever and the happy possessor of large for - . - lsce, and aeout the be,