The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-11

very pretty ana so young ~
have been curiosily-hunting in the lumber
| room OF HawkeswOrth Castle, which domicie L
| am shortly to enter as a BRIDE My future nus
| band has Just announced his intention OF having
| the Ladies' Bower, which consider the prettlest
| room In the house, renovated for my especial
benefit. We have triumphsntly unearthed
! spinning wheel to replace in il, grayely con-
| sidered The propriety OF setting spinet with
most Of its notes dumb, on its spindle legs once
more, and are now discussing a picture which
| has been Tor years banished from civilized So
| eiety.
81 like that the best OF all our discoveries; let
| US have IL hung in the bower, In the most favor
| able light In the roOm."
That is quite out of the question. Eva" re-
marks Miss Sarah HawkesWOTth, Arthur seldest
sister. In tone which clearly implies, "ifomm my
| decision there is no appeal"
| "Out of the question? WEy?" inquire boldly,
enjoying tie strong moral support Of Aftburs
presence, though l should have been afraid TO
demur at fiat Of Sarah's without IT,
since you are so very anxious for infOrma-
| tiOn, it is because the original of that picture
was a disgrace to her family"
| 1he portrait in question represents girl OF
| about II or IS, with a small, rather childish
| face, of very beautiful type. She has large,
| soft gray eyes and a most deIicately cut mouth;
| her dark hair is tightly drawn back from her
| good, candid brow, after The trying fashion OF
/
head-dress pretty, unobt:usiye arrangement
| that can scarcely be called cap-a loose robe OF
dark SILK, turned back al The open neck, with
| some wonderfully well painted Venetian point
completes the picture.
After a prolonged look at the portrait mu-
| tinied as ! have already recorded, against
| Saral's verdict
"of what crime is she supposed to have been
| guilty? WHO was she?"
She was ny great great great gTandfather's
| first wiie-and"-
as supposed TO have boted?" put in Arthur
| cOnctsely. "AS Il matter of fact, DGl, nobody
| really knows what became OF her, and believe
! a lover was invented as the most convenient way
| OF accounting for her disappearance All we
are sure OF is that she myetrruusiy vanished
| within few months OF her marIiage-and
| those were not the days of sagacious policemen
| and private Inquiry Offices. Don't you follow
| her example, or you Will nguie IN paragraph
| In the I,apers!"
At which speech Sarah looks as solemn as if
| Arthur were talking IN gIim earnest.
! Ii l. most unfortunate that size IS so fond OF
lingering in our society. as Sue never understands
! when We happen to be talking nonsense.
| The runaway is very pretty, and really think
! lille 10 YouT style, child" he continues focus
! sing me through his closed hand, If l were
| merely canvas. Then turning TO Sarah: IL
Will send The picture TO be cleaned, ana you shall
| have II hung W over the writing table before our
| return, Sarah, If you think IL inadmssbe 10 The
| bower on any other gIounds-it may serve as an
awful example to Dot | expect my yPuerated
| giandmammas sent 1t upstairs but Of pure jeal.
| uHsy. which las come down 10 you by tile laws
| OF heTedlty, Sally ~
ION, Arthur, you tease Why do you call her
such frigltful name as 'Say""
II may not be pretty, hut at least ii is more
sensible than some OF his dminuiyes," retofts
Sarah, as If she rather liked the name than 9TH
eTwlse.
Again l an conscious have blundered
For tie last four years Arthur has been IN the
habit OF smoking PIPES with old Mr.. Muckle-
worth, father of an eligible young lady, when
ever the evenings al home" seemed to want
Curtailing llItle-and his sisters and all the old
ladies' In the neighboIhood made up their minds
Ildt lie WAS sizing ana smoking himself INTO
alliance with the daughter. Quite a settled
thing" they considered II. NV Door dear bowl
What victim he would have been If l had not
pIoVd entiaiy ridden Inio bog one day, out
sIag-hunting, In consequence OF an ambitious at
Tempt 10 get rae lead OF my Uncle DICK.
Arthur pulled me cut and scOlded me as
thoroughly as II lie had known me all my life.
he next week lie rode over TO see that l had
not caught cold from the black peat water-and
told Uncle Dick that, as evidently had not
Idea OF taking care OF myself, lie wished TO he al
lowed to take care Of me Tor life.
And sU-the promise Of all those pipes al the |
MucKleworihs' bligEted IN the bud. Now
Miss MucklewOIth. though very pretty piece
OF sell-Oplnioned simplicity, had habit OF re-
IeriiHg 10 SaraiPs superior judgment, upon most |
occasions. This Pleased Arthur, in The past,
there Is no doubt; his sisters opinions have great
weight with HIM. and from his own good, aiec-
Tomato nature, he was likely 10 have become
mildly attached even 10 an animated Dutch doll,
If he WAS constantly IN the habit OF meeting her.
Oh. prOpinquity!-thiet of menl My blessing |
on every mound IN the aunt that delivered Arthur
from your clutchesl
| shall never forget my first lunch at Hawkes..
worth. II lie whole family evidently regarded
me with suspicion as an unknown quantIty ana,
finding them as cold as lcIcleS, 10 begin with
put ATthur's cap when went into the
grounds, aud talked all The slang could muster
for tie amusement Of seeing them freeze harder
and harder. AT last Sarah. who always piques
herself upon her candOr, remarked: "Mr. Blank
(ny Uncle Dick, good innocent NAM is very
fond OF throwing people together, but Ar
thur never firts, and We approve OF May
Mucklewotth." At which announcement, from
sheer nervousness, l began to laugh and
H1WkpSWnTtl
must be very much obliged to themi was
really trying, Ia a bewildered way, 10 say the
most polite hing could think OF. hui II was an
unlucky speech, as, ten minutes later, Arthur
told her we were engaged l must confess that,
unlike Miss Muckleworth, had thought very
little about his sisteTs-eXcept as his append
ages. MIy, the youngest, rather resembles
him, and loved her as soon as discovered the
likeness, but she is timld and gentle, quite over
ridden by Sarah, who resOnts my existence as
an injury TO Miss MuckewOrfh, though she has
really endeavored to like me, and has succeeded
In being merely passlvely hostile since the an
uOunceDenl OF our engagement. / fear must
still be thorn in her slde-f0r Miss Muckle-
worth, besides being her Inend and near
neighoor, is, as she explained, "a power In the
laHd"-by reason of her rlcheIs, aud l am only
poor officers daughter, though my family Is
QuiTe as old as The HaWkeSwOrths.
Il Will carry the pinning wbeel-you girls cIu
take the picture down TO the bower at once; aud
we viii settle where they ale to stand when the
room is dOne.' This from Arthur, whom 1 have
left all the time In the attic.
"N ait Ill have them busted" from Sarah,
IL
Arthur quickly duSJs them with his pocket
handkerchief, and then requests her TO take It
away and fetch him clean one. as he did not
want any servants bO,heflng up IN re. Aud by
this means we gel rid of Sarah Tor three whole
minutes AT the end OF that time size returns,
and, laden with The jetsam and hotsdm OF cen
turtles, we make our way to The bower, which is
10 he my own especial sanctum In years to come
We enter Il long, narrow room with very high
oak waiuscuG having at the far end window
with lattced paneS. looking out on a grayeled
terrace. The bower is built over the dining
room.
Round the bay-window goes a cushioned win
dow-seat, which Arthur thinks the most COM
Portable lounge in tile house. We all rest here
for few minutes, and then begin dragging
sbOui the spinning wheel, which Is finally fitted
into an alcOve. Next We place The portrait Of the
family derelict In various lights. | regard her
with ever-deepenng interest, and for half sec
Oud find myself wondering If she could have fed
from the shrs wd hips and pecks OF any former
Sarah HawkeswOrlh down The broad road to de.
stTuction?
But no. The more steadfastly | look at her
the more see good faith and uprightness au-
pearlIg Ia every line of the face.
q She shall have place OF honor straight over
my writlngtable, Arthur, In sign that Intend to
lake her under my mighty wing and do my best
To mud out what became OF her. Who knows
that may not succeed III clearing away the cob
webs of few centuries from her reputation P"
SO We arrange our ARTICLES of bigotry and vr-
tue' greatly TO our satisfaction, and then Arthur
and L sat down in opposition corners of the
wind0w-seat, and rather wish Sarah would |
Join Milly downstairs; but she has no intention |
Of leaving us 10 enjoy our city of refuge. On The
contrary, sue Is Dent on improving our mnuS |
both by pTecept ana example, and, seating her |
self In resOute manner on the stifiest chair she
can find. she begins TO do some Russian cross. !
stitch IN red cotton all along The edge OF clean
white toilet. cover, in my opinion quite spOlligg
the look Of the snowy material:
II like 10 employ my time" she begins but
never ends her speech, for In pulling out her
neeoleiul OF red cotton with great CLERGY, she
manages 10 drop her tbmble.
Arthur jumps up hastily, and rather heavily,
from the wlndowseat 10 find IL fOr her and in
doing so tleads OH a loose board which moves
with creak under the carpet and nearly throws
him down. The floor Is covered win a dngy old
Brusses-daie, early victoria, 1t is nailed down
all round the skirllng board SO that lie evil can.
moi Immediately be iemcdIei
. ms must De seen toy sarah. when the room
Is done up. Ii IS 4 regular mar-irap. / don,t
want Dot to break her neck the minute she CONES
homeI"
Sarah looks exceed nqIv cross
"Ihe board has bsen loose for years aud you
never femhrke ed it'uelore 1 suppose our necks
ter
81 wish your tongue we're not so tough" re-
hate family recIpTocities, having never been
useu ~ them Looking round desperately for