Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-14

80 IL went, The women were furious
with jealousy, the men with admiration.
Before week was over tout le monde
knew that Miss De Bracey could swim
like naiad, dance like Terpsichore.
ride like Diana Vernon, dress more and
better than any other woman in the
hotel, and talk French and (this in a
Whisper play billiards like the Paris
ienne that she looked.
The feminine forces were routed horse
and foot. AS for the masculine contin-
gent, they deserted to the enemy with
shameful alacrity. The "elegantes"
were green with rage. Miss De Bracey
out-dressed, out-danced and out
fiirted them. The horsey women
gnashed their teeth. Miss De Bracey's
horses and carriages were handsomer
than any. The tennis girls were no bet
ter off. Miss De B. wouldn't play with
them, and she beat all the men-the
wretches And as for the swimmers
0 nymphs and naiadsi 0 nereids and
mermaids which of you would dare ap-
pear by the side of that ravishing black
figurel Turn as green as the hair which
you are eternally combing, ye ancient
maidens stink out of sight and hide
your eclipsed charms at the bottom of
the sea!
Two weeks had passed-Miss De Bra
cey was triumphant, Brayston devoted,
Miss Bramwell in despair She had
tried ajolery-Brayston was unmovable.
She had firted desperately-Braysto
was Indifferent. She would have tried
tears-only they were so unbecoming.
Had it come to this? Was she to see
the prize captured with so much diff
culty-a town-house, a country house
and thirty thousand year-torn unre-
sisting from her grasp? Apparently.
OF course she had tried freezing out"
the intruder. She had arrayed the
virtuous mammas and the eclipsed
daughters on her side. They had re-
fused to be introduced to Miss De Bra
cey they had inspected her on all occa-
sions with glances which were meant to
be whitening; they had refrained from
knowing the entirely inoffensive matron
who was "chaperoning" the newcomer,
and who, not being able to amuse her.
self as the younger woman did, felt and
looked rather forlorn. Not so Miss De
Bracey. If the women snubbed her,
their brothers, sons and lovers delighted
to honor her. She took them
for what they were worth, rode.
walked, danced and fiirted with them,
laughed with them and at them,
and appeared to enjoy herself to the ut
most. And foremost in the number OF
her admirers was-John Brayston. 1t
might be that he was only amusing him
self, as the Bramwell faction asserted
but it was certainly amusement at the
expense of his fancee. 1t might
be that he was trying to force Miss
Bramwell to break the engagement for
which her rivals said she was chiefly
responsible. Or it might be that the
fascinating if slightly outre usurper had
actually made conquest of him. Either
way, Miss Bramwell was decidedly ''out
of it,"
But when the outlook was darkest,
fortune capriciously deserted the quon-
dam favorite and perched on the eagles
of the-socially speaking-respectable.
The tide of events turned, and bore the
De Bracey with The cause-though
it only became apparent, as cause,
afterward-was the arrival of a certain
Miss Liant, society belle and person
age. The announcement of this event
was of course made beforehand, was re-
ceived with general interest, and was
communicated to Miss De Bracey by
John Brayston, as he lay at her feet on
the beach.
She leaned forward at the mention of
Miss Lant's name, and asked eagerly :;
"Who did you say? Not Miss Lola Liant,
of New York?'
'The same" answered Brayston.
"Why? Do you know her?"
"Yes-no-no, but I've heard of her."
said Miss De Bracey, abstractedly.
IL Il.
asked suddenly.
John Brayton noted that she was dis
turbed about something at least he
said so afterward. And as they reached
the hotel she made an announcement
that gave him further food for medita-
ton.
81 am going away tomorrow" she
said. Why? She was tired of the
place. Where? Undecided as yet.
To say that John Brayston was sur
prised gives but faint idea of the state
of his mind. He was firmly convinced
that Miss De Bracey, in common with
number of other girls, wanted to marry
him. Therefore, when she voluntarily
relinquished what certainly seemed to
be good chance at the great matrimo-
NAL prize--"there must" reflected
Brayston, "be some deuced good reason
unless it's a blind" he added, warily.
The news ran through the hotel like
wildfre. ''She's proposed to him and
been refused" whispered Miss Bran
we'll, triumphantly.
II wasn't a blind. Next day, to the
mystifcation of Brayston, the despair of
her other adorers and the Joy Of the
women, Miss De Bracey actually evacu-
ated the fortress she had taken and
held SO gallanty. She marched out
with flying colors, however. The little
phaeton, that drove her to the station
was crammed with flowers, and youths
in every shade of detection twined about
the pillars of the veranda and waved
her fearful adieu.
She departed, and her place knew her
no more. And the heart of Miss Bran
we'll was at peace, for her Brayston (hav-
ing nothing better to do) had returned
to his allegiance.
The next day came Miss Liant. and
with her the solution of the De Bracey
problem.
"You say she said she knew me ?"
she asked of Brayston, who, with Miss
Bramwell and divers other persons had
been imparting to her the history of the
preceding reign.
eyes. then she cOntradicted herself