Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-03-28

the supreme charm of the place was
embraced in the bay window. That
was a veritable bower of verdure, OF
bloom, of beauty. Such flowers! only
one who loved them dearly could have
brought them to their state of absolute
perfection. For they all seemed to be
in bloom. The tall oleander, with its
long, banana-like leaves; the Storm
King fuchsia; the veined, olive-leaved
and ~waxen-pink begonia; the creamy
Chinese primroses; the brilliant and
multi-hued spikes of spicy %geraniums,
Most exquisite of all, the lilies! OF
those, stately, snow-pure, golden
hearted things, there were fully two
dozen. Many were in full and splendid
bloom; others were in bud; but every
one was exquisite, simply that.
"Oh," cried Mrs. Vandelour, bringing
her fat hands together with n gasp of
amazement, of delight, Mrs. Delamere
did not exaggerate about your Lenten
liliesl They are magnificent
Mrs. Delamerel Lavender Bassett
could hardly repress a smile. Mrs, Del
amere was a very wealthy and fash
ionable lady who lived in the preten-
tious green stone dwelling which over
Swallowed hers. She had called on Mrs.
Bassett, and been very kind. She went
a great deal into society. She had
doubtless Glanced to meet Mrs. Nande-
lour, and had mentioned the success OF
her neighbor as a florist. But surely a
desire to behold some fine flowers
would not account for that lady's visit.
"They are pretty" she asseuted with
p%ardonablc pride.
'Pretty! They are superb! | never
saw anything like them. Did you,
Oriole?'
Oriole, a stoop-shouldered, bilious
looking girl, over-dressed like her
mother, was regarding them with en-
vious eyes.
Never! Oh, mamma, if only"
Her mother sent her a glance of
piercing reproof. The time was not
yet ripe.
Half an hour passed. The visitors
beamed on Lavender Bassett. She
calmly and c~ourteously entertained
them. She was such a contrast to them.
She was so slender, and gentle, and
graceful-so quietly clad. Her gown,
of some thick, soft, black stuff, was
fashioned with absolute simplicity.
There were u few folds of Grape at
wrists and throat. Her face reminded
one of her own precious lilies, so pure
ly pale it was. Her features were deli
cately regular, Her eyes, da~rk-browed
and dark-fringed, had the dreamy, at
t%entive, half brooding look of n who
is very near-sighted. And her hair,
cleaning golden, was at once a crown
and an aureole. But her expression
was n of sadness, the most controlled,
intense.
A rather curious story, that of Law
cnder Bassett's, Married at eighteen
to her first and only lover, installed in
a charming home of her own, with in
come sufficient to meet all probable re-
q%uircments, she was the happiest of
women. Two years after her marriage
Jack Bassett was obliged to go west to
look up some land in which he was in
terested. He never returned. Many
were the %conjectures as to his fate. A
great deal of advertising and searching
was done vainly, -Four months after
his disappearance his baby girl was
horn. A couple of hundred dollars to
her personal credit at the bank had
Mrs. Bassett-that and her jewels.
Otherwise she was u%nprovided for.
One day a lawyer waited on her, X
planning, OF ~endeavoring to explain, a
very peculiar case. Some old trans
atlantic relative of her husband had
died. His estate, of ~stupendous value,
was willed TO Jack Bassctt if he could
and would fulfill certain erratic re-
quests and conditions. In ease he was
either unable or unwilling to do so, the
property would pass to another rela-
tive, Hermann Nandelour.
The vanishment of young Bassett,
the queer complications now resulting,
and all the singular features of the af-
fair were popular newspaper themes
for several months. Then public in
terest in the matter waned. The case
went into the courts, and it was gen
orally conceded that if Jack Bassett did
not soon materialize the decision must
be III favor of Vandelour. But Jack
BasSett's wife and friends had decided
he must be dead. No such steady and
homc-loving chap as he would willingly
remain away from all that was most
sacred to him for two years. Thus
stood matters on the day of the Vande,
lours' visit, AS they rose to go the
wife of Jacks cousin abruptly made
known the cause of her unwonted con.
s~ideration.
Lavender" she said, 1--WE are going
to have a reception on Easter Monday,
and I'm sure you will let us have youl
lilies. They are the fashionable flowers
this year, you know. The florists
charge so outrageously for them. Ever
the rental of them would be enormous
at this particular time"
A brief silence ensued. Mrs. Vande
lour mistook it for consent.
"Of course, we would send an express,
wagon for Them" she hurried on, viva
ciously, land they would be returned
to you in the best of order. They
would merely be used for decorating
the rooms. Those sea-onions and thai
oleander you might let us have also
They are very effective. And then il
would only be necessary for us to pur
chase some cut flowers. But it is the
lilies we particularly require. do moi
mind saying in confidence to you that
Oriole being a debutdRte this year, it is
all we can manage to keep her in new
gowns and entertain for her. Oh
course it will be all different when thi.
lawsuit is decided in Hermann's-"
She broke off. She had said toe
much, and she knew it. Over the sen.
sitive face of little Mrs. Bassett u swift,
rosy tide went sweeping. The final re.
mark had hurt her, but it had not in
tluenced her. Her mind was quite
made up before its u%tterance.
sIt is impoSSibla She said ouiatly