Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-03-25

The day after q ball Is always n lam
guild, wearisome periodic be dozed or
yawned through on bed or sofa in a state
of total collapse. Life for the time is
| disorganized, disenchanted; there is
feeling Of aatness everywhere; the rooms
lately brilliant and joyous with light and
color fade out in the chilling glare of day
and appear like banquet halls deserted"
which each individual threads alone"
surrounded by an atmosphere of fatigue,
ennui and crossness. In the country the
f1atness falls with full perfection, for
there is seldom the anticipation of more
excitement to buoy one up and keep the
effervescence of the cup of pleasure up
to the proper sparkle.
At a late-a very late-breakfast, the
morning after the Shirley ball, the
Smiths were assembled, with the excep-
ton of Blanche, who had entreated to be
left undisturbed, since she must sleep or
die, and Percival, who had breakfasted
sketchily on scraps and confectionery
hours before. was away in the woods
with his gun
The mail, always deposited in little
heap beside the generals plate, had been
distributed. There was very little-two
newspapers, n couple of letters for Nesbit
Thorne, and one for Norma from New
York friend, claiming promised visit
and OVERLOOKING with gossip and news
Of Gotham, full of personalities also,
and faint ladylike suspicion OF wicked
Mesa racy. entertaining letter. The
writer, a Mrs. Vincent. was Norma's
most intimate friend, and she often sac
ridced an hour of her valuable time to
the amusement Of the girl, whom she
| felt convinced was bored to death down
in that country desert. The letter in
question was unusually ditfuse, for Mrs.
Vincent was keeping her room with a
heavy cold, and had herself to amuse as
well as Norma. Norma read scraps of
it aloud for the edifcation of her mother
and the young men; the general, with
his nose in his paper, let the tide of gossip
pass.
Thorne, after IL comprehensive glance
at his own correspondence, slipped his
letters quietly into his pocket, and gave
his best attention to his cousins. He
had rooted objection to reading even
Indifferent letters under scrutiny, and
these he fest convinced were not indif-
ferent; for one was addressed in the
handsome large hand of his wife, and
the writing on the other vas unknown
to hint had a legal aspect. They
were letters whose perusal might prove
unpleasant; so Thorne postponed it.
There is an old adage relative to
| thoughts of the power Of darkness being
invariably followed by the appearance of
his emissaries, and although Mrs.
Thorne was far from being the devil. or
her letter one of his imps, the arrival of
the one, so promptly upon the heels of
thoughts of the other. was singular; her
husband felt it so.
Mamma" observed Norma, CHANGING
up from her letter, "Kate says that
Cecil Cumberland is engaged, or going
to be engaged, l can't exactly make out
which. Kate words it a little ambigu-
ously; at all events there appears to be
considerable talk about it. Kate writes
Cecil looks radiantly worried and sulkily
important. His family are ranged in
solid phalanx Of indignant opposition,
which of course clinches the affair
firmly. Eva Cumberland was here this
morning in a white heat Of passion over
it, and 1 believe apoplexy or hydro
phobia is imminent for the old lady.
The fact of Mrs. - Norma's voice
trailed off into an unintelligible muir.
muir, and she read on silently.
"Mrs. who, my dear?' questioned hel
mother, with lively interest. "Is Cecil
going to marry an Objectionable widow
"Wait a moment, mamma. Kate
writes so indistinctly, I'll be able to tell
you presently" there was a shade of re,
serve perceptible in Norma's voice.
"But why do the family oppose itT
persisted Mrs. Smith. A warning loob
from her daughter admonished her tc
let the matter rest; that there were fact.
connected with Mr.. Cumberland's mar
rage, the investigation and discussion
of which had better be postponed. Mrs
Smiths tongue burned with inquiries
but she bravely held them back and
sought to produce a diversion by idle
conjectures about Percival.
Norma parried the curiosity of the
others adroitly, and declining any more
breakfast betook herself and her letter tx
the back parlor, where she drew a deer
armchair to the fire and settled herself
comfortably to re-peruse that portion o.
her friends epistle which related to Ceci
Cumberland's affairs.
Thorne presently followed her and es
tablished himself opposite. He was grea
friends with Norma; once, in the day
before his marriage, there had appeared
likelihood Of their becoming more thar
friends. All that had been forgotten b,
the man; the woman's memory was NOR
tenacious. They were wonderfully gooC
frisnds still. these two; they never wor
Eied o. 5arrod on each other. &
XhQrne, having no apecial oeglye q