The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-11
MISS BARTON.
"THE CAREIA9B WILL CALL AT
HALF-PAST SEVEN"
From the NeO York TRIBUNE.

seen you for long time, though I m Get
your ex>fdus Achates. Jack Olmsted,
often enough| What is the trouble be-
tween you two, anyway
"Do you mean to say that you've never
heard about that little unplsasantness,
DickT' asked Bob Ferrers.
"Never. Girl in the case, suppose. Tell
me about it, wont you3 That is, il you
may. Move nothing to do. How
could be occupied here' For unparalleled
loneliness, commend me to a summer hotel,
where one is a stranger to all the other peo-
pie, aud the other people are all intimate"
But you know some Of the crowd here;
In fact the leading characters of my story,
Eunice Barton aud Olmsted."
"Olrnsted Is we'll enough, but he's with
the Ghorpes all the time, and l don't like
them. As for tue little Barton girl, ugh
she'd take first prize in an ugly woman
show.
"She isn't GOOD looking, I'll admit; but
she's good little soul, retiring, modest. and
all that. My chief objection to her is that
she is Barton, and the Bartons are such
uncommonly vulgar UPSTAIRS"
Personal gossip in public places is some
thing worse than folly; it is q crime. While
Dick Van and Ferrers were discussing her
affairs Eunice Barton sat in vine-clad
summer house, within ten feet of them.
Supposing that the men would walk on, she
kept perfectly quiet. Their words hurt her.
The truth is apt to hurt. 1t was small COM
fort to be called good little SOUL" She
knew that she was homelyy-and her heart
ecned a. the knowledge.
Pretty women cannot sympathize with
her. They do not know what it is to be
stunned by men or accorded a word now
and then too obviously from pity. They
cannot realize that to the poor wall
flower" ball room is place of humiliation
and torture.
Had Eunice Barton pleased herself, she
would have lived The life OF a recluse; but
her family could not understand her dis
taste for society. she was the only child,
and TO them her lack OF beauty was not APP
parent. The Bartons lived in a rented
house, and dined in the front room Of the
basement. They HAD risen above horse-hair
sofas, but they had succumbed to the evil
influence OF figured cotton-back plush.
Their ideas of decorative art excluded
samplers, but wax vase with wax flowers
be. cath a bell glass was to them thing of
beauty. Any and every form of entertain
meut was party" TO them. They had
heard Of five O'Clock teas" tut disapproved
Of such functions. Tea at O'clock, as we
always have it, is early enough for me-"
Mr.. Barton was wont TO say. Eunice went
to church soo.ables with her father or her
uncle Other girls went with young men.
Euuice eyed them enviously. The young
men never invited her.
Every summer the Bertous spent four
weeks in the country, and every summer.
when they we're ready to start, Uncle Joe
Barton made the same remark:
Now Eunice, keep your eyes open. May
ketch a beau while you're away. Who
knows"
Eunice almost hated her uncle when he
said that She had heard it ever since she
left school at 16, and now she was 25.
At first she, too, had had vague ideas OF
some one who was to come and rescue her
from the wax flowers and the sociables and
the other things she hated. Then to hope
succeeded bitterness She saw that men
did not even dislike her; they we're abso-
lutelY indifferent. She realized that the
long ug Tor love, that is the curse of the
blessing of a woman's heart was destined to
be unfulhlled. and she hated other happier
pretter girls
She was at the x hotel because her
family liked the place. 1t was noisy and
vulgar, but that they did not know. To
them it was the abode Of all that was fash
ionabIe and magnificent. Their names were
copied from the hotel register into local pa
pers, and once they had even been printed
in New York daily. Mrs. Barton bought
numbers Of these precious papers and sent
some to friends; others she kept in trunk
with her love letters from Mr.. Barton
Eunice's first shoes, and other similar
treasures.
Eunice sitting in the summer house, had
been thinking over these things. The con-
versation she overheard was but browning
torture.
A convenient bench tempted Vane and
Ferrers. They sat down lit their cigars
and continued their criticism of the Bar
tons. 1t was too late to retreat. so Eunice
was forced to listen.
''Ihose Bartons g worse than stupid, :"
said Ferrers, "but to do them justice, IL
they are insuiferably aggressive, it's all for
Eunice. How Trey push that girl for ward !
Throw her at a fellows head you know.
That's why Olmsuead and l are outn
Great Scott! You don't mean to say
you quarreled about Eunice Bartonm
Vsne laughed as he spoke, and to Eunice
the laugh seemed infinitely worse than
words. 1t was so scorntul and contemptu-
GUS.
Yes, it was about Eunice, indirectly
You remember May Seymour's wedding!
You that every one in our church knew 1t
ives to take place Tuesday, Feb. 3. long be-
fore the cards were OUT. Well, early in
January Mrs. Barton wrote to Olmsted say
ing that she wished to see him about some-
thing particular. OF course he went, and
what do you suppose the something was
She wanted him TO escort Eunice to Mays
wedding. She told him she would engage
a carriage which would call for him on the
evening In question. How was that for all
ambitious mamma! Jack Is quite the
bright, particular star of our church, aud
mothers run otter him, but no one had ever
been quite so open about it as Mrs. Barton.
Jack was taken by surprise and could think
of no excuse; and anyway he's an awfully
good chap, 50 he said he'd be delighted &c
obllge her. Then he went out and kicked
himself.
1.-The day Miss Seymour's invitations
came out Jack received a second note from
Mrs. Barton reminding him of his engage
ment to accompany Eunice Poor boy, be
wasn't likely 10 forget it! She added g
postscript to say that a carriage had beer
ordered aud that it would call for him al
1880 o'clock. Jack wrote and thanked her
"The Saturday preceding Feb. Jack
met Mr.. Barton downtown. You know old
Barton, pompous and understanding tc
every one, including his guperiors. he
shook hands with Jack. by the way said
be, my wife told me to tell you, if saw
you, that carriage has been ordered &c
take you and Eunice to Miss Seymonrt
wedding 1t will call for you at 1880 o'clock
Be punctual. my boy be punctual.'