St. Paul daily globe., 1893-05-01
TRIED HER COMPLEXION.

MIS-. Redmayne was decidedly pretty;
she dressed well, ana was very careful
i'll wearing only the colors that suited
her.
She was fragile, delicate-looking lit
tie woman, and affected half-lights, like
a rare fern; the strong sunlight, with its
fierce glare, did not suit her.
She was a pathetic creature, too; {;
doubly fascinating, doubly dangerous
when narrating the troubles and trials
she had experienced during her married
life, and with her troubles and trials
she was accustomed to entertain her
um3r0us atorer5 in the drawing room
of her little bijou residence on Blank
street, Mayfair.
Mrs. Redmayne, like most eminent
consulting physicians, never received
more than one patient at time. Her
visitors were all men, not that there
was anything shady about Mrs. Red
mayne, but she did not encourage lady
callers.
She invited few female intimates to
dinner, but she took very good care that
those ladies whom she distinguished by
her friendship should be good takers,
and, at all events, plain enough to act
as fOils.
The real fact is that Mrs. Redmayne
had married the justice because he was
reputed to be very wealthy man, and
Cissy Redmayne herself, as a girl, had
known all the real bitterness of poverty,
being poor creatures daughter.
Justice Redmayne'S income was very
large when he married the pauper
curate's only child. Though he was
sixty, and an experienced man OF the
world, it was purely love match on his
side.
But the Justice, though he fondly
loved his pocket-Venus Of wife, loved
old port wine still better, and, after ten
years of happiness, the justice fell a
victim to his faYorite poison, and left
Cissy $25, 600 in hard cash, and the free
hold of the little house in Mayfair. And
then Mrs. Redmayne made the follow
ing simple calculation:
Il can live at the rate Of $4,000 year
for three years; somebody worth haY-
ing will marry me in that time, and if l
fail to find the somebody, must throw
up the game and go back to papa and
cold mutton"
She had been quite right; several
sOmebodieS and good many nobodieS
had paid her great deal of attention,
but not one of the SomebOdeS got half
so much announcement as Lieut.. and
Capt. Strongithearm, OF her majeSty'S
carpet warriors.
10 be a carpet warrior nowadays
needs a considerable deal of money,
blood or interest: Jack SIrOnglthearm
had money and interest, too. He was a
f oil, but the mere fact of his being a
fool by no means disqualified him for
the carpet warriors.
Now Lieut.. and Capt. Strongithearm.
being wealthy, was quite veteran
among the warriors. He had been ten
yeals in the regiment, and he was de-
Servedly looked up to by his brother
officers as a cOnnOlSseur and Judge of
beauty. He was very critical, and terri
bly, hard to please.
Many had been the nets laid by willy
for that too wary bird, Capt.
Strongithearm; but no one, until he met
Mrs. Redmayne. had yet succeeded in
putting salt upon his tail.
And now he was her accepted lover
and although their marriage was not
it was tacitlY understood.
Strongithearm had but one failing.
He smoked morning, noon and night. 1t
was a real grievance to him that the
queens regulations did not allow him to
smoke OH parade.
Now, Mrs. Redmayne hated tobacco,
and ever since his courtShip StrOngi-
thearm had become a nen-SmOker for
her dear sake. 1t was severe penance
to him, bu. he bore it like a man; he
suffered in silence. and never COM
planned.
But one fatal afternoon StrOngithearm
was tempted, and Strongithearm fell.
A very Exalted Parsonage, indeed. was
occasionally to drop into the
Warriors club. Once inside Its eXclu-
siYe walls, the exalted parsonage used
to unUend and become very much like
an ordinary mortal.
His proceedings were always exactly
the same; he would take up his position
in front of the fire, or at the window, ac-
cording to the season of the year, order
a brandy and soda, pull out his cigar
case and politely offer cigar to one of
the warriors, and then for the next
half-hour the Distingued Parsonage was
but an ordinary member of the CLUB.
No one had ever been known to re-
fuse to smoke the offered regalia-it
was kind of royal command which
could not be disobeyed; and so 1t hap
pened that StTOngithearm, who had
been innocently sitting in the window,
waiting for Mrs. Redmayne's little vic
toria to pass. found himself the recIpi-
ent of the royal bounty in the shapeOf
very dark-looking Havana Of exquisite
flavor.
There was nothing for it; the captain
lighted up with a smile and a groan,
and all the other warriors enyied him
his luck, and then he and the Distin-
guished Parsonage continued to stare
out of the window and criticlse the
paSSer5-by.
They had not been three minutes
there when the little victoria flashed
past, with its cOckaded cOachman and
its pair of fiery chestnuts; the big pink
was tilted on one side, and
pretty little Mrs. Redmayne looked up
at the window and smiled.
Then Strongithearm blushed to his
ears, and returned her salute, as did
the distinguished parsonage at her side.
Il fancy that bow was meant for you;
you're lucky fellow. Capt. Strong
ithearm. Ahem! Who is she?"
Strongithearm would have liked to
lie to him, but that, unfortunately, is
contrary to etiquette.
"Widow of Justice Redmayne," he re-
piled; lat least. | believe So"
Seemed to know one of us, at all
events" said the Distinguished Person
age. "Splendid eomplexion-wonder if
it is herown"
"Oh, it's perfectly genuine" blurted
out Strongithearm, apd then he felt
that he had made au ass of himself.
II wonder whether her complexion
would stand the Glove test" said the
Distinguished Parsonage; "iFs won
derful thing, that Glove contest" he
With the air of one about to
impart scientific fact. "You know
the Glove test, Capt. Strongithearm?'
Cant say do, your"
Not know the. Glove test? I've known
it ever since was q boyp burst in the
other 'lfs an invaluable thing to