Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-11-30
CHAPTER 1.


CdARlEh i.
THE NEW ooMEEs.
"If you please, mum, said the voice
of a domestic from somewhere round the
angle of the door, No. 3 is moving in"
Two little old ladies, who were sitting
at either side of table, sprang to their
feet with CALCULATIONS of interest and
rushed to the window of the sitting room
Take care, Monica, dear" said one,
shrouding herself in the lace curtain;
"don't let them see us"
mo. no, Bertha. We must not give
them reason to say that their neighbors
are inuuisitive. But think that we are
safe. if we stand like this"
The open window looked out upon
sloping lawn, well trimmed and pleas
ant, with fuzzy rosebushes and star
shaped bed of sweet william. 1t was
bounded by low wooden fence, v nch
screened it off from broad modern new
metaled road. At the other side OF this
road were three large, detached, deep
bodied villas. with peaky ewes and small
wooden balconies, each standing in its
own little square of grass and of flowers.
All three were equally new. but Nos.
l and were curtained and sedate, with
a human sociable look to them, while
No. 8, with yawning door and unkempt
garden, had apparently only just received
| its furniture and made itself ready for
its occupants. A 4-wheeler had driven
up to the gate, and it was at this that
the old ladies, peeping out birdlike from
the curtains, directed an eager and ques-
tioning gaze.
The cabman had descended, and the
passengers within were handing out the
articles which they desired him to carry
up to the house. He stood red faced and
blinking, with his crooked arms out
stretched, while male hand, protruding
from the window, kept piling up upon
him q series of articles, the sight of
which filled the curious old ladies with
bewilderment.
my goodness mel" cried Monica, the
smaller, the drier and the more wizened
of the pair. What do you call that,
Bertha? 1t looks to me like four batter
puddings."
saThose are what the young men box
each other with" said Bertha, with q
conscious air of superior worldly knowl-
edge.
"And thoee?'
Two great bottle shaped pieces of vel
low, shining wood had been heaped upon
the cabman.
''Oh. / don't know what those are, "
| confessed Bertha. Indian clubs had nev-
er before obtruded themselves upon her
peaceful and very feminine existence.
These mysterious articles were fol-
lowed, however, by others which were
more within their range of comprehen-
sion-by pair of dumbbells, purple
cricket bag, a set Of golf clubs and a
tennis racket.
Finally. when the cabman, all top
heavy and bristling, had staggered off
up the garden path, there emerged in
very leisurely way from the cab a big,
powerfully built young man, with a bull
pup under one arm and pink sporting
paper in his hand. The paper he
crammed into the pocket of his light
yellow dust coat and extended his hand
as If to assist some one else from the
vehicle. To the surprise of the two old
ladies, however, the only thing which his
open palm received was violent slap,
and tall lady bounded unassisted out
of the cab. With a regal wave she mo-
toned the young man toward the door,
and then with one hand upon her hip she
stood in careless, lounging attitude by
the gate, kicking her toe against the
wall and listlessly awaiting the return
of the driver.
As she turned slowly round and the
sunshine struck upon her face, the two
watchers were amazed to see that this
very active and energetic lady was fal
from being in her first youth, so far that
she had certainly come of age again since
she first passed that landmark in life't
Journey. Her finely chiseled, clean cut
face, with something red Indian about
the firm mouth and strongly marked
cheekbones, showed even at that dis
tance traces of the friction of the passing
years. And yet she was very handsome
Her features were as firm in repose a
those of a Greek bust, and her great
dark eyes were arched over by two brow
60 black, so thick and 80 delicatel.
curved that the eye turned away from
2 the harsher details of the face to marve
at their grace and strength.
: Her figure, too, was as straight as ;
dart-a little portly perhaps, but curvinl
: into magnificent outlines. which wer
), half concealed and half accentuated b.
J, the strange costume which she wore
Her hair, black but plentifully shot wit
gray, was brushed plainly back from he
4 high forehead and was gathered under
s small round felt hat, like that Of man
D with one sprig of feather in the band a
: o concession to her sex. A double breasts
: Jacket of some dark friezelike materia
fitted closely to her figure, while he
/ straight blue skirt, untrimmed and un
gathered, was cut so short that the lowe
, curve of her finely turned legs was plain
). w. visible beneath it, terminating IN
pair of broad, fat, low heeled and squar
toed shoes. Such was the lady VIII
lounged at the gate Of No. under tn
: curious eyes of her two opposite neigh
bors.
l. But if her conduct and appearance ha
} already somewhat Jared upon their lin
u tied and precise sense of the fitness
q things, what were they to think OF tn
J next little act in this tableau vivant
IS The cabman, red and heavy jowled, ha
r come back from his labors and held OF
o his hand for his fare. The lady passe
niiu d CO.ii, L-~---~-A" u iuuAi
bling and gesticulating, and suddenl
N she had him with both hands by the re
II cravat which Girt his neck and was shal
!, ing him as terrier would rat. RigE
. across the pavement she thrust him, an
" pushing him up against the wheel st
e banged his head three several time
= against the side of his own vehicle.
IF SITTirnR -. -.
/ / Nklls*yj "a a