St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-21
A PERvERSION OF JUSTICE,

A PERVERSION OF JUSTICE.
The Argonaut
There were more men than women
among the dozen people gathered in
Mrs. Rodney's drawing room. There
were always more men than women
among any assemblage in that some-
what too gorgeous apartment. though
the proportions were better balanced
than during the previous winter. which
had been the season OF her debut in
Washington.
However scanty may be the informa-
ton obtainable concerning woman's
earlier history. society is so constituted
that mere rumor will not maintain it in
an attitude of reserve toward the oc-
cupant of an influential position, who
is also the hostess at many recherche
little dinnet-and rumOr only drifted,
| cloud-like, across the sunshine of Mrs.
Rodney's brilliant hospitality.
she was the wife-that was positive
of a genial, keen Witted and fearless
elderly senator, from no matter which
newly created far Western state. who
had made 1t clearly understood that
wherever he was hidden to meet the
feminine element of society, she must
b. received also. That she mad Past
with capital "P"-she SO far admit
ted as to acknowledge first marriage,
of which all she desired to remember was
its definite termination. That the events
of this previous matrimonial venture
had been as exciting as unpleasant was
written in the hard Drilllance of two
handsome eyes, and the certain setting
of two red lips winch their naturally
soft beauty could only have acquired
| under circumstances that leave their
signs forever on Woman'S face. But
she was even more clever than hand
some, and her path, like Excelsior's,
would Probably lead ever higher, unless
one of those facts which society does
not ignore should be suddenly upheaved
across that path from the abyss OF her
problematical past!
Already she had learned to put her
self i'll touch with the half-lnystical,
half-sk optical fadS now in fashion, and
10 battle an Objectionable gu atty in the
interest which her beauty and the misti-
ness OF her antecedentS arou Sed by the
seriousness of her pose as a femme
, d'esprit. Ifshe could not just yet reach
i the best women, she HAD managed to
| draw to horSeif land her dinners) the
best men, and, although only in her sec
| ond winter, she had secured her place
i'll small select coterie which believed
that it inclosed the higher intellectual
| life of Westinghouse belief at which
| her jovlal, elderly husband laughed
with the tolerant good humor of a sue
cessful man in a way that hurt no.
| body'S feelings. And no one took UNI
bragg at his invariably falling asleep
during the metaphysical discussions
which followed those petit diners in
times, whose menus he understood order
ing as we'll as paying for.
| On this particular evening Lent had
| freed society from later engagements,
| and Mrs. Rodney's guests were in no
haste to depart. Among them was a
young naval officer. As a rule naval
officers good fellowS) are not found in
the ranks OF advanced thinkers, but
many fine things have been said, and
even finer things were prophesied of
Lieut.. Browns talents by the leading
scientists of the day.
lie had recently returned from three
years cruise. during which he had ac-
| compllshed such marvels of astronomi-
cal observations as the writer, who does
not in tue least understand the subject.
must refrain from even attempting to
describe. Marvels which, in addition
to more enduring benefits, had
won him invitations to two or
three of Mr.. Rodney's latest
festivities. He seemed less given to
talking than most of the company, but
he narrowly observed his handsome
hostess observations of various kinds
| hi
his sleepy looking lids, with a perse-
verance which that lady felt to
be either fattering or alarm.
ing. Her ''past" might sometimes
send forth vagrant ghost to chatter OF
"the secrets of that prison house,
Brown? A Brown had, indeed, very
unwllingly assisted her at a critical
moment, but that had been a feminine
Brown! And it was absurdiy mo rb id
connect SO common a name with any
one event, however disagreeable.
Mrs. Rodney smiled and brought bach
her attention 10 the conversation, which
she discovered had wandered from hyp
notIsm, by some Wlll-o'-the-Wisp path Il
kleDtomania.
ut Is an improbable enough story
the silent lieutenant was SAYING at tha,
moment. But it was told to me as
matter of fact. and if you like. will
tell it to you?''
He addressed his hostess, as in dut,
pound, and she, slowly waving blacl
feather ran with movement that Sc
her splendid rings ablaZe, laughingly
pleaded guilty to straying thoughts.
what the Germans call my 'Ich' ha.
Travelled thousand miles in the las
few moments, and naturally has missed
hearing you talk. Kleptomania? |
, your story apropos to that puzzling sub
ject?" she asked.
ut is the fashion to so name acts O
, that kind when they happen in GU
, Glass;" he said, settling himself still
more comfortably IN his chair. "To m
it is very like highway robbery. withou
even the warning, Stand and deliver
which the gentlemen of the road in tn
old times thought necessary. But yo
Shall Judge for yourselves, if you will
There was chorus of assent, and h
began:
'"rhree years ago some friends Q
mine went for months sea breeZes t
a swell seaside hotel in Maine. Tn
party consisted of an elderly couple
narrow New Englanders, the typ
which would 90 the stake unhesitating
ly for what they believed to b
the truth, and who have no sym
patty for less courageous natures
The third in their party was thei
daughter-in-law. an Italian girl Q
nineteen. new to them. new to thei
country, new to each aspect of the lif
about her, but ready as a sweet-tem
pered child to make friends with every
/. body and enjoy everything in thi
e strange world, where her husband ha
3 been forced to leave her under hi
t parents care during his enforced alb
!, sence. She had been married only
g few months, and neither her prett
9 looks nor her pretty ways could imme
!. diately reconcile her husbands peopl
4 | tN tha fnrpinnnr nd iot . a;