Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-11-10
Her Dilemma.

0oC0o ana lro, BACK ana across
Is the rose bestrewn carpet OF
the drawing room in Victoria street
fat swept and rustled the laces and
silks of Mrs. Venning's newest Paris
tea gown.
What shall I do7 Whatever
shall 1 do ?" cried Mrs. Vennipg as
for the hundredth time the writing
table barred her progress and turned
her footsteps back to where the
carved mantlepiece positively groan-
ed under its load of Dresden china,
old ivories, fresh roses and bibelots
Of every description.
She crossed the white fur rug, and
passing gazed with a self-pitying
smile at the pretty profusion that
met her eyes.
" Roses at Christma as p she said
aloud. "That's the text of the old
sermon. For the three years of my
widowhood I've had roses at Christ
mas and everything else to match.
Laura Marindin spent $4OO when
she hung her boudoir with French
brocades. I ran In debt as many
thousands by doing up my rooms
with old embroideries. 1 suppose
she's got receipt for her money.
have county court summon s
for mine"
She dropped into the writing
chair and leaned Ior chin, dimpled
and round as babys, in her palms.
1t seems to be about $50, 900 the
horrid people want from me. can't
make it any less, and I've added
everything together a dozen times.
OF course | know 1 have been extra.
VACANT; but, then, Pm young-and
not bad looking"-which was Mrs.
Venning's way of considering her
undoubted beauty-"and a widow
into the bargain. And widows are
expected to be so very smart nova.
days.
Z" Still the tradespeople should not
have given me such unlimited credit.
All, that's the real root of the whole
matter The credit system is the
ruin of women, who, like myself,
must have pretty things about them.
"Thirty thousand dollars, and most
of it to be paid almost at once. I
am worth--nothing-in cash. These
things looked about her lux
urious surroundings with apprecia-
tives eyes-"I wonder what they
would fetch if it came to a sale I? ]
paid-at least l owe-an awful lot
for some of them. But it mustn t.,
1t shan't, come to a sale. A rich
marriage. Now, let me think who
will do.
"I'd throw the handkerchief to
Raphael Gluckstein in moment, and
l know he'd positively jump at me,
for the sake of my visiting list and
the country houses L stay at, but
that he would want to pry too much
and would find out at once that when
my late husband, Robert Venning,
died, he only left $4,000 behind
him and not the $4,000 year with
which society and the tradespeople
have chosen to credit me. Gluck-
stein wouldn't marry penniless
woman to attain even the Duchess of
Newland's little dinner parties.
And so, with crinkled brows and
a slender forefinger that licked off
each victim to Mrs. Venning's
charms as he came in view, the pref
test and most popular woman in
town passed before her minds eye
such men, as, by their station or for
tune, could alone save her from So
cial and financial humiliation.
The Earl of Wessex she had OPEN
ly snubbed month ago, and only a
week back his engagement to Chi
cage pork-packer's daughter had
been announced.
Hon. BERTHE Shorlhouse was a nice
boy, and his prospects truly grand,
but he bad been very wild on bis
account, and a marriage with him
might scarcely be satisfactory-from
the point of view of the clamorous
tradespeople.
The young Duke of Woodford
was highly eligible, but the old
duchess, his mother, kept a sharp
eye on the lad and had openly ex-
pressed her detestation of widows.
The bishop Of Barchester was rich
and well preserved man, but, oh 50
prosy and SO dreadfully intoleranto oil
the ways of the world
| And SO on through endless strings
] Of moths, who had flnttered round