The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-05-26

If two lives join, there is oft a scar.
They are one and one, with shadowy third
One near one is too far
CHAPTER I.
Miss Kitty Malone had tied up the last
bunch of carnations, which smelt like ripe
apricots newly gathered, she had arranged
as row of footlights beneath her many
flower-pots holding calceolarlas and tufts of
the little creeping plant familarly known
as Creeping Jenny" Above Kitty's fair
head gigantic bunch of sun-howers stood
on a shelf, with attendant satellites in the
shape of golden and bronze dahlias and
orange lilies. Miss Malone shook some of
the pollen that had fallen from the last
named plants off the creamy lace at her
wrists; and then, after pinning one small
nosegay of forget-me-nots among the pale
blue folds of her dress, she sat down, like
a queen of the May among her garlands,
and waited for customers.
The large hall was very empty, although
the church clock had rung out i half an
hour ago. A sense of disappointment
weighed down the spirits Of some two dozen
ladies, who, with business-like muslin
aprons and scissors fastened at their waists,
cast impatient eyes at the great doorway,
and over few aimless strollers who had
passed through it.
"It's ten thousand pitties," said Miss
OShaughnessy, who presided over pincush-
ions and photograph-frames under canopy
next to Miss Malone, ''that the lord lieu
tenant found at the last moment he couldn't
open the sale" She spoke with a suspic-
ion of brogue, and pronounced her ems
like uns. Then she looked sideways and
not altogether agreeably at Kitty.
Miss O'Shaughnessy had been reign
ing beauty in her beloved native city until
the last season, when Miss Malone had
come over to stay with a barrister-uncle in
Merrin Square, and had calmly taken away
most of Miss O'Shaughnessys favcrite
partners, and also her reputation as the
prettiest girl at the balls and race-meetings.
It could not be said that Kitty seemed
elated overmuch after her triumphs, on the
contrary; she received all admiration with
placid sense of its being no more than
her due, and never exerted herself to win
either attention or praise. Miss O'Shaugh-
nessy's bitterness had reached its height a
month or two ago at small dance when
she had seen her rival led through quad
rille by the lord lieutenant, and taken into
supper by the commander-in-chief.
And Just toward the close of that same
memorable evening, slangy Col Haldane,
who had formerly been Miss OShaugh-
nessy's most devoted admirer, had lounged
across the room and merely said, Heard
the news p
'No, what is it ?"
"Well, the lovely Miss Malone has set
tied to make some fellow happy at last.
She's accepted Vincent Pelham. Thun-
dering good marriage, amt it? Capital
soldier, old Vincent, though bit dull.
But his father amt likely to hang on long,
and then he'll come into no end of 'oof.
Are you surprised? ?"
Miss O'Shaughnessy was dressed in sea
green, and her draperies just then were
too much like the color of her skin to be
becoming. She spoke after second, in a
very hoarse voice
II wonder how Lord Ryde will like his
sons marriage. As he's so i'll, am afraid
it may upset him good deal. Because,
though dear Kitty is, of course, charming,
some of her relations are not quite-quite,
don't you know? And of course there
was that rumor about her and an army
doctor, you remember ?"
Miss Malone passed the pair just then
on her fance's arm He was tall man,
undeniably handsome, in spite Of too long
neck and head of sugar-loaf shape. He
wore heavy moustache, closely cropped.
his eyes were gray and little unsympa-
thetic His smile, although at first sight
pleasant, clearly expressed consciousness
of his own personal uprightness, and of his
perfectly unblemished and prosperous ca
reer in the past, together with the least
shade Of contempt for other people who
might happen to have stumbled or fallen
on less easy roads. Miss Malone looked
as usual perfectly calm and unelated. Her
soft cheeks were hardly flushed, her dark
lashes did not rest upon them with new
ly-acquired sense of shyness; on the con-
trary, her blue eyes gazed frankly and un-
concernedly at her many friends and ac-
auaintances. Her full red underlip did
not quiver with emotion, but was merely
parted from the curling upper one, in a
quiet smile. Kitty Malone was clever
enough to ignore the envious or admiring
glances that ran like lightning over her
slight figure, and, apparently all untouched
by them, she walked up the whole length
of the ballroom, with the confident and
erect Captain Pelham at her side.
Now, sitting behind the barrier of pin
cushions and pen-wipers, Miss O'Shaugh-
messy thought bitterly over this past scene.
And the unconscious object of her gloomy
meditation was smiling among mass
Of ferns and blossoms, and giving e
little girl directions about how she was
to take button-holes round the room and
try to sell them to any gentleman she
might see. Mrs. Dowse, who presided
over the tea and buns and the weak clarei
and champagne cups, crossed over to the
fower-stand for a minute ':And are ye
expectun Captain Pelham here today, my
dear p ''No, Mrs. Dowse, he has had to
go over to England to see his father, who
is i'll. See, there is someone looking at
your stall They will pass on if you dom t
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