The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-05
News Novelties, No. g.
The Montrose Whites
Copyright 1904. by American Press Association.l
3y AUGUSTA LARNED.

hde and read TO her the books he longei
10 throw into the fire. II Mrs. White
had been confirmed invalid, Monte
would doubtless have shown himself
devoted husband. But the moment his
wife returned to health the separation
of interests and feelings showed like
crack in the wall.
Monte had set down his foot against
having queer people In the house. BY
queer people he meant reformers Of all
kinds not distinguishing the chaff from
the wheat--people Of theories, mystics,
spiritists, ideologists, the founders Of
new religions, socialists and anarchists.
Mrs White, though she believed not
wholly In any Of these things, liked to
dabble in them all. 1t was delightfully."-
exciting to rule by her grace and ele-
gance collection of eccentrics Of both
sexes and to impress them with sense
of her superiority, social and mental.
1t was such oonvocation in his wife's
parlor, called together to meet Aunt
Angelina, Mrs. Whites aged relative,
from whom she was supposed to have
inherited most Of her peculiar traits,
that Monte had broken mp without cere-
mony. Later there had been stirring
scene with his wife, the result Of which
was that Mrs White sent Aunt Ange-
lima home and threatened to take the ba-
by and seek protection for herself in her
mothers house In a distant city.
IL was then that Louise Lancaster
stepped in as an angel Of peace and rec
onciliation. Louise was Mrs. Whites
oldest friend in Littlefield. Indeed they
had been at school together when girls
and had always kept mp the intimacy
of their early days. Louise too, was
the friend of Monte White The Whites
and Lancasters had lived side by side
I'm the childhood Of Louise and Monte,
and they had grown up together. There
had also been talk of an attachment in
that quarter in the time Of Miss Lam,
casters young ladyhood, but Monte had.
married Miss Cragshaw, and after the
Whites had come to live near her Lou
ise had continued to be the best friend
Of both husband and wife, and in the
end to her had fallen the undesirable
Office Of mutual confidant, peacemaker
and reconciler.
She had never married, but had gone
pleasantly down the slope OF years alone
and was now quite independent, living
In pretty Queen Anne cottage, where
she gave delightful teas and evening
companies She frankly admitted that
she was an old maid and was willing to
accept all the consequences of the sim
gle condition. Her temper was cheerful,
even joyous She saw all the funny
things in life and had q keen sense Of
humor. She was by no means a weedy,
faded, untidy spinster. On the contra
~, she dressed well, even fashionably,
still looked young and blooming and
appeared perfectly contented with the
lot in life that had fallen to her share.
Unconsciously, without any will or
wish Of her own and while eager to de-
cline the Office conferred upon her, Lou
ise had come to find herself placed be-
tween two Ill assorted people, both her
old friends, both of whom she liked, al
though both tried and exasperated her
not a little. 1t was Miss Lancaster's
firm belief that ultimately she would
be crushed between the upper and Meth
er millstones, and she revolved in her
mind various modes of escape from the
situation
1t had come to that painful pass that
Monte expected to learn his wife's feel
ings, plans and intentions from Louise,
while her friend Helen would come in
later to know what Monte had been saw
ing and to indulge in the luxury Of con-
jugal criticism and complaint.
One morning, as usual, Monte had
driven his famous trotting horse, Noun
tain Bird, round to River street, and
hitching him to the post in front Of
Miss Lancaster's house had made his
way, hat In hand, into her sunny little
parlor, where she sat near the bow win
dow with bit of fancy work.
"Well," he exclaimed, striding up
and down the room. ''what is madam