Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-24


tilda was the waitress) may all go to that
party at James A." Games was the gardener.
II shall not need any Of YOU"
II hate to leave you alone, Miss Elinor,"
said Robbins; and hesitated knowing Miss
Merry weather well enough not to ask her
would she be afraid? she did not do much
better to blurt out: They do say there's
burglars in town, ma'am."
Very WELL" responded Miss Merry
weather with mistaken calm-whateVer
her faults, timidity rever was charged to
her-"be sure you lock all the doors and
windows securely. And you may as well
see the galvanic battery works all right;
and that the silver is all In the safe. Good
night, a pleasant time to you"
Robbins knew when her mistress used
this tone that argument would be vain, So
disc omitted and with more than one visit
full glance backward in the hall, she re-
tired.
Miss Merryweather began to walk up and
down the room. 1t was an attractive room
with the soft ivory CLEAN of the paint and
the sprangly, Old-fashioned flowers Oh the
creamy walls These walls were thickly
hung with water-color sketches and pen
and ink and wash drawings. which gave
one an eere sensation of familiarity, like
faces seen in dream, and sometimes by
some clever people of long memories were
traced to a favorite illustrator being in
fact by famous artists their original draw
ings for well-known magazines.
one perceived also an old-fashioned air
that came from the presence of certain
chairs and tables luXuriently carved in
dull-hued oak or tinted in old marqueterie.
In one corner of the room a cabinet
showed all the dazzling hues Of rare, old
china, the sumptuous gliding Of Satsuma,
the delicate forms of old Sevres the
dainty fancies in Meissen, and the soldier
opulence of color and shape by the great
English makers. A davenport in one cor
ner, lounge with many pillows in all
ND fnn fnlI NIT s,,tr
equipage, limited the room to be Miss Mer-
ryweather's own special sitting room. She
never called it a boudoir, and nothing
made her more indignant than to hear the
name from any one else. do / look like
a woman who would have a boudoir?" she
had been known to demand, almost with
fiercenesS. "A boudoir is a place where
girls with SLOPPY hair read poetry and
write notes on scented paper, and make
poor tea, that they sip with souvenir
spoons. Look at my spoons; they are truly
apostles; and isn't that Eve sprawling by
that ridiculous river on that Capo di
Monti teapot delicious? Taste my tea? A
friend brought IT to me from Russia. Did
you ever taste such tea in a boudoir? L
think notr'
Miss Merryweather's tea was celebrated
by all who were so fortunate as to drink
it; but II was not the tea table to which
the eye of newcomer instinctively
turned: 1t was a heavy Italian chest, the
lid adorned by two curiously wrought iron
handles, the chest itself of age-stained oak,
having divers vague and grisly traditions
connecting II with the treasure of a con-
vent and the murder of faithful guardians
by vandal robbers in the eighth English
Henry's time. By natural divagation of
the mind the chest had become Miss Mer-
ryweather's safe, and contained, 1T was
said, bona fide safe, wherein was depos-
tied the famous Merryweather plate. some
descended from colonial Merryweathers.
some presented by brother officers to the
late Gen. Merryweather. Also therein
sparkled the jewels of Miss Merryweather,
which would not have been despised in a
large city, and were regarded with awe in
an Iowa town.
Miss Merryweather, though spinster
and no longer young, was fond of mag
nifcence in dress. on proper occasions In
general, she wore simple costumes always
of black, which recognized, but did not
slavishly defer to fashion. But for high
toilets she had satins and velvets and lace
ancient as her china. In person, Miss
Merryweather was tall and thin; but she
had a mantua maker that understood her
business. When she was young and her
hair was black, Miss Merryweather's Ro-
man features might have seemed large,
however finely chiseled. Now, framed in
softost iron gray, they were commonly de-
scribed as so distinguished" She was of
"a fine carriage, figure to notice on the
streets; especially as she was a trifle alb
sent miIded and when she walked had the
habit of Svaying her shapely right hand
from side to side as If addressing an in
visible audience in inaudible words. She
hal q warm heart and quick temper, and
she had been known to arrest with the aid
of sympathetic bystanders) at least half a
dozen oppressors of dumb brutes. She did
not keep a single cat in the house. In pus-
sy's place. she petted a majestic Saint Ber-
nard, who sometimes accompanied her in
lieu Of the body guard.
Whatever her eCcentricities-I must grant
her some-she was greatly Beloved by her
fellow townsmen, and those who knew her
best loved her most strongly. She had,
however, a will of her own. And she was
one who, in the language of Holy Writ,
kept her promise to her hurt. Thus some
times, an impetuous temper led her into
imprudent declarations out of which she
could not always extract herself without
great exercise of her wits. Her latest di-
lemma engrossed her tonight. Having the
plumbing OF her dwelling repaired, in an
unlucky moment she had n quarrel with
the plumbers union over bill, and the re-
suit was, that she sent away every man
swindler of them ALL would not be I'M
derstood to .ndorse her words-and was
left with the water service of the house
cut off and water hauled from the cisterns
and single faucet in the garden, while
friends shifted apprehensively whenever
they entered the house, and asked was she
not afraid of sewer gas? and her niece
(who was as daughter to herr did not
dare to bring the baby to spend Thanksgiv-
ing, because the child might catch diph-
iberia through the deadly. leaking pipes.
Sdlu MISS WedtueL, WIN
used strong expressions sometimes, being
by birth and breeding quite too great
lady to disturb herself about the minor
conventions. stuff and nonsense! There
are no leaks, but I'm not going 10 argue
with you, Helen. / shall get q plumber
and have you come Thanksgiving"
Then, discerning peculiar smile on the
amiable features of Helen's husband, she
acded gravely: He will not belong to the
union. If J. hav.. to wait to hire a union
PLUMBER / shall wait until the pipes tumble
to pieces!
But the impaired plumber who was to
put the forces of organized labor to rout
did NOT cone, although such is The extra
ordinary working of the feminine logic he
was offered as high wages as the erring
and grasping union plumbers had been
refused.
Miss MerryWeather was sure he had
either been bought off or assassinated by
the union; she paid no heed to the theory
submissively rendered by Helen's hus-
band, to wit, that, knowing the mans
habits, he had cause to suspect he was
simply celebrating Thanksgiving in an
unholy MANNER on his own account.
NO poor fellow" she murmured, most
likely he is lying dead in some alleyway
with all his ribs broken. They do such
things" 1t was with gloomy mind she
beheld the night before Thanksgiving. II
never was so little thankful in my life,"
she murmured, land l was so bent on
having that plumbing done in time to have
Helen and show that Vance that l am
match for the plumbers union If am n