The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-10-12

putsble; and the palmer a woman ID.
the more popular she is among her
own sex. So Mrs. Arlington, not be-
ing a beauty, was destined to become
popular; one half seeking her on ac-
count of her social position, the other
half-the matrimonially inclined ele-
mention account of the handsome
Clairmont who came with them. She
dressed well, talked well, greeted us,
when we were presented, in a manner
that showed she was a thoroughbred,
and received us with ceremonious
courtesy when we stopped in her par
lor one morning for call, hoping to
encourage her to be more sociable.
Mrs Latmer invited her to a tea in
her rooms-w which invitation was de-
clined with an excuse; Mrs. Stanley
asked them all to join sailing party
she had organized for her niece-de-
clined without an excuse; Mrs. Floyd
Brown pressed them to attend cotil-
lion she was giving for her daugh-
ters-declined on plea OF ill-health;
and when she left our circle,
after ten minutes chat on the piazza.
and joined Clairmont, who was smok-
ing cigar under the trees, 1t dawned
upon us that Mrs. Arlington was not
as friendly as we had expected her to
be. Not only were our overtures re-
pulsed, but their sel6shness and re-
serve seemed to erect an impenetrable
wall around them. They never asked
anyone to drive, and the launch lay
idle in the bay, although Mrs Burke
had presented the Floyd-Brown girls
and two dozen others to Clairmont,
who took as much notice of them as
though they had been so many figures
out of the Eden musee. He danced,
but only with Mrs. Arlington, in spite
of the painful fact that girls lined the
ballroom walls and each one watched
him with hungry eyes. He was too
dignified to row on the river or battle
in the sea, but he rode or drove from
morning until night, and always with
Mrs. Arlington, who sat horse as
well as she graced the box-seat of his
drag.
And We've were incensed! For q
lot of pretty girls had been thrown
into perfect futter of expectancy by
| the arrival of a man whose dreamy
eyes and stately manner were en-
HANGED by the knowledge that he
owned four horses and launch, and
he, who could have made his selection
from this bouquet of buds and roses
barbarian that he was!-ignored the
sweetness before him and devoted him.
self to married woman. Disgusting!
All our plans had miscarried, for we
expected to take her into our set, and
allow the girls to appropriate him as
an attendant and cavalier.
"What bold womanp' exclaimed
Mrs. Floyd Brown, one morning, as a
victoria dashed by with Clairmont and
his friend lollinR lazily back among
the soft cushions.
"'Boldr / should think SO! Her
conduct is audacious! No regard for
! what others think" commented Mrs.
Latimer, taking up the thread OF her
friends criticism. Zone does meet
such very strange. suspicious people in
hotels; that is why / prefer cottage
life.'
"Frightful example to have before
young girls day after day. put in
Mrs. Stanley. REALLY, it should bt
stopped. What is her husband about
that he does not notice?"
"And TO think how near she came
getting into our set," sighed Mrs.
Burke, in tone that implied we al
had escaped some dreadful contamina
ton or disaster.
"Her behavior is discredit to the
hotel" snapped Miss Philips; II an
going to write to uncle about it.
Miss Philips had been the first to call
had fiattered and made eyes at Clair
mont in the fond hope of "bagging'
him; and he had looked bored, strolS
ing his long, yellow mustache while
the faintest smile lowered in his eyes
but that was the nearest she got to |
Irritation with him.
We all stiffened ourselves up wheI
she walked past us that morning; blu
Mrs. Arlington never gave us glanc
heavens! had she heard our verba
missiles?-and Clairmont only vouch
safed grudging little tip of his hat
We did not care to declare war jus
, then, because they had given Mis-
Deering fifty dollars for some foreign
mission, and we were going to bel