Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-10-11
OF A CAMPAIGN
BY MATT CFzM.
Copyright. 1895, by Bachelor. johnson and
I Bacheller.l



home in Virginia and went to New
York to live, she frankly confessed that
it was for the sole purpose of giving her
daughters the advantages of social life,
and the opportunity to marry well.
I1anl1ness seemed one OF Mrs. Col.
Warnings browning charms. Her pow
erty. the beauty Of her daughters, her
rotherly anxiety and ambition for
their future, were all gracefully ae-
knowledgcd: but discretion went hand
in hand with this candor The lady
was shrewd enough to know perfectly
well when and with whom to talk so
freely. Her audiences We're carefully
selected. Men were apt to pity and adj
nire her, but few ill-natured women
had declared her to be a deliberate and
selfish schemer. However, Mrs. Col.
Warning suffered little from these sour
rilous attacks.
She was a small, slightly-built wom-
an, with thin face, queer gray eyes
and dark hair tinged silvery on the tenn
pies. She dressed plainly and always
very markedly as a widow, but wore
some handsome rings on her slender
hands. No one ever observed Mrs. Col.
Waring without also observing the old
fashioned cluster diamond on her fore
finger. 1t seemed to assist largely in
the perfection of her plans When oc-
cupied with some knotty problem she
would turn and twist it around on her
finger necessarily. AS for the colonel,
he had fought gallantly for the confed-
eracy, and finally lost his life in its
service. People who knew the family
well had liked him rather better than
his wife. He had been Il handsome, ro-
bust man, as healthy in mind as in
body, a truly candid soul without any
pretense or make believe. The daugh-
ters inherited his beauty, and they
might have resembled him more in
spirit had he lived to train and influ-
cnce them. But they knew the pinch
of poverty and felt it all the moro be-
cause their mother chafed under it SC
sorely Her high estimate of money
and position had its influence with
them, and the two eldest sisters married
according to her wishes. They had the
opportunity, for the Warnings were re-
motely connected with moderately
well-to-do and very aristocratic family
according to the New York standard
of aristocracy-while Tom Waring who
had made and lost two or three for
tunes on the stock exchange, rendered
valuable service in bringing some of his
moneyed friends to the house. So her
sisters married, and then it was Bar
bara's turn.
u For her, Mrs. Waring had made her
most ambitious plans. She was I'M
doubtedly more attractive than either
of her sisters, although they were much
handsomer. She was charming, but
not eager to please, therefore men were
anxious to please her, and then she
possessed a decided STYLE" to which,
she, as well as her mother, attached de
cided value. She listened to her
mothers worldly counsel with ready
acceptance of its wisdom and cool
impartial appreciation of her gifts and
what was due her family pride. 1t
would be an exceptional man indeed
who could win her. Her marriage
should be a triumph before which all
the Waring marriages would pale into
utter insignifcance She desired
money, the prestige of n fine old name,
and a brilliant mind. She would
neither marry Il rich fool nor poor
genius. She read the history of famous
and fascinating women, pored over ac-
counts of the French salons and wished
that she could have one Of her own.
Her lip curled with disdain at the
thought of contenting herself with the
| frivolous pastimes of mere society
woman. 1t was her vaguely outlined
plan to draw about her the highest and
| best in all the arts and professions, to
become patron of genius and be noted
for her brilliant gatherings as well as
| the perfection of her gowns. Love had
not even been considered. Indeed it
rather pleased her to think that she
couldn't love very deeply, that her
head, her well poised, artistically
dressed head, would always govern her.
"a little unwomanly," Tom Waring
| would say to himself when his thoughts
wandered in her direction. Not very
deep, either, l fancy, but talSing-im-
mensely taking
Waring was a stout, florid bachelor
who had been through an endless num-
Der of love affairs and who still re-
tanned his chivalrous admiration for
women. He had taken the pretty War
ing girls under semi-paternal wing
and felt it his duty to administer many
solemn warnings on worldly ambition.
But as he invariably delivered those
warnings after dining freely he only
provoked laughter and affectionate
raillery. Barbara exasperated him very
much.
"a fellow might kill himself for you,
and don't believe you'd know enough
to care a bawbee!" he exclaimed, one
evening.
She leaned her head lazily against the
back of her chair.
'Ah! well, perhaps not SO bad as
that" she said, nonchalantly. But a
man who would do such decidedly i'm
beetle thing is hardly worth plying,
don't you think SOP"
81 owonder," said Waring, looking
quizzically at her, Il wonder if you
are not posing. 1t is your evident de-