The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-07-03

Tho events of this story took place
some years ago, and if told just when
would give data by which, with mod
crate arithmetical equipment, tho reader
could compute how old Laura really was,
but though l deprecate her concealment
1 like her too much to betray her. She
was q brown eyed, auburn haired, gem
tie, glorious beauty and the most wom-
anish woman ever knew. She wanted
to be admired and loved by everything
that breathed, and she made herself al
ways lovable. People wondered, of
course, that she hadn't married, but one
of her friends, q woman, said:
Laura never looked upon marriage
as an achievements, but as a surrender
She has found it moro of q career to be
belle than to marry She ought to
change her views now, but she's gotten
In such fixed habit of being young and
beautiful and making conquests. | don't
know how she is ever going to surrender
to any one unless she gets a real roman
tic hero, and how's any man going to be
hero these days?"
Laura had not seen tho Watermans
for years, and she set about making con-
quests anew of them with her usual as
siduity, and Enthusiastically she SEEM
cd to devote as much effort to the dry
dust colored Emma as to her brother.
She sat on her own piazza with Emma
one morning sewing, because Emma
never sat with her hands idle, and talk
ing kindergartens. She astonished her.
self with what she knew about kinder
gartens when she tried. James Waterman
strolled by, and Laura shifted her atti-
tude to prettier pose as he stopped to
speak, and then called upon him to come
and SEQ how we'll she could hemstitch,
and she made a nice showing of pretty
hands as we'll as of the table center she
was working. Emma looked at her as if
she were committing crime and snort
ed audibly as she got up, saying she
must go write some letters. Laura boro
her departure sweetly. She wished to
please always, but as between a man and
a woman there was never any doubt
which she most cared about.
Waterman drew up chair and sat
down by her, and she went ON hemstitch-
if the man would talk.
81 had letter from Dawson this
morning-Jack Dawson, you know him,
don't you? He's coming down tomor-
row. Says he's got to get out of town
before the beastly Fourth. It certainly is
necessity to escape all that row. 1 sup
pose the children will have some fire.
crackers at tho hotel, and if they got too
noisy I'll run over here. May I?''
II always have little Fourth Of my
own. It might BIO worse than tho chill
dren's, but / hope you'll try tho ex-
change" Laura looked Mt him with her
usual soft smile, then dropped her Thin
bic, and Waterman had to pick it up for
her, and tho conversation took a new
turn when ho brought it back set on his
little finger and expressing incredulity
as to its being big enough for any grown
woman to sew with.
When he next saw Emma she said,
Isn't Laura Marlowe tho most smooth,
deceitful thing, talking to mo about
kindergartens, and taking so much care
Of her complexion all the time, and
angling after your"
"Well, Emma, don't sec anything
very damaging in your specific charges,
and I'm sure there is not much ground
for saying she's angling after me- She'd
have no use for me when she got me.
She's sweet to everybody. You say that
yourself. "
"She's got to the time now she's
1,
for all she gets herself up to look SO
young-young for her age that is-and !
guess she thinks you arc as we'll as she
can do.
"You are making fool of yourself,
Emma, about very pleasant, gentle,
pretty woman. She likes admiration;
she's very amiable; she certainly never
gave any one any ground for saying she
was husband hunter, whatever else
they had against her. We all know some
Of the matches sho has refused.
"Amiablc--that's her card" said
Emma. mo ono with any real feeling
about anything can DO so smooth to ev-
erybo,1y. She's utterly artificial, and
she'll quit refusing fine matches soon, I
can tell you that, what with the money
they've lost and the years she has gain
ed. ("
Waterman remarked, of course, that
women were wonderfully nasty to each
other, and added that he was going out
rowing with Laura in an hour, and that
he must go see about tho boat.
II don't trust her as far as can sec
her, !" said Emma to herself when she
was alone with her thoughts. "Of course
she must be getting married soon. She's
not going to settle down to being an old
maid, as I've done Any one would think