Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-02-19
CHAPTER VIII
Copyright, 1895, by G. P. Putnam's Sons.
LUCETTE


LUCETTE.
Two days after the events just related
Emily Remsen's maid announced that
sha had just received news that her
mother was very i'll, and that she had
been notified to 20 to her at once. Her
mother, she said. lived in Elizabeth,
N. j. She wished to go at the earliest
possible moment, and begged that her
cousin Lucette should be allowed to
attend to her duties till her return,
which she hoped would be in very
few days. Asked if her cousin was. COM
petent, she said yes, and especially apt
at arranging the hair, having served all
apprenticeship with French hairdress.
er. Indeed the girls real name was
Lucy, but she had changed it to Lu-
cette to pretend that, being French. she
was necessarily good maid.
In Miss Remsen's mind this changing
Of her name was nothing in the girls
favor, but as her own maid was thus
suddenly taken from her, and as this
other was offered at once, she agreed to
the proposal
Lucette arrived during the afternoon,
and Miss Remsen was delighted with
her. Expecting a talkative, intrusive
person, assuming Frenchified manner.
isms, she was surprised to find a quiet,
unpretentious creature, who immedi.
ately showed herself to be well &C
auainted with the duties required Of
her. Within the first "a hours she found
herself so much better served than by
her absent maid that she almost wish
ed that the mother would require her
for long time. Dora, too, was charmed
with Lucette.
"Queen, " said she the next afternoon,
"what do you think of your new maid?"
"Who? Lucette?" answered the SIS
ter. "Oh, think she does very we'll. I"
"Does very we'll? Why, Queen. she
is jewel. If you do not appreciate
her, I wish you would bequeath her to
me when Sarah returns.
"Oh, hol So my young miss wants
; maid to herself, does she?"
"Oh, no, not especially, but want
to keep Lucette in the family. She is
a treasure. Dressing the hair is not her
only accomplishment, either, though |
never saw yours look more beautiful
She has just arranged the table for our
Afternoon tea, and I never saw any
thing like it. 1t is just wonderful what
that girl can do with a napkin in the
way Of decoration.
"Oh, yes" said Emily, "Lucette is
clever, but don't let her know that we
think so. 1t might make her less valua'
BILE. Now tell me, Dora, dear, who is
coming this afternoon?"
"Oh! The usual crush, suppose.
"Inclnding Mr.. Randolph"
"Queen, there is a mystery about
him. Let me tell you. In the first place,
he has not been here for over week,
and then yesterday saw him coming
down Fifth avenue, and-would you be-
lieve it?-just as was about to bow to
him he turned down side street y
HE did not see you, my dear, or he
surely would have spoken. he would
have been TOO glad.
"Well, if he did not see me, he must
have suddenly contracted nearsighted-
ness; that is all I have to say"
Shortly after company began to ar
rive. and very soon the rooms were fill
ed by a crowd which is aptly described
by the term used by Dora One goes to
these affairs partly from duty and part
ly from habit. One leaves mainly from
the instructive sense of self preservation
inherent in all
Dora was besieged by number of
admirers and took pleasure in avoiding
Mr. Randolph, who was assiduous in
his attentions He seemed anxious to
get her off into the seclusion Of cor
ner, scheme which the young lady
frustrated without appearing to do so.
Mr.. Thauret was also present, though
he did not remain very long. He chat
ted short time with Emily on conven-
tional subjects, and then worked his
way to the side of Dora, where he lin
gered longer He said several pretty
things to her, such as she had heard al
ready in different forms from other
men, but with just a tone which seem
ed to indicate that he spoke from his
heart rather than from the mere pass
ing fancy of pleasing. Itwas very skill
fully done. There was so little Of it
that no one, certainly not an inexperi-
enced girl like Dora, could suspect that
it was all studied. Yet after he haG
gone, and the company was thinning
out, Mr.. Randolph found his long
sought opportunity, and sat down for a
tete-a-tete with Dora. He began at
once.
"Miss Dora, why do you allow a
cad like that Frenchman to make love
to your"
care you alluding to my friend, MI.
Thauret? She accentuated the word
"friend" merely to exasperate Mr.. Ran
dolph, and succeeded admirably.
"He is not your friend. In my opin-
ion he is niobody's friend but his own. I"
"That has been said of so many that
it is no new idea"
"But do be serious, Miss Dora You
must not allow this fellow to worm his
way into your circle, and, more than
all, you must not allow him to make