Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-04-09
CHAPTER VIII.

mother was very i'll, and that she had
been notified to 20 to her at once. HeI
mother, she said, lived in Elizabeth,
N. J. She wished to go at the earliest
possible moment, and begged that heI
cousin Lucette should be allowed tc
attend to her duties till her return,
which she hoped would be i'll a very
few days. Asked if her cousin was COM
petent, she said yes, aud especially apt
at arranging the hair, having served all
apprenticeship with a 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 a good maid.
In Miss Remsen's mind this changing
of her name was nothing i'll 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 talkatiye, intrusive
person, assuming Frenchified manner
isms, she was surprised to find quiet,
unpretentious creature, who immeii-
ately showed herself to be well ac-
quainted 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. 1"
"Does very we'll? Why, Queen, she
is a jewel. If you do not appreciate
her, I wish you would bequeath her to
me when Sarah returns"
"Oh, ho! So my young miss wants
a maid to herself, does she?"
ooh, no, not especially, but / want
to keep Lucette in the family. She is
treasure. Dressing the hair is not her
only accomplishment, either, though I
never saw yours look more beautiful.
She has just arranged the table for our
afternoon tea, and | never saw any
thing like it. 1t is just wonderful what
that girl can do with napkin in the
way Of decoration. "
"Oh, yes, )" said Emily, "Lucette is
clever, but don t let her know that we
think so. /. might make her less valua-
BILE. Now toll me, Dora, dear, who is
coming this afternoon"
"Oh! The usual crush, suppose.
Including Mr.. Randolph"
"Queen, there is a mystery about
him. Let me tell you. In the first place,
he has not been here for over a week,
and then yesterday l saw him coming
down Fifth avenue, and-would you be-
lieve it?-just as l was about to bow to
him he turned down side street"
HE did not see you, my dear, or he
,urely 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 l have to say"
Shortly after company began to ar
rive, and very soon the M)oms We're fill
ID by a crowd which is aptly described
~ the term used by Dora. One goes to
hese affairs partly from duty and part
y from habit. One leaves mainly from
he instructive sense of self preservation
Inherent i'll all
Dora was besieged by number of
admirers and took pleasure in avoiding
Mr.. Randolph, who was assiduous in
lis attentions. He seemed anxious to
get her off into the seclusion of COR
Ter, scheme which the young lady
frustrated without appearing to do so.
Mr.. Thauret was also present, though
le did not remain very long He chat
ed short time with Emily Oh conven-
ional subjects, and then worked his
way to the side Of Dora, where he lin
sered longer. He said several pretty
hings to her, such as she had heard al
'eady in different forms from other
men, but with just tone which SEEM
ID to indicate that he spoke from his
leart rather than from the mere pass
ng fancy of pleasing Itwas very skill
ully done. There was SO little of it
hat no one, certainly not an inexperi-
'nced girl like Dora, could suspect that
t was all studied. Yet after he had
zone, and the company was thinning
,ut, Mr.. Randolph found his long
ought opportunity, and sat down for
with Dora He began at
,nce.
"Miss Dora, why do you allow
:ad like that Frenchman to make love
o you?"
care you alluding to my friend, Mr.,
Chauret? She accentuated the word
friend merely to exasperate Mr.. Ran
lolph, and succeeded admirably.
He is not your friend. In my opin-
on he is nobody's friend but his own. "
"That has been said of so many that
t 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
III, you must not allow him to make
owe to YOU
'You surprise me, Mr., Randolph. I
lad no idea that Mr.. Thauret was MAX
ng love to me- l could relate every
hing that he said and it would scarce
y bear out your assumption.
tITl,n1 Sc, l. -,
hrewd to speak plainly so soon." And
ret this young philosopher was not wise
enough to see that he was damaging his
'wn cause by putting ideas into the
girls mind which had not yet entered
here.
"Why, Mr.. Randolph, you are really
becoming amusing. You arc like Don
euixote fighting windmills. You imag-
ne condition, and then give me q