The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-12-25

E13vN5@qLI IN her bicycle costume, ont
EAR< 1rl of little group waiting il
~SN- the hotel rotunda for the
elevator.
''Rather cold opportunity, was it not?'
said one of the gentlemen, regarding hel
with respectful admiration.
"a little fresh, but can't let my youth
slip from me unimproved," and smiling
she stepped lightly, but with quiet dig
nifty into the elevator
"That's woman in ten thousand" said
the gentleman who had spoken to Mrs.
Peabody.
eyes" said his companion. The
worldly Mrs Peabody, as her family and
friends half in jest half seriously, call
her, is an exceptional woman. Her son
Harry is 40. But years don't count when
woman is as charming as Mrs. Peabody
Give me worldly woman of the right
sort every time. 1t will be time enough
for angels when we reach the Elysan
fields"
''You're right. Didn't she look pic
ture though, in that natty bicycle suit?"
In the meantime Mrs Peabody had
donned a modish house gown and seated
herself in the circlng window of her sit
ting room. 1t was one of the handsomest
apartments in the hotel and it's windows
commanded superb view OF water, shore
and distant city. Although the holidays
were near at hand the first snow was Just
beginning to fall in large, far apart flakes
that poised and tluttered in the air as if
determined to finish some eerie game be-
fore permitting themselves to sink finally.
AS she took up some gold and green sltin
which she was fashioning into gorgeous
sofa cushion. she caught glimpse Of the
marvellous picture which wracking silver
gray clouds, bits of sky, the water and
floating snow were forming from shore to
sky line, and she paused and enjoyed it as
only person gifted with fine appreciation
could. Mrs. Peabody knew that she pos.
essed this gift and she never attempted to
belittle Or exceed it, Her appreciation of
ligent and wholly unmixed with weak
desire to initiate them.
For this reason she was a favorite with
artists, musicians and literary workers, who
valued her opinion and regarded her not as
the worldly Mrs Peabody, but quite one of
themselves. Still, Mrs. Peabody was n
society woman to the end of her finger
tips. She would no more have missed a
social function from choice than she would
have broken the decalogue, and she GER
tainly would not have done that, for she
was not only member of one of the most
fashionable Presbyterian churches in the
city, but her husband was one OF its
elders, and in her way she lived the religion
she protested. Indeed she was in all
things wholly sincere. There was not even
in her youthful appearance a single note of
artificiality.
The PeabOdys were not rich, but they
were able to have many of the luxuries of
work table was one of Cazin's vivid vet
delicately ideal interpretations of nature.
Further on was small Corot brilliant
bit of Vbert's realism, a Landseer, a Glib
son girl, and a gay, impossible poster, for
Mrs. Peabody's appreciation was of the
all-around sort. Still, there were some
things which Mrs. Peabody wanted very
much which she did not have, and one of
them was pair of diamond solitaires. Her
ears had been pierced when she was
child. She never would have thought of
wearing anything less handsome lnln fine
gems, and the small, vacant punctures were
an ever-present thorn in the rose of her
satisfaction as she viewed herself costumed
and ornamented for the many functions
she was never weary of attending. She
would not have told just how it was that
desiring them so much she had always
missed having them, but so it was. AS
she sat stitching she found herself wonder
ing if possibly the coveted solitaires might
not be among her Christmas gifts. She
had confided to an intimate friend, with
whom Mr.. Peabody invariably consulted
when he gave her presents, how much she
wanted them. AS she sat sewing and
thinking there came soft knock at the
door, followed by the announcement:
otis just Annie, Mrs. Peabody. It's
about Nora I'm after coming" she said as
she came in. It's very bad she is, mum
The doctor says she must have operation
that costs dale of money, have her leg
took off or die. Nora says she will go to
Heaven on the two legs of her, but won't
be Twin wild stump. Nora's savin's are
all gone, and Biddie Sullivan's too, and
all they have now is Biddie's earnin g
Nora's mother, poor old dame, can do no
more than take care of her. l thought,
mum, if you would see Nora YOU could by