Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-10-29
THE CONQUEST OF
MRS. VIVIAN.
THE BR1sTowE garden party was
BY CHARLES KENNErT eURRow.
,scS;tSc1e

convince myself that l went from a
sense of duty, but when rapid survey
failed to reveal the slight figure and
delicious responsibility of Jack Vivi-
an, the sense of duty theory collapsed.
Mrs. Vivian, 1 thought, had been in
clined to treat me somewhat coldly,
and 1 wondered, rather angrily, how
abe came to have such daughter as
Jack. There was certain vague sem
blance between them, certainly, but
nothing could convince me that Mrs.
Vivian had ever been slight, and my
Imagination was not strong enough
even to suggest that she had ever been
irresponsible.
There were not more than half a
dozen people whom l knew, and of
them not more than two whom cared
70 talk to. Most of the men seemed
to have got together in the middle of
che tennis lawn, the ladies were Ian
gushing in the shade of the beeches;
only one or two couples seemed to be
engaged In occupation for which, sure
dy, garden parties alone were invented.
Mrs. Bristowe, my hostess, seemed very
much depressed.
"Why don't things move faster, Mr..
Mildmay% she asked, plaintively.
"Why don't those wretched men do
something?"
"My dear LADY," said, "they never
do at these affairs. 1 don't know why
It is; perhaps there's too much daylight
for them"
"But one must give garden parties"
she said.
~ thank Providence have no gar
den," said. 81 might manage little
dance, a very little one, in my studio,
but bachelor can't do that kind of
thing, you know"
81 wish you'd go and talk to Mrs.
Vivian" she said; "she's sitting all
alone there, and thinking of nasty
things to say afterward."
l wanted to talk to Mrs. Vivian, so
went. The fact is, knew that Jack
had a great talent for drawing and
wanted to cultivate it, and l had
vague idea that 1 might induce Mrs.
Vivian to allow me to give her daugh-
ter lessons, particularly as it would
cost her nothing. 1t was a wild no
tion, but worth trying, and Jack agreed
with me. 1 therefore strolled up to
Mrs. Vivian and sat down by her in a
casual way.
"The parties here are always so slow,
aren't they?" she asked.
-Are they slower here than anywhere
else?"
UI truet ouro ara MT eo dn1lD eba
snapped.
"Ah, but you have genius for social
organization" 1 said, unblushingly;
land so few people have even talent"
II do not wish to depreciate Mrs. Vivian,
but her love of flattery was as great as
her capacity for small and totally un-
necessary lying. She condescended to
smile upon me. "People are so differ
:ent," she said.
I "You would notice that all the more
after your stay in the country" said.
allow charming the coast is at Pen
quite, and what glorious sketching
ground? I suppose Miss Vivian did
some work there?"
: She ignored the last part of my ques-
tion.
DO you know that part of the
world ?" she asked.
"Oh, yes" 1 said, perfectly,
"That reminds me-" she said, smiling
again, "that met Col. Mildmay at
my cousins house. 1t did not occur
to me that he might be relative of
yours. Is he?"
Hes my uncle, and dear old boy,
too; but don't see much of him now"
Her manner instantly thawed; 1 be-
neve she had an idea that an artist
must necessarily be the son of fraud
ulent bankrupt or fourth-rate actor,
or something of that sort. Then she
condescended to answer my previous
question.
"Indeed, how strange that we should
meet in that way! Phoebe painted
good deal while she was there"
I wondered, for moment, who
Phoebe was-I had called her Jack for
quite three months.
felt that / was getting on famously,
and was just arranging in my mind
how to make the next step when Mrs.
Vivian spoke again.
what charming place Lord st.
Alleyn has at Polgarth," she said.
"Very," 1 answered, eying her fur
lively.
"And what a delightful man he is"
she said; 1--WE dined there twice"
Hes an old chum of mine," said;
1--WE were up at Oxford together" 1
saw her vince, and her manner re-
iaNed even further. I felt profoundly
sorry for Jack.
'How interesting" she said.
IL see almost more of him than of
any of the old Set" said. eve used
to get into glorious scrapes together.
He never did any work"
"And l suppose you did?" she sug-
gested.
"a little" admitted
"Oh, you young men," she laughed,
and wagged her false old head.
1 have not, as a rule, been particu-