The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-04-21

6rlce. In ner cdlCulatlOnS Sne laO over
looked the colonel's wife-for she who
had attained that enviable dignity was
an obscure, unconsidered factor in the
bellchood of Lucretia Detmar. Had the
widow been less guileless she might
have OWNED in Mrs. Col. Raget's ad-
miration of Pauline's beauty, to which
her attention had been called by the
colonel, and her offer to launch the
girl at the Raget expense in the "smart
set" a hint Of malicious self-satisfac-
ton rather than sincere desire to bet
ter their fortunes.
But unsuspecting Lucretia was CRATE
full then, and grateful she remained,
despite Pauline's failure to meet expec-
tations and Mrs. Raget's inability to
account for it.
.'She was beautiful as dream"
wrote the colonel's wife, but times
and standard have changed, my dear
Lucretia. There's no counting on the
yagaries of the modern wife hunter"
"You must have looked lovely. dear
est" said the mother, venturing to
shake out the rosy ruffles. "How l
should love to have seen YOU"
But Pauline heard not. For her, the
stuffy room, the sultry August day. the
| airy, fairy gown, had vanished. She
| was again at the Patriarch-not in the
mazes of the dance, but in the gold and
white, hushed stiffness of the dressing
room, whittier many debutant, solici-
tous to escape being catalogued among
the wall flowers, had preceded her un-
der the nameless preteNts known to
feminine art. 1t was in an interval of
the lancers. Her partner-a pompous
eraybcard who had sized her up as he
would filly at Tattersalls-had left
her to exchange banalities with a
neighboring grand dame. Unconscious
ly Pauline turned, she knew not why,
into the dressing-room. there to en-
counter a phase of life in the 'smart
set" little known or suspected beyond
its precincts.
In various attitudes of weariness-
WEAKNESS Of the heart, rather than the
body-were varied types of maiden
hood. daintily, richly gowned, not a few
bejeweled, the eyes of each drinking
their tears of modification" as they
nervously toyed with untitled dance
cards, or concealed them in their
bodices. Pauline's "sweet asking eyes
passed from one TO the other, to rest
en- the motherly Dinah talking in low
tones to Il pale, weary little woman
who wrote rapidly while she questioned
necessarily. The weary little woman
4 was a reporter. 1t was the toilettes o
the unhappy girls that the waiting
maid was describing. with interpola
tions as to their wealth and social pros
poets. All we're daughters of wealth
the offspring of families of social emf
ncnce: and yet-Pauline shuddered a:
she turned from their iIl-dsguise,
! wretchedness to meet Dinah's sym
pathetic smile.
The reporter had disappeared.
! I'm so sorry for that little woman,
/ said the maid. she's worked t,
, DEATH"
Pauline lifted her delicate eyebrow!
questioningly.
''She's six balls to report tonight
Her baby's sick, and she's so nervous
. she gets names and costumes mixed
She's going home now-it's midnight
, miss-to nurse the baby before sh
takes in the fourth ball. Twill be thre
o'clock before She s abed. Ialways he'll
, l.er when | can. You sec, miss, kney
her when she was the greatest belle il
5 New York. Lor' bless you. honey
;, there's no beauty on that floor to-nigh
, could hold candle to that little woman
r in her day-hefore her pa lost his mil
lions and her husband broke her hear
s and left her to shift for herself and tn
p babes"
t Dazed, bewildered, Pauline went bac
8 to the ballroom. How spiritlcss, no,
. absent ntminded the graybeard foun
p her! And so, the hall rolled on, an
/. Mrs. Raget was piqced to account fo
her miscalculation.
III.
! Recalling those detected faces in tn
gold and white dressing-room, Paulin
was grateful to Mrs. Raget for sendin
her back to her mountain home. Con
., forever was her girlish dream Of soci;
conquest She had boxed it with tn
ball gown, and both were quite forgo
ten until he said: II shall never b
quite satisfied, Miss Detmar, until sc
: you in Il ball gown
"And why note" said the mothe
when the girl told her. There's til
hop at the Fort to which Detmar
always welcome. For once in your lif
: my dear, you have not the excuse {
;. !. Flora McThinsey," and forthwith ii
box was uncovered.
: They were making little journe
i. round the world, he told her-he an
4 his companion, the grizzly little ma
with the keen eyes and the music;
= laugh. The latter would some day d,
;. scribe what they saw in lucid pros
= while he, Geraud Mcntant, was an ar
. list in search of types-types of Anne
g g lean beauty. Hers was face neare
his ideal than any he had yet met. Ce
% tainly there was nothing ut the la
. Patriarch that appealed SO strongly
. his pencil. But Montant checked hin