The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-10-24
On M 4utumn Morning.


''Mother"
The exclamation was a strange mixture
| OF appeal and defiance, and the girls eyes
skone through her tears with an ominous
| light. But Mrs. Maynard was too angry
| 10 note these things, as she caught up
her gloves and rustled from the room.
/. The next moment her daughter heard her
high-pitched voice In the hotel courtyard
as she joined the party who were waiting
| for her on the drag.
such a pity' Freda heard her say.
my poor girl has one of her dreadful
headaches again; was obliged 10 leave
her behind"
Freda turned away from the window
with bitter smile. AS rule she cared
very little to join the picnic parties her
mother delighted In. But today The
! girl sighed, and a look of unutterable
WEAKNESS came over her pale face. she
! glanced at herself in the glass. and Won
dered what sort OF "a thing life would have
4, been IL she had inherited her mothers
/ beauty. Would the constant and humih-
ating salts OF their daily existence have
/ seemed less difi0ait 10 bear If she had
possessed more powerful personal attrac-
| tons than a pair or dark eyes too large
! for a small white face, and soft dark
hair too heavy for the little head 1t
| crowned?
Freda had often asked herself these
! themselves upon her with greater per-
| sistency than usual. Mrs. Maynard, in
spite of her almost chld-like contour or
| face, had a sharp tongue, and the pretty.
| appealing ways which made her so popu-
| lar were generally laid aside with her
outdoor frock. This morning she had
! been particularly outspoken, ana the
I things she had said ranked in her daugh-
ter's breast.
Scores OF times before today her mother
had told Freda that her only chance or
: marrying at all was to marry at once, be-
| lore her pallor had degenerated into sal
| lowness. She had impressed on her
1 daughters mind the fact that IL was not
! for her TO pick and choose, but TO jump
| gratefully at the first available offer.
| These axioms Freda had had dinned into
! her ears since the day when somewhat
/ recretfully her mother had declared IT
was time for her to come out Mrs May
| nard was a wise woman. and contrary
| TO the habit of most OF her kind, would
have presented her daughter at sixteen
| had not the convenances forbidden IL.
| Very green fruit has sometimes Its own
sayor argued this little woman 10 her
| self and In this case IL was more than
1 doubtful whether the attraction would
continue. and so during her first season
1 Freda Maynard had had her share OF
I chances according to her mothers lights
! Mrs. MAYNARD had been less lavish, and
! so on diminuendo until now, when the
! girl was barely twenty-five. she iounu
| herself treated as forlorn hope The
| Maynards were not rich. and Mrs. May
! nard was extravagant. the little WIDOW
! hankered after the good Things OF me,
and had few scruples to hinder her In her
! attampt TO obtain them. She infinitely
| nreferred however, to retain her person
al Hhertv and secure "A rich son-in-law, ,
I she had begun well-nlgh 10 despair OF
I this desirable combination when she ana
her daughter made the acquaintance OF
| NJ. DE ClairvauS.
| NJ De Clairvaux was also taking the
! waters at Ieonold dbad--that is 10 say, ne
was seen In the morning in the pump
room and in the evening at the roulette
| table; for the rest. he lived In the pest
| hotel, possessed a handsome presence ana
! rather empresse manners.
/ Freda's dark eyes for once seemed TO
| have obscured the light of Mrs. May
nards blue eyes, and cast in the shaoe
| the latter's wink -and-white complexion;
oddly enough. however. the girl was In no
1 way hattered by this preference. She had
| taken a pronounced dislike to the young
/ man. and received his attentions with
| cold politeness; this. Notwithstanding, In
no way influenced Mrs. Maynard's decis-
| ion
| Like n careful mother and wary woman
/ of the worlds she had made cautious in
! qulries: everything was most satisfac-
| tory, she had declared 20 Freda this very
morning, and she had added that she ex-
| pected her daughter TO do all I'm her pow
er to hurry matters The girl had an
swered hotly that she hated the man,and
nothing should induce her TO accept
him. 1t was then that the elder woman
had spoken the words which ranked in
| Freda's breast, which made IL seem i'm
| possible that she and her mother could go
on living together. The taunt stung her
ears now as she sat In the hotel bed
! room; her lips trembled again as they
had done then. and storm of impotent
! anger rose In her heart.
| 1t had been cruel Of her mother IA
| throw that episode in her teeth; its mem
ory. in spite of herself. was sweet to her.
Love had conquered pride, and she had
| taught herself only to remember the hap
piness Of those lost days. Last year. just
al this time. they had been in Scotland
the girls face frightened as every Incl.
dent OF that halcyon time came back tc
| her. Already there were rumors OF wal
abroad. but Freda had only heard them
! vaguely. She was too engrossed. toe
| happy to think almost: too young &c
fear. Dick warrender had been like her
! shadow; no actual words had been spo.
| ken between them. but she knew he loved
| her, just as he know that every thought
of hers was for him. Mrs. Maynard had
done nothing'to check the AFFAIR. although
IL was undesirable from her point OF
view. Dick was Younger son. and the
| family were hotoriously a long-lived one
She had full confidence in her power over
| her daughter, and saw no harm in keep
| ing une poirs pour In soif.
| q
| hand, however, had gathered with mar
velous rapidity ard suddenly had burst
Dick Warrender's regi,~ent was one oil
the first ordered away; and while Freda
waited day after day sick with longing
for the words--the letter tnat should give
her n right to let the world sec the strain
| ing eyes with which she followed him.