The age-herald., 1900-01-15
CUTTING THE
 STANMORES.

1Ou uO nOL mean 10 receive them on the footing that you would before their fail-
 ure?' cried Mrs. Blanche Redmond. aghast, beating her tiny parasol impatiently against
 foot eneased in very delicate French
 boot.
 'I cannot really bring myself to think
 any less of them," said Mrs. Mordaunt
 quietly. Mrs. stanmore Is certainly lady in every respect. I believe that even in her
 circumstances, as you call it. she will really
 fook-mo-e elegant, upon her slender means, than some who are the wives of million
 aires. Give her little sunshine. few
 flowers and pictures, and she will make
 presentable home anywhere, and there is Molly with her queenly beauty to grace l such a home!"
 Mrs Mordaunt, I hope you are not going
 to put the climax on your beaevolenee by
 calling Molly SsanmoIe a beauty-now, really, that would be too bad and the i sparkling widow tossed her head and
 glanced up with a vexed sparkle 4n her eyes.
 | T do not know of woman who ap- l proacines the beau ideal of perfection more
 nearly than she. Don't you think MT
 Henry capable judge on such points, Alrs Blanche fiusned trcm chm to eye l brow. she looked up Vita a half trown' l i cl.ed w.l1 hurried voice and manner
 Why, pray what did he ever say?'' Good breeding kept Mrs. Mordaunt's po- | likeness intact-nevertheless, she found 1t | difficult to restrain smile at ner young l friends eagerness.
 q do not feel quite at liberty to repeat
 all he said" she made quiet reply, "but ne 1 expressed the most refined admiration or 1 her person and talents. Oh! by ule Tuy,
 l llave his last book-Llave you seen it:' | Ii thal l little widow, unrestrained by her pres
 eEce, cleneled the almost fairy fingers 1 around the ivory handle cf tier parasol, and, drowning, looked very disagreeable, 1 indeed.
 q don't believe a word she says about
 Mir. Henry" she cried. in a fierce under l tore; that tall, common, dowdyish cIea- | tgre and he!' The face softened, the smile | returned Mrs. Mordaunt entered witl | a volume in blue and gilt.
 The little lady expressed her admiration | very naturally, keeping her wicked tactics | Saeathed in her heart for future use | o..atted few minutes longer and took | her leave
 I'm sure of Dr. Hazleton's wife" she said to herself, softly-and so it proved. Mrs. Hazleton, who was nearly dying of ennui welcomed her dear friend with a 1 dozen graceful compliments, and seated in ! her parker, in the midst of objects which
 should, at least by their very beauty, have l suggested purity of character, among which | the Stanmores come in for a share of the | most heartless calumny.
 And l do believe after all, my dear Mrs. l Haz.eton, that Mrs. Mordaunt Is going to
 do a very ridiculous thing" cried the little
 widow, twirIng the parasol viciously. Pray what freak now?' was the query. | "Why! she'll invite the Stanmores-at
 least Molly-shell have her there in some l ridiculous old last years dress l do be- | lieve the woman thinks Molly might have | rich husband now"
 l Invite the Stanmores! It would be an insult to good society Do you think there | is any truth in the report that MT. Henry l was rathher taken with Miss Stanmore be- | fore this failure?'
 Not word of truthi' cried the widow, | hotly He fandied her for a time, sup ! pose, because she was so odd-but the very l idea is rrepos terous. He, handsome, fas- | cnating, rich and famous-she plain, poor | and in every way insignificant. Besides" | she added, bending over the Cupids head l theS frightened the tip of the handle she
 held, q have reason to know he cares ] nothing about her.
 1 "I concluded 1t was report withous i foundation" returned the doctors wife. A plain two-story house. with nothing of l fashion or pretense in 1t or its surroundings just a bit of gray-brown earth in front, | too barren to sustain a blade of grasS-an | old horse chestnut before the door, wooden | steps, no name or number-and here the | Stanmores lived. A woeful descent to | some, from the splendor of brown-stone, sil- | yer plating, rosewood doors, and marble | steps. By the portals stood no attentive l servant no dim, soft. aristocratic atmos- | phere. duly br.gIntened by superb paintings | or gleam of statuary, greeted ones en- trance-only plain, narrow entry, covered | with cold, forib.dding oil-cloth, terminating | in Q small room, neat but not elegant. l And vet they were lovers or the beauti- | lf,,l tu-n ! euis,hable as mother and daughter, had 1 Aheir love had something on which to be- l stow itself, for fhe sun shone in on pots l of rare plants cropping out into movers. | here and there, whose perfume reconciled l rne senses to whatever else was below the | measure Of their standard The windows shone; the curtains were of dazzling white ness; the ch.ntz-covered lounges suggested comfort; the carpet was piain but we'll cg, osen; and the crowning glory of the room cumlrated in the two brave hearts that had met adversity, not with tears. not with joy, certainly, but with true, good | courage to the man financially ruined who | called himself, and was in the noblest of the l words father, Husband.
 | Mary Sbanmore was not likely to be a | dTeamer's ideal Far from that she looked | as she sat today. It good, pure, | noble face that bent thoughtfully over the | task as she said:
 | And as for the marketing, mother, | think 1 shall do it myself" | What do you know about 1t, my dear?" | asked her mother, unconsciously ending the | question with sigh.
 l "Nothing at all, of course-but I shall | learn. l can price the different kinds of | meat and vegetables, and by little shrewd | questioning find out the best dealers I'm l Sure can save; for when papa orders, they | are certain to send the best, and | "I had rather have the best" sighed the | elder woman.
 | ''Very true, and so would l, mamma, | but" just then the bell rang.
 l "Oh! mother, what shall we do? I can | not see that woman," she whispered Here | comes Mrs. Blanche Redmond, and she's 1 here for no good" In a few minutes the | visitor came sweeping into the room. | My dear Mary" gushed Mrs Redmond | 'I much pleased to see you, and | how well you are looking!'
 | Thank you did not know you bad any l friendliRess toward me" ,".said the straight | forward Mary, and then there was an awk- I ward silence.
 | stJN.