The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-08-17
DECEIVERS EVER.
The Sorry Justification of Miss
Porter's Judgment.
BY GwENDoLEN OvERToN.

is bad may go all to pieces over scme
Henrietta through whose wiles the green
boy from the country district would see
in an instant. The capitalist and the
bank president fall victims to quite as
many bunko games as the farmer and
the cowboy. And the same lack of rule
holds good in the world of women. The
blushing maiden from French convent
may be quite as able to take care of her
self as the young woman who has alb
sorbed modern fiction, seen men and
manners of many sorts and been given
her own head in all things. 1t is mat
ter of common sense and intuition, and il
all depends upon the girl.
But Miss porter's father did not see
that. He had theories to the contrary,
and he believed in letting girl from her
earliest infancy see all she wanted of the
world, that, having attained to maturity.
she might be able to judge accurately fol
herself. 1t was comfortable theory,
moreover, and saved Judge Porter trou-
bic. There were those-certain neighbors
and friends of little Miss Porters de-
ceased mother-who would not admit
that it was a theory at all. They said
that Porter neglected his only child and
let her run wild.
At the age of ) little Miss Porter was
a gourmet, smoked her cigarettes with
an air and swore fuently. But at the
age of 20 she was as innocent, if not
as ignorant, as the aforesaid convent
maiden is popularity supposed to be.
= was at this period that she met
C,teyerley. He was English and hand
some and agreeable. One Of her not en-
tirely unobjectionable girl friends had
presented him, and after the custom of
America, and more especially of the
west, nothing further was necessary. II
Miss Porter thought about it at all. she
thought it would have been the height
of folly and inhospitality to have asked
further questions. She had to manage
all those little matters alone. Judge
Porter believed that she was equal to
it by reason of his training, and, besides
he had other things to attend to.
But by and by one of the aforesaid
friends of her mother decided, after much
prayer and fasting. that it was her OBJ
vious duty to warn Miss Porter, since
there was no one else to do it. She
trembled at the necessity. Once, in the
days of Miss Porter's tender infancy,
some other good advice had been met
with a storm of bad language. at the
mere memory of which the good lady
had shuddered and shriveed ever since.
But that had been long years before.
Miss Porter's language was moderate
now, not only moderate, but slightly
British, as appeared when she received
her mothers friend and led her to Il
coZy corner and proceeded to brew tea.
The ! o'clock tea habit had never been
very strong with Miss Porter. Doubtless
it was another result of the influence Of
Calverley, who was just then i'll the libra
nv across the hall smoking and reading
and making himself entirely at home.
81 saw you at the theater the other
night" began the elder woman.
Yes" said Miss Porter.
"W'ho was the man you were WITH"
1t was the scandal of Miss Portcr's set
which was good one in spite of alt
that she did without chapcrons upon
most occasions. Il dare say it was Mr..
Calverley." said Miss Porter. She knew
it was, and so did the other.
"CalverIey? Do | know him? Whit
is the rest of his name"
Miss Porter tried not to look proud is
she spoke the sonorous syllablrs and en-
phasized the hypnen. 1T wis Giles
Hartpole Clayton Calverley." she said.
"Ohr' said her mothers friend. And
where is he from?'
He was from England. from London.
OH she said again. And who is hPE
Miss Porter informed her that he was
well counected-spendidiy connected. SIZE
was Il little vague, but that WAS bccauS"
she could not keep all the names at her
tongues end.
How had she met him? Ii was becom-
ing decidedly cross questioning, and Miss
Porter raised her brows There was tn;
same look in the baby blue eyes beneath
them that had preceded the evil languagr
years ago. But she was quite deadly
civil now II met him through friend.
Were you at the dance last night:'' ST."
asked.
I'll tell you about that later. Tell me-
about Mr.. CaIverley first, dear. Are you
perfectly sure about him? One has to l."
careful of these Englishmen who arc
not properly accredited
Miss Porter ltughcd-a naughty laugh
Not properly accredited, indeed. A
friend Of the prince. relative Of more
or less half the pcerage, on nickname
terms with all sorts of dukes and lords
and things, a man of his perfectly appar-
ent means. Not properly accredited in
deed! Her rebuke was terrible. thoug:'
brief She mentioned her own iutl%moni
and knowledge of the world. and he
mothers friend withdrew, bu1iled. yet
doubling
As she went she caught sight of Cal
verley In a big leathcrn chair before the
fire. smoking his brier pipe, and that
night she told her husband about it,.
"What can John Porter be thinking off,"
she demanded.
His own troubles perhaps" he sug-
gested.
The man is taking possession of the
whole place"
Her husband dropped into poetry:
"His easy, unswept hearth he lends
From Labrador to Guadalupe,
Till, elhowed out by sloven friends.
He camps at suherancc on the stoop.
''The Spanish is bad, but the senti-
mems all there"
Some one ought to put n stop to it."
Don't you he the some one. then. Let
her work out her own-salvation. If she
is in love with him, she'll do as she likes;
if she isn't, it wont matter"
There was presently no doubt about
her being in love with him. She
was frank in most things. was Miss Por-
ter. There was but one matter in which
she could bring herself TO diSsemble. and
only then because Calverley impressed
the great necessity for it upon her. He
explained that though he loved her to
madness and must marry her, there Were
sometimes reasons which Amrrcun rs
could not understand why it was best for
Englishmcn who were friends of the
prince, and so very we'll connected rs he
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