The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-15
NY Dear Relation.

ut vas really most coinieal sitlla-
ton. my dear" said Lady Sara to her
friend. Lady Glenlyndon. They were
announced together just like husband
to burst with rage. and affecting not
TO notice the general grin. He came
I'm. either not having heard the an
nouncement and quite unconscious OF
the presence OF his dear relation, of
else one of the finest actors / have ever
seen. i think she would have liked &c
have ordered him to be turned out OF
the room on the spot, but as she could
not do that she turned her back on him
instead and iurned up her nose-and
l am surn IL turns up quite enough OF
itself. Well. she sat down by me- and
he sat near and talked affably obvious
~ trying to draw her i'm. She sat look
ing daggers at him, refusing 10 be
drawn. and then at last snubbing him
SO that he gave her just one glance
and left her to herself. She Went soon.
and, hope, felt ashamed OF herself.
but l doubt It,"
Nothing is less conducive To re-
psntance," said Lady Glenlyndon,
laughing. that the knowledge that ono
Is thoroughly in the wrong"
Exactly. Well. then. ! said TO him,
just left?' He smiled good -humoredly
what pleasant smile he has.-and
said, One thing Is quite certain. that
i could not like her less than she did
me-. Don't you know who she was?'
| said: and when he said Mo- added.
She is your connection. Lady whitney,
His face was perfect study.
Good Lord. he said. the dowager!
Do you suppose she knew me?'
We'll. she could have hardly helped
doing so. as that stupid Watkins an
nounced you together as Lord and
Lady Whitney,
you should have seen how he stared.
and then he laughed. Watkins takes
the cake. he said. But wish hadn't
been ne hero of it-and least Of all
with the dowager. It's odd. by-the-bye.
how different she is to what / pic
tured herr
what was thatg naturally asked.
On. old and frumpy, the regulation
dowager. with high nose and plas-
tered-down bands.
In this unlucky fashion began tina
personal acquaintance, IL IL may he so
called. between the new Lord Whitney
and the widow OF his predecessor. The
piquancy of the situation from the
spectators point OF view lay in the
fact that the two persons concerned
were the opposing leaders of a family
feud. The old Lord Whitney had al
ways resented the fact that he had no
son. and Lady Whitney was even more
indignant that her daughter could not
inherit to the exclusion OF the distant
cousin. The fact that the principal
seat and estate were entailed lent fuel
TO the fire.
Lord Whitney had pictured his dear
relation" as a typical dowager with the
external appearance OF a trump and
the manners OF a true virago. Lady
Whitney, as IL happened, was one OF
those fortunate women Who preserve
their fineness of figure. delicacy Of
skin and piquancy of feature. Also
she did not 'disdain TO lend some skill
ful assistance To the work OF nature.
She had been married young. but she
looked much younger than she was.
and but for the well-known foct that
her daughters coming OUT was one
of the events of the year she might
have posed successfully as the typical
femme trente ans.
Whitney ought to marry his cousin
and reunite the title and the property"
was what the world said. Kind and
busybodying people even hustled about
and tried To help this on, An entirely
unprecedented effect, however, was
produced by some well-meaning but
Whitney on his other side at dinner.
She gave him her shoulder ostentati-
ously through the soup and fish. Then
he spoke to her. She did not reply or
turn. but she did not continue her con-
versation with her partner. Whitney
spoke >again-a leading remark OF a
general kind She turned on him with
flashing eyes and replied in a manner
that from one stranger-guest to- an
other was decidedly fierce, not to say
rude. Whitney was not at all abashed.
He seemed rather amused and con-
tinued the conversation.
Don't you think" she said abrupt
ly. that a fsrtune-hunter is despic-
able thIng?"
Certainly" he replied readily.
And don't you think that a fortunes
hunter who pursues girl simply for
her money when he knows that he will
never be allowed to marry her, and that
the mere idea Is hateful anu not to be
borne. and that he would never ne IL
the girl had a father or brother TO
protect her.
Most cowardly and Objectionable
person. i am glad that the lady whom
j am in love with is not heiress Or
''Oh. you are in love, are your she
then said. who is she?"
We'll, really you see, as strang-
er-"
you know perfectly well who I am.'
Certainly. but as you appear to
Lady Witney's really fine eyes lter-
ally flashed fire-but at that moment
the ladies fortunately rose.
She reache' home without having
delivered herself, and, feeling that she
must do or burst. she wrote a scathing
letter. telling him that his conduct was
most ungentlemanly, and that she for
bade him ever to speak to her or come
near her again.
He replied courteously acknowledg.
ing her letter and begging her "out of
her great experience to tell him
whether under similar circumstances
he should publicly refuse to sit by her
or what?
She wrote n cutting note in reply.
mentioning incidentally that though ID
was quite true that she was quite an
old woman underlined twice. il was
not usual in decent society TO tell lady
so.
Lord Whitney wrote to disclaim that
he had done this or had any intention
of doing so. On the contrary. he knew
that she had married as the merest
girl. and he ventured 10 add that IL he
had not known this. her appearance
would have inspired him with a belief
that she was even younger.
She found il absolutely necessary to
answer this To the effect that she at