The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-10

DAY.=
HIS DEAR
RELATION.

tunate women who preserve their fine
ness of figure, delicacy of skin and pi-
quancy of feature. Also, she did not dis
dadn to lend some skillfuI assistance to
the work of nature. She had been mar
ried young, but she looked much younger
than she was, and but for the well
known fact that her daughters coming
cut was one of the events of the year,
she might have posed successfully as the
typical femme a trente ans. The debut,
however. of that tremendous peeress,'
Lady Mary Wytham, was such a bril-
liant event that in the fierce light which
it cast on her family no secret, not even
that of her mothers age, could remain
unrevealed.
Lady Mary resembIed her mother as a
portrait does the original. At a distance
they might be taken for sisters. On a
nearer view due homage was paid to the
attraction Of youth the beaute de diab,e
the sweet freshness of the mere girl.
The very slightest acquaintance, how
ever, showed that in the matter Of Soul
the girl could not compare with the
woman. Lady Whitney was spiritueHe,
vivacious, interesting; Lady Mary was
sweet, fresh, good, pretty-and unde-
niably stupid. When we consider, how
ever, that the fortune amounted to over
hundred thousand a year, she was de-
cidedly paragon among heiresses
" AI44CS Ou64Al " marry his COuSlu ana
reunite the title and the property" was
what the world said. Kind and busy
bodying people even bustled about and
tried to help this on. They gave dinner
parties and sent him in with Lady Mary,
who was friendly, but a yrIffe frightened,
and therefore at first rather heavier in
hand than usual Whitney, however, was
determined to make friends with his
cousin, and she apparently found the for
bidden fruit sufficiently plsasant to en-
able her to pluck up sufficient courage
to enjoy it.
An entirely unpremeditated effect how
ever, was produced by some we'll meaning
but ignorant rich people. They put Lady
Whitney on his other side at dinner. She
gave him her shoulder ostentatiously
through the soup and fish. Then he
spoke to her. She did not reply or turn,
but she did not continue her eonversa-
ton with her partner. Whitney spoke
again-a leading remark of a general
kind. She turned on him with flashing
eyes and a biting demon on her lips
as If to rend him, and replied in man
ner 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 continued the
conversation.
It must be admitted that Lady Wit
ney's behavior during the rest OF the
dinner was abOminably rude. She de-
serted her own partner and connived at
Witney's neglect of his, solely In order
that she might snub contradict and in
suit him in the most savage manner.
The marvel was that he did not give her
up. He did not, however. He regarded
her with an Interested and slightly mock
ing smile, and replied with the utmost
suavity and politeness.
Don't you thinn," she said abruptly,
"that fortune hunter is a despicable
thlng?"
Certainly" he replied readily.
"And don't you think that a fortune
hunter who pursues a girl simply for her
money when he knows that he will never
be allowed to marry her, and that the
mere idea is hateful and not to be borne,
and that he would never dare If the
girl had a father or a brother to pro-
tect her
''Most cowardIy and Objectionable per-
son. 1 am glad that the lady whom
am in love with is not an heiress Or
A great change came over Lady Wit
ney's manner. She shot q searching
glance at the speaker.
''Oh, you are in love, are you?" she
then said with insolvent disdain. ''Who
is she?'
''WelI really, you see, as a strang-
s'You know perfectly well who I am"
+ t'Certainly, but as you appear to
sand you have the fnsolence to speak
to me as if you were a stranger. I think
you are the most insolent, abominable,
cowardly wretch
81 think you are the politest, gentlest,
most sweet-tempered-
Lady Witneys really fine eyes literal-
ly flashed fire-but at that moment the
ladies fortuna tely rose.
The fact that she had not been able
to wither him with the last word troubled
Lady Whitney. She rather hoped that he