Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-03-01
AN AMBIGUOUS ANSWER
n ADY LESTER was at her wits
| A end That WAS tho wav she nut

she did not know which way to turn,
but this was owing to the lack Of
routes rather than any indecision in Sc
lection.
The fact was that she had adopted
tile popular proverbial method of risk
ing all on a single throw of the dice,
and it had turned up aces. Reduced
to prose, this meant that she had
strained land indeed oyerstrained) ev-
cry nerve in order to present a thor
oughly smart appearance and give her
daughter a complete London season, in
hope that that damsel would make a
good catch, settle herself comfortably
In life. and be off her mothers hands
for the future. Alice Lester had in
sisted on this till her mother, with
much misgiving, consented. In conse-
quence Lady Lester had spent the
greater part of her yearly income in
two months. and run into debt as well.
The end Of the season was approach
Ing, and the catch had not been secur-
ed. 1t seemed that the effort had been
fruitless, and the consequences would
have to be faced.
Lady Lester knew as well as possible
that the only way to pay her debts
was to sell capital. This would reduce
her already slender income. Besides,
how she and Alice were going to live
and preserve decent appearance on
the small amount of income left for the
remaining five months or so of the year
was question which made her inclin-
ed to scream whenever she thought
of 1t.
She was a handsome woman, tall,
stately, fortunate in the possession of
a figure that did not age, clever and
discreet in repairing the ravages of
time. She usually wore black, partly
because 1t was intensely becoming to
her, partly for economy's sake She
presented a marked contrast to her
daughter, who was petite, piquant,
dainty, with retrousse features. TAX
Ing the pair together, they were as at
tractive mother and daughter as one
could hope to see, If 1t had not been for
the eternal discomfort written on their
features.
Her troubles had not improved Lady
Testers temper.
''If you had only" she said peevish-
ly to her daughter, "given half the en-
couragement to Lord Wimberley that
you have to that wretched Anderson,
you might be Lady Wimberley, off nv
hands. and able to help me little out
of this scrape."
70 80
sullenly. Il did all l could to encour-
age the stick. wasted no end of dances
on him, wore myself out with endeay-
oring to talk to him and make him
talk. next to asked him for his box seat
at the meet of the Coaching Club"
We'll, you got it," interposed her
mother.
''Yes, and everybody, of course,
thought that it meant something, but
1 knew better. l am quite sure that he
never intended to offer it to me, and
that my offering myself was not agree
able"
''Then why didn't he say that he had
given it away laready?"
THAT'S mystery to me. But know
perfectly well that he did not give it
to me for love of me, and also that he
obviously thought before taking NV
very plain hint"
81 am sure that he was most nice,
"Niee" cried the girl shrflly. HE
always is nice-in kind, aggravating,
brotherly way. Hope you are enioy-
ing yourself like a good little girl
Can l helpY Don't mind me If Won
don't want me- That's what he al
ways seems to be saying. Could any
one make anything out of that?"
"But he comes here a good deal"
eyes, and is just as pleased to talk
to any of your old frumps as to me.
Why, believe he is just as pleased to
talk to you as to me-"
Then why does he comeY' said
Lady Lester, who was too much accus-
toned to her daughters rudeness to
notice It
"Oh, don't know. Why does anyone
do anything? One must do something.
He is not man of deep reasons, He
finds US pleasant; he meets pleasant
people here; We are kinder to him than
many. But there Is one thing that is
quite certain-that have tried to give
him every kind of opportunity, and he
has never taken advantage of one of
them. On the contrary, his one desire
has always seemed to get away"
Your foolish announcement Of An
derson-"
ITS no good going on like that. man,
ma said the girl, blushing suddenly
red. Il stuck to Wimberley as long
as there was a ghost of a chance, and
when saw there was none, and no
other man came forward-well, l sup
pose love George Anderson as much
as girl like me can-I know we can't
marryAbut what's the good of going to
dances and dancing with useless stick
after useless stick all the time?"
Lord Wimberley is not a useless
stick" said Lady Lester, with sudden
warmth. which brought tinge of color
to her cheeks and made her look much
younger and unusually handsome "It
Is you who are such a foolish and friv-
olous girl that you are incapable of
appreciating his talents. His speeches
In the House of Lords have been much
admired"
'Oh, why don't you have go-in for
him yourself, If you admire him SO
much? / will make you present of
my chance, for 1t isn't worth a straw
Alice, how dare you speak to me