Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-08-04
(CopyriEht.)
or to a longer indefinite period.

I or 10 longer lndelnlte peIlOu.
Maria Osborne had invited her be-
cause she was not well able TO help
herself but she had said week, and
she mean. week, and at the end Of
tae week Mrs Gunter had to go. In
that brief space, however, the worthy
| woman had feathered another nest for
: herself; and was now installed as the
| guest of Francis Osborne's near neigh
| Dor, Mrs. Trevor.
The latter was a poor weak piece of
| conventionality, and Mrs. Gunter find
ing that certain domestic innovations
introduced from the old home by the
new master of the Hall, had startled
and offcnde a certain section OF county
society, had worked on Mrs. Trevor
easily alarmed nature. and so obtained
for herself a footing in her establish
ment.
ooh, Good graeiousi I never heard
a word against Miss Rayne before,
calculated Mrs. Trevor fand 1t was GER
Gunter evolved an objection from her
inner consciousness). MY daughter Di
dotes on her as an ideal woman"
THAT only shows how careful one
might be in the selection of friends"
remarked Mrs. Gunter; though she fail
ed to explain whether her trite remark
tn h0 of uyhn
spoke, or to perfdious busybodies like
herself
Mrs. Trevor's faded countenance
which had at one time possessed GER
tain doll-like prettiness. took on gull
ty flush as she looked up at this adipose
disciple of the famous Mrs. Grundy.
"They are very near relatives, you
know" she suggested, family, land
Miss Rayne is Miss Osborne's ward. In
fact, my son and daughter speak of
them as being just like brother and Sis
ter
Diana and Herbert are mere chill
dren, Mrs. Trevor besides, it's all very
well to go about like brother and sis
ter, but if Miss Rayne and Mr. Os-
borne are not brother and sister,
"Oh. yes. exactly" assented Mrs.
Trevor Il quite admit that; but some
how I've always taken it for granted
that it would lead to an engagement.
1T is not Miss Raynes fault that it
has not done SO. She has made herself
indispensable to him, there's no doubt
by taking up all his fads and all his
hobbies. If woman wants to catch
man they say that there is no better
way; it's a clear case of love me love
my dog, don't you know"
80 you don't think Mr.. Osborne
cares for Miss hayne in that way?'
81 don't enter into the question OF
his affections, Mrs. Trevor. He seems
very liberal with them. l only said
she would not be his wife"
"Ah." murmured the younger lady
II seem to recall now that his name
was mentioned in conjunction with
Lady Emilia Dachet's.'
Mrs. Gunter INDUCED in one Of her
short, unpleasant laughs. Lady Emilia,
the exclusive, was no fayorite of hers.
LAS far as that goes, she was as
much to blame as he, for at one tine
she encouraged him considerably" She
said. Il think she was taken with the
mans appearance, which is rather pre-
possessing admit, but l tell you, my
dear, he can't marry; there's a mystery
somewhere, and not a very creditabla
one, either, l should say He was en-
gagged, or secretly married, or some
thing, three years ago, to a foreign
womaa in Paris. She disappeared, and
he came back In a bad state, and spent
a year at home. 1t was during that
time that Lady Emilia made herself
conspicuous by the notice she took of
him. They say she went to Russia to
visit her sister, the Princess Benken-
dorf. just to avoid him, when she