The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-02-22
An Arnbiguouc
Answer.



woman, tall, stately, fortunate in the
possession of a figure that did not age
clever and discreet in repairing the raw
ages of time. She usually wore black.
partly because it was intensely becoming
TO her, partly for economy's sake. She
presented a marked contrast to her daugh-
ter, who was petite, piquant, dainty, with
retrousse features. Taking the pair to-
gether, they were as attractive mother
and daughter as one could hope to see, il
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 peevishly to
her daughter, given half the encourage
ment to Lord kimberley that you have
to that wretched Anderson, you might be
Lady WimberlCy, off my hands and able
to help me little out of this scrape."
ITS no fault of mine" sail Alice sui
lenly. Il did all could to encourage the
stick, wasted no end of dances on him,
Wore myself out with endeavoring 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 moth
err
Eyes. and everybody of course thought
that it meant something, but | knew bet
ter. | am quite sure that he never in
tended to offer it to me and that my of
fering myself was not agreeable
Then why didn't he say that he had
given it away alrcady?'
That's a mystery to me. But | know
perfectly well that he did not give it to
me for love of me and also that he obvi-
ously thought before taking my very
plain hint
81 am sure that he was most nice
Nice" cried the girl shrilly. "Te al
ways is nice in kind, aggravating, broth
erly way. Hope you are enjoying your
self like good little girl Can | help|
Don't mind me if you don't want me-
That's what he always seems to be say
ing. Could any one make anything out of
that?"
But he comes here a good deal''-
Yes, and is just as pleased to talk to
any of your old friends as to me. Why, |
believe he is just as pleased to talk
to you as to me-"
Then why does he Gomez" said Lady
Lester, who was too much accustomed
to her daughters rudeness to notice it.
"Oh, don't know. Why does any one
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 l 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 al
ways seemed to get away"
your foolish encouragement of Ander-
som
IT'S no good going on like that, NAM
ma" said the girl, blushing suddenly red.
Il stuck to kimberley as long as there
was ghost Of a chance, and when saw
there was none and no other man came
forward-well, | suppose | love George
Anderson as much as a girl like me can.
l know we can't marry, but what's the
good Of going to dances and dancing with
useless stick after useless stick all the
timeg"
Lord kimberley 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. 1T is you who
are such foolish and frivolous girl that
you are incapable of approaching his tai
ents. His speeches in the house of lords
have been much admired''-
"Oh, why don't you have a go in for
him yourself if you admire him so much?
| will make you a present of my chance,
for it isn't worth straw"
Alice, how dare you speak to me like
that? Remember that | am your moth
err"
Alice had not seen her mother angry
for years. She was amazed and a trihe
alarmed at the unexpected ebullition of
the wrath of the dove.
"Of course | was only joking" she
said sulkily. You gave it to me, and
thought | might have a little one back.
or course he is not likely to think of you
He is a great deal too wise to make such
a-er-um-well, you know what mean.
a - er - um - well. you know what
mean"
You are an exceedingly insoent girl"
was the mothers reply to this polite apol-
ogy, "and ! terribly regret Gripping my
self in this way in order to give you a
chance that you have wasted"
i never asked you 10.
eyes, you did You were always say
ing that you never had proper chance
like other girls and what you would do
if you had Well, now you have had it,
and what good has it been?"
In this dialogue of 81 never did" and
81 wish hadn't there was no doubt a
great deal of truth on both sides. Lady
Lester had been foolish. Alice had been
unsuccessful Both had concurred in this
folly with their eyes open. and success
after all, does not depend solely on the
desire and need Of the seeker. 1t would
have been better if the ladies had accept
ed the inevitable without recrimination,
but they had both been ground to such
sharp edge by the continual stress of pow
erty that the slightest contact was liable
to wound. Doomed as they were by ma.
ture to fill the greater part of their time
with talk, whether it were well or i'll, il
was inevitable that their conversation
should recur again and again with in,
creasing sharpness to the topic which
they had most at heart equally whether
it were well or ill.
There was ball that night, and the
Testers went. Lady Lester was queer,
distract, sharp, but distinctly looking her
best. Alice was thoroughly "down" and
conscious that she was by no means in
her most attractive form. Nor did any
special success attend her entrance to
raise her spirits. Pretty, penniess girls
with sharp tongues are mere drug In
the London bathrooms. George Anderson