The suburban citizen., 1902-06-28

in as unprejudiced tone as pcs
sible. No particular credit to me,
either If l do; for she's out Of our
radius now. forever. Still, l must say
people do seem bit hard on the aver
age stepmother, who surely had as
much chance of being a good sort Of
woman as a bad sort.
THAT" Mabel would say and
wouldn't her eyes fash at me!-"is be-
cause she was handsome"
She .ancies, the little silly, that fell
low can't judge a woman on the square
II she's good looking.
I'll admit, though. that l felt bit
bowled over at the outset. 1t was not
a nice idea-this invasion Of our nest
by a stranger who was TO be all at
once invested with supreme authority
in the establishment. And matters
were made worse by the fact that the
governor had picked her up abroad.
Every one knows, Of course, that the
travelled woman is so much more risky
a parsonage than the woman who has
never, since she cut short frocks, been
cut of the influence of parochal gos-
sip and restraints.
However, to get TO the story.
One fine day, when / was cleaning
my gun for a turn at the rabbits, in
dashed Mabel, with her hair all about
her face.
What do you think. Rupert| she
screamed-fairly screamed.
That you've knocked the oil can
ever, Sou headstrong creature" l re-
piled
"On can" she exclaimed. with such
scorn as a seventeen-year-old damsel
when reused can put into her voice.
ITS a shame-a cruel shame! she
continued, and then she began to sob.
1t wasn't such an unsual story, after
all. The governor had got the two
girls into his study and had broken it
TO them that they were about TO have
"a new mother'-that was all. They
had objected. each in her own way,
and been duly sent off. l was to get
my information through them. 1t was
suite comprehensive that the governor
did not care to tell me the news with
his own lips.
Well, in due time she came 10 us,
this new mother. and l for one was
pleasantly disillusioned about her. She
was dark, small, with extremely good
manners and a quaint. almost deferen-
tial address-at least with me-that
soon overrode most of my prejudices.
The governor had shown good taste, in
my opinion. 1t was nothing at all in
objection that Agnes and Mabel hated
her from the very first That was just
what they were bound to do.
"All the same, girls said to them
when Mrs. Wnstanley the second had
been in the house a week, you'll get
over your childish fancies and soon
like her well enough"
They retorted as I expected they
would. They vowed they would never
do more than tolerate her.
In the meantime it was certainly in
structive to mark what an effect his
second marriage had upon the gov
ernor. l never saw a man so changed.
Before-ever since my mothers death,
three years back-he had looked like
settling into regular bookworm. He
was in his study pretty nigh all day
and half the night. But Mrs. Winstan.
ley second made all the difference. As
soon as breakfast was over he would
light a cigar and take my arm, just
like a college chum, for stroll on the
lawn. And to hear him talk you would
never have thought he could be the
same man who. little before. would
spend a whole day with his own chill
dren without uttering more than q
score or two words. He took up will
society again, Of course, ostensibly fol
her sake, but really he seemed TO en-
JOY driving her about and introducing
her TO folks who, warrant, didn't
spare him behind his back.
Rupert" the stepmother said to me
one morning, with just the proper
amount of color in her face-for sh,
was only four years my senior-"if ]
only could win Mabel and agnes Ia
love me | should be the happlest WON
an ia the world"
assured her she couldn't fail tC
succeed in this in time, and when sht
sighed-most picturesquely-I repeated
my assurances.
"You,' said TO her, "are a woman
Of the world. They are only school
room chits. They must go down be
fore you II you persevere."
/ don't think she altogether liked m,
TOTALS to her in this way. She woul,
have preferred all reference to her for
eign life-about which none Of US ex
cept Athe governor, knew anything,
! have been left out. But | have eve