The Globe-republican., 1902-12-11

ura1 result of her afHiction,. but moth
ing worse
The remaining weeks at the seaside
passed uneventfully- Emma had been
rather impatient to get back to town
in view of the preparations necessary
for the ball, and for launching her
young charge into the gay world The
next eight weeks We're spent largely
IN shopping Eleanor was carried off
IN the coupe after breakfast every
morning, on tour of the stores 1t
took fortnight before all the materi-
ais We're chosen, for Mrs Stagg would
nave nothing but the choicest and
the best, scrutinizing, considering and
recons1dering, hesitating and coming
back to shops after leaving them
once, and then leaving them again
without purchasing. And when the
fabrics and colors were fixed uDon an
other fortnight was spent in trying on
and altering and trying on again un-
til Emma herself, to say nothing of
the fortunate young person in whose
oenaI an TINS WEAKNESS of the flesh
was being undergone, felt fairly ready
to drop But to break down at this
stage was out of the question
In the fashionable circles of the city
anticipation as to the grand ball to
be given by the Harold Stages in
| honor of their niece was running ram
| pant RumOr said that it was to he a
most magnificent affair and Mrs
| Stagg was firmly resolved to prove
| rumor ignorant of the real truth. She
| lay awake at night planning the min
| utest details of the occasion; with her
| own eyes she superintended the pol-
| 1shlng OF the dancing floor until it was
| like wax, and then she was in a fit for
| fear it might be too smooth: she
amazed the caterer by the detiniteness
| of her instructions as to hot ducks
| and fresh relays of champagne in the
/ small hours of the morning, and con
| founded the bandmaster by threats of
| running his business in case the quail
| 1ty OF the music was not unexceDtion-
| able. The entire house was in arms
for month prior to the great event
and little else was talked about in the
estabIishmen
Eleanor, too, to judge by her ejacu
| lat1ons and manner, had caught the in
lection She seemed all in a futter
tripping about the house with bright
eyes and a becoming flush on he1
cheeks, silently inspecting the ar
rangements, now and again glidins
| over the parquet floor in feverish tria
of her newly acquired steps, and un
dergOing, in regard thereto, successive
transports of elf-congratulation ant
| despair Her quiet reserve becam.
t1p-toe ecstacy in presence of tn,
sumptuous simplicity of her own dres
and the exquisite richness of he
aunt's; and when on the evening ii
| Sell In0 Climax was capped for her b.
her Uncle Harold's gift of a fashin
diamond star, which he presented t.
| her as she made a shy but entrance,
| entrance, the last of the three into tn
| brilliantly lighted ballroom with th
| cheering encomiun, How charmin
{ you look. my dear!'' there were tear
i. the little girls eyes, and her voic
was choked she stammered out he
7 | delighted thanks.
Her emotion brought answeriu
smiles to Mrs Stages face, who fel
that at last the ugly duckling, thank
- to her fostering and persistent car.
was beginning to do her credit Th
ordeal, before she had been able t
thusiasm, had been long and wearin,
but her 1abOrS were finally crowne
with success. Eleanor stood befoI
;, her a thoroughly passab1e young won
an, exquisite1y dressed, diffident, bI
!. | not awkward, and free from peculiar
:. | ties. AS she surveyed her with 1yn
- eyed scrutiny through her lorgnett
she said to herself with cOmplacenc
y that the child certainly looked r
markab1y we'll, and positive
=. | pretty. Her heart warmed toward ht
: and she tapped her bare shoulder
re- | caressing1y with a fan after .detac
:. ing an offending thread from ht
skirt. There was pride and content
- her heart; she felt that she had dor
-, well by her niece, and that she nee
- not be ashamed of her handiwork.
- (To be continued.)