The Jennings daily record., 1902-07-21

IN as unpre1uulccd Tone as pos
sible. No particular credit to me.
either, If do: for she's out of our
radius now. forever. Still. must say
people do seem bit hard on the aver
age stepmorher. who surely had as
much chance of being good sort of
woman rs bad sort.
That" Mabel would say - and
wouldn', her eyes fash at me:-''is be-
cause she was handsome
She .aaCieS. the little silly. that fel-
low can't judge 81 woman on the square
il shes good looking.
III admit, though, that | felt a bit
bowlcd over at the outset. 1t was hot
nice idea-thjs invasion of our nest
by IL stranger who was to be all at
once invested with supreme authority
in the establishment. Aud 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
out of the influence of parochial gos-
sip and restraints.
However. 10 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.
''Wha, do you think, Rupert" she
ecreamed-fairly screamed.
''That you've knocked the oil can
over, YOU headstronG creature"' | re-
piled.
Oil can she exclaimed. with such
Scorn as a seventeen-ycar-old damsel
when reused can put into her voice.
Its q 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 1t
to them that they were about 10 have
"a new mother"-that was all. They
had objected. each in her own way.
and baan duly sent off. I was TO get
my information through them. 1t was
quite comprehensive that the governor
did not care 10 tell me the news with
his own lips.
Well in due time she came to 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-
1ial addresS-at least with me-thai
soon oyerrode 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 I said to them
when Mrs Winstanley the second had
been in the house a week. 'you'll get
over your childish fancies and soon
like her well enough"
They retcried as ] 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. ] never saw Il man so changed
Before-~ever since my mothers death
three years back-he had looked like
settling into u regular bookworm. II.
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 woulC
light cigar and take my arm, just
like Il college chum. TOR Il stroll on the
lawn And TO hear him talk YOU woulC
never have thought he could be the
same man who. little before. woulG
spend Il whole day with his own chill
dren without urtering more than 1
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
spare him behind his back
Rupert The siepmother said to M
one morning. with Just the prope
amount of color in her facp-for sh'
was only four years my senor-''if
only could win Mabel and Agnes tt
love me l should he the happiest Won
an in the world
l assured her she couldn't fail I,
succeed in this in time. and when sh'
my assurances.
YOU l said to her. are a womal
of the world They are only school
room chits. They must go down be
fore you if you persevere.'
| don't think she altogether liked IN
to talK to her i'll this way. She woul
have preferred all reference to her foi
eign life--about which none of us. ex
cept the governor. knew anything-t
have been left out. But ! have eve