The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-05
CHAPTER xvil.-continued.


The young woman herself entertains pri-
vately state of mind which she has no
intention Of making public. 1t is enough,
she reasons. that her action should out
wardly accord with the best traditions Of
her class and. indeed, her family would
never dream of demanding more.
Her gown tonight is Of orchard green,
trimmed with apple blossoms, a single
pink spray Of them caught in her hair
The rounding, satin grace OF her slender
| arms, sloping to the opal tipped fingers,
| the exquisite line from ear to shoulder
strap. the melting ripeness Of her chin
and throat, the tender pink and white Of
| her fine skin, the capricious, melting tilt
of her small head. the dainty lift of her
| short nose-these allurements she has in
ventoried with a calculating and satisfied
| eye. She Is glad to believe that there is
every reason why. it will. soon be over
And. since the whole loaf is VIGOROUSLY
better than a half, here is the engaging
son of the house, also firmly bent upon
the high enaprise of matrimony; hand
some, with the chin, 1t may be, slightly
receding; but an unexcelled leader Of CO.
tillions, SURPRISING polo player, clever,
I winning, and dressed with an effect that
| has long made him remarked In polite
| circles, which no mere money can achieve.
Money, indeed. If certain ill-natured Cos
sip Of tradesmen may be true. has been
an inconsiderable factor in the encom-
| waits now, eager for a first glimpse of
the young woman whose charms, even by
. report, have already won the best devo-
ton he has to give. grievous error 1t
is to suppose that Cupids artillery Is linn
tied to bow and arrows.
l. And now, instead of the rude CONNER
cial horde that laughed loudly and ate
uncoutllly at the board of the Barbarian,
we shall sit at table with people born to
the ony manner said to be worth posses
15sing;-:if we, except, indeed, the visiting
tribe of Bines who may be relied upon,
however, to behave at least unobtrusively.
AS a. contrast to the oppressiVely west
ern matron from Kansas City, here IS Mis-
tress F'idelia Oldaker on the arm of her
attentive son. She would be very old but
for the circumstance, that she began early
in life to be belle, and age cannot stale
such women. Brought up with board at
her back, books on her head, to guardSher
complexion as If 1T were her fair name,
to, be diligent at harp practice and con-
scientious with the dancing master, she
l Is almost the last Of a school that nursed
but the single aim of subjugating man.
. Tonight, at seventy something, she is a
bit of pink bisque fragility, bubbling tire
1essly with Renaissance, her vivac1ty un-
impaired. her energy amazing, and her CO.
quetry faultless. From which we should
learn, and be grateful therefor. that when
a girl is brought up in the way she ought
from it.
Here also is Cornelia Van Geist sister OF
our admirable hostess-relict Of a gentle
man who had been first or second cousin
to half the people in society
1t were really desirable to know, ant
had been widely praised at his death by
| those who had the fortune to be mum
bered among his friends. Mrs. Van Geis1
has kind. srtewd' faces and her hair
which turned prematurely gray while she
was yet a wife, gives her a look of age
that her actual years belle. .
, Here. too, is Rulon Shepler, the money
god, his large, round head turning upor
his immense shoulders without the ale
of neck-sharp-eyed grizzled fifty. shor
$ of stature, and with as few illusions con
: corning life as the New York .fnancier Il
apt to retain at his age.
If we be forced to walt for anothe
guest of note, it is hardly more than he
due; for Mrs Gwilt- Athelstan Is truly :
: parsonage, and the best people on NOR
than one continent do not become :undul,
-Eprovoked at being made to walt for her
Those less than the very best. frankl
esteem it a privilege. Yet the great lad.
, is not careless Of engagements, and tn
wait is never prolonged. Mrs. Milbrey ha
time to say to her sister, Yes, we thin
: it's going: and really, it will do very wei
you know. The girl has had some non
: sense in her mind for a year past-none Q
|us can tell what-but now she seems actu
: ally sensible, and she's promised to accer
when the chap proposes But there
time for no more gossip.
l, The belated guest arrives enveloped
: Ea vast cloak. and accompanied by her NV
a nephews, whom Percival Bines recognize
for the solemn and taciturn young me
i. lhe had met in Sheplers party at the min
Mrs Gwilt- Athelstan, albeit a decors
y,o1i f1r 10
:, same broad and generously graceful lin
- as her own victoria. The great lady M
~ lnots only two chins, but what any fal
No minded observer would accept as suf1
cient promise of a good third. Yet hare
w ly could a slighter person display 10 az
:, vantage the famous Gwilt- JeV
lv els. The rope of pierced diamonds wi
~ pigeon blood ,rubies strung between the1
ad which she wears wound over her cOrsag
would assuredly overweight the fral
in della Oldaker; the tiara of emeralds al
W. diamonds was never meant for a brow le
vt majestic; nor would the stomacher oI ia
H. trous gray pearls and glinting. damon
:, ever have clasped becomingly figure tn
To was syelte-or skinny as the great La
a herself is frank enough to term all pc
rs. sons even remotely inclined to be svelte.
he But let us sit and enliven proper OIL
it liner with talk upon topics OF legitimate
d. terest ard genuine proprlety.
~ Here Will De IlO uiSSoSSiOii
ar gar matter of markets staples a
lie. nrices. such as we perforce endur
us. through the overturned and too aou
dant repast of Hgbee. instead
learning what beef on the boot or1n
ire ner hundred weight +. O.. b. at CheyehI
-, ny we shall here CLEAN at once the 1nvaluat
e e fact4sthat while good society in Lond
ed. rsed TO be limited to those who had De
presented at court, the presentations nd
now become so numerous that the III
!, tation has lost its Significance. M
Gwjlt- Athelstan thus discloses, as II
: were a trifle, something we should neV
learn at the table of Higbee tho we 9
his heavy dinners to the day of ultima
VI chaos. And while we learned at tn
~ distressingly new table that one shot
:" keen one's heifers and sell Off ones ste
We calves. we never should have been
-, formed there that Dinard had just
W., loved the gayest season of it's history u
- der the patronage of this enterprise
~ American; nor that Lady de Muzzy
Of opened a tearoom in Grafton street.
NC Cynthia Marchioness of Angleberry,
~ beauty Improvement parlor on the Stra
mi because she needs the money.
10 Lots of 'em takin' to trade nevada!
] T it's a smart sayin' there now that
nd the peers are marryin actresses and
If the peeresses goin' into business M
18th Gwilt -Athelstan noddeo niue sh ,.".l
! I brilliance from her tiara and hungr
speared another oyster.
wv. "Only trouble, is, it's such rotten he
,ve work coHectin' bills from their intimi
me friends; they simply won't pay.
y r TS<-I-. - ,x~S ,l1