Morris tribune., 1904-05-28
THE
HMigree Ball
[Contined from page FL
BY Anna Katharine Green

| was uOL d lO1S ICJCAS4AS, AO"S AVA
John Judson followed his wife to the
grave before Veronica had reached her
tenth year, leaving her and her half
sister, Cora, to the guardianship of a
Grabbed old bachelor who had been his
| fathers lawyer. This lawyer was
| morose and peevish, but he was never
positively unkind. For two years the
sisters seemed happy enough, when,
suddenly and somewhat peremptorily,
they were separated, Veronica being
sent to western school, where she
remained, seemingly without single
visit east, till she was seventeen.
During this long absence Miss Tut
tie resided in Washington, developing
under masters into an accomplished
woman. Veronica's guardian, severe
in his treatment of the youthful owner
of the large fortune Of which he had
| been made sole executor, was unex-
| pectedly generous to the penniless Sis
ter hoping perhaps in his close, pee
wish old heart that the charms and &C.
| quired graces of this lovely woman
would soon win for her husband in
| the brilliant set in which she naturally
| found herself. But Cora futile was
not easy to please, and the first men
Of Washington came and went before
her eyes without awakening in her
| any special interest till she met Fran
els Jeffrey, who stole her heart with a
look.
Those who remember her that win
ter say that under his influence she
developed from a handsome woman
into a lovely one. Yet no engagement
was announced, and society was won
dering what held Francis Jeffrey back
from so great prize. when Veronica
Moore came home, and the question
| was forever answered.
Veronica was now nearly eighteen
and during her absence had blossomed
into womanhood. She was not as
beautiful as her sister, but she had
bright and pleasing expression, with
enough spice in her temperament to
rob her girlish features of insipidity
and make her conversation witty, if
not brilliant Yet when Francis JEFF
frey turned his attentions from Miss
Tuttle and fixed them without reserve
or seeming shame upon this pretty but
terfy, but one term could be found to
characterize the proceeding, and that
was fortune hunting. OF small but
settled income he had hitherto shown
a certain contentnlent with his cOndi-
ton calculated to inspire respect and
make his attentions to Miss futile
seem both consistent and appropriate.
But no sooner did Veronica's bright
eyes appear than he fell at the young
heiress' feet and pressed his suit SO
close and fast that in two months they
were engaged and at the end of the
half year married-with the disastrous
consequences just made known.
So much for the general gossip of
the town. Now for the special.
A certain gentleman, whom it is IN
necessary to name, had been present
at one critical instant in the lives of
these three persons. He was not
scandal monger. and if everything had
gone on happiy-if Veronica had lived
and Cora settled down into matrimony
he would never have mentioned what
he heard and saw one night in the
great drawing room of hotel in At
lantic City.
It was at the time when the engage
ment was first announced between
Jeffrey and the young heiress. This
and his previous attentions to Cora
had made much talk, both in Wash
ington and elsewhere, and there were
not lacking those who had openly
twitted him for his seeming incon-
stancy. This had been over the cups
Of course, and Jeffrey had borne it we'll
enough from his so called friends and
intimates. But when, on a certain
evening in the parlor of one of the
large hotels in Atlantic City, fellow
whom nobody knew and nobody liked
accused him Of knowing on which side
his bread was buttered. and that GER
tainly it was not on the side of beauty
and superior attainments, Jeffrey got
angry. Needless Of who might be
within hearing, he spoke up very plain
ly in these words: "You are all of a
kind-rank money worshipers and self
seekers-or you would not be so ready
to see greed in my admiration for Miss
Moore. Disagreeable as l find it to
air my sentiments in this public man
ner, yet since you provoke me to it
I will say once and for all that l AID
deeply in love with Miss Moore and
that it is for this reason only am 60
ing to marry her. We're she the pen
niless girl her sister is, and Miss futile
the proud possessor Of the wealth
which, in your eyes, confers such dis
tinction upon Miss Moore, you would
still see me at the latter's feet, and at
hers only. Miss Tuttle's charms are not
potent enough to hold the heart which
has once been fixed by her sisters
SMILE
This was pointed enough, certainly,
but when at the conclusion of his
words tall figure rose from a near
corner and Cora Tuttle passed the
amazed group with bow l dare war