Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-11-16
WITLESS
WILES

cepyIighl. l9o4. By MaItha Mecuuoeh. Wilian

WHEELING tne encounter Oh the cars
and the Phillipses. Specifically, it
was a comedy; potentially, a tragedy.
After loftily ignoring each other for
thirty years, the rival houses We're at
last forced to take intimate cognizance
one of each other.
1t came about naturally enough. John
Carr and Luke Phillips, the present
heads of the families, had been in col
lege days the chosen friends of Billy
Bluff, who now, as the famous Sena-
tor Bluff, was in narrowly on purpose
to visit them. A great card was the
senator. Neither of the enemies could
afford to give him up wholly to the
other. AS he knew nothing of the I'M
friendliness, they did not choose to en-
| tighten him. Contrariwise they made
| tacit and temporary truce, Speaking
civilly to each other in his presence
and even sitting at each others boards
| to do him cordial honor.
This was less awkward than it might
| have been, since there had never been
| violent breach only drawing away
| and looking to the other side of the
| street or over heads in casual en-
| counters.
The quarrel was over the choice of
| minister, and, of course, all the bitter
| er for that. The Cars had been worst
| ed, and, though they still came to st.
| Michael's and duly supported all its
| good works, they took no part in any
| thing else. Therefore everybody felt
| that their grudge was the greatest.
| Luke Phillips pretty well ran the min
| listers and quite ran the church.
| A masterful man, with a daughter OF
| his own stripe, he could not very well
| help it. Oriana, the daughter, was in
| deed SO much a chip off the old block
| her fine name made part of the comedy.
| She was twenty-five, tall and stout,
with dark eyes and a fine carriage, to
say nothing Of the way she wore her
clothes. Almost every Sunday her
fingers fairly itched to get hold OF
| Louise Carr's ribbons.
Louise was the younger by five years,
sweet faced and sunny tempered, but
| woefully careless as to how she looked
| So she had clean clothes and whole it
never bothered her in the least what
else they were or were not She Ger
| tainly did look odd in plain coat sleeves
| when every other woman in church
had dangling, baggy puffs and frills
all over her arms.
Perhaps if he had not seen her first
in Il party frock with no sleeves to
speak of Senator Bluff might not have
| given her a second thought. He was Il
bachelor and as rich as he was distin-
guished. Gossip limited, too, that he
was looking for wife. Gossip said
also in a way not to be gainsaid he
would look a long time before finding
anybody better suited to the position
than Oriana
Oriana herself was quite of thai
opinion, although of course she kept il
unspoken Senator Bluff was certainly
! impressed at their first meeting. He
insisted upon putting up at the hotel.
| although dining or breakfasting every
day with his old college chums. Louise
was away at her grandmother's when
| he came. Thus for a whole week ORR.
| ana had a clear field.
Then the GrayS gave a party, and
Louise danced at it, slim white
wrath moving on winged feet, with
yellow hair tumblng all about her
rosy face and every fiber vibrant with
! joy in the music and the rhythmic mo
| ton.
Until he saw her Senator Bluff had
said staidly that his dancing days were
over. At fifty one might well leave
such things to the new generation.
Judge then DRAMAS wrath when she
saw him Waiting with Louise and
waltzing extremely well, looking full
in his partners face the while and
smiling as he had not smiled since he
came to Harrowby.
Next day it was even worse. The
senator breakfasted at the Cars and
| Immediately afterward took Louise and
| her mother for a long Vagrant drive
about the country. Gaping the climax
he brought them along with him to
dine at the Phillips house, saying a6rily
| to Oriana, who was mistress of it:
| You see, l take your father at his
word. He said the house was mine
| while l stayed"
You did quite right" Oriana said
| sweetly, treasured by glance at Lou
Use. The girl had on a faded blue ging
ham two years out of date, and hei
hair was positively stringy. No doubt
the senator thought of her as only a
little girl in the awkward age, hence in
need of special consideration. No man
] in his senses would look at her in com,
| parison with Oriana, stately vision
in canary yellow gauze, with dark red
roses nodding against her bare breast
and nestled amid the darkness of her
hair.
Louise gazed at her joyously. "You
are always splendid, Miss Ana. To-
night you are queen" she said, then
went to dinner, quite unconscious of
her own rumpled appearance.
She had smoothed<her hair bit and
stuck spray of sweet peas in the low