Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-10-12

lady MARGARET took her de-
Ill parture from the hotel at an
early hour. Her son went with
III her. Their house was situated
On the outskirts of the town, and, al
though tanhope would gladly nave re-
NAMED with the two men to discuss
the events of this night of surprises,
he felt that his mother demanded his
present attention.
Indeed, her ladyship had much to
saw to him. She, like the others, had
been impressed by Mrs Vansittarts
appearance, even under the eXtraordl-
narily difficult circumstances of the oc-
casion. The feminine mind judges lts
peers with the utmost precision. Its
ANALYTICAL methods are pltllessly Sill
nle IT calculates with mathematical
nicety those details of toilet, those
delicate nuances of manner, which dis
tinguish the woman habituated to re
inement and good society from the
interloper or mere copylst.
1T had always been matter OF mlld
wonder In Penzance how Constance
Brand had acquired her French trick
of wearing her clothes. Some women
are not properly dressed after they
have been an hour posing in front OF
| full length miNor; others can give
one glance at costume, twist and pull
it into the one correct position and
walk out perfectly gowned, with hap
nv consciousness that all is well.
Every Parisienne, some Americans,
| a few Englishwomen, possess this
gift. Constance had it, and Lady Mar
garet knew now that it was a lineai
acquisition from her mother. The dis
| coyery enhanced the belief, always
prevalent locally, that Brand was a
gentleman, born, and her ladyship was
now eager for her sons assistance in
| looking up the LANDED Gentry" and
| other works Of reference which define
and glorify the upper ten thousand Of
| the United Kingdom. Perhaps that way
| light would be vouchsafed.
Being little narrow minded, the ex-
cellent creature believed that scandal
among "good" people was not half SO
scandalous as an affair in which the
principals were tradesmen "or worse" "
She confided something of this to her
son as they drove 'homeward and was
very wroth with him when he treated
the idea with unbecoming levity.
3My dear boy,,' she cried vehemently
'tyou don't understand the value OF
such credentials. You always speak
and act as if you were on board one OF
| your hectoring warships, where the best
metal and the heaviest guns are all i'm
portant. It is not SO in society, even
l 30 scI,
Although am an earPs daughter,
cannot afford to be quietly sneered al
by some who would dispute my socia
supremacy"
As each complaisant sentence rolled
forth he laughed quietly in the dark
ness.
Mother" said he suddenly, "Mr
Traill and l have had lot Of talk
about Enid during the past two days
have not seen you until this evening
before dinner, SO have had no op
portunity to tell you all that has oc
Cured"
"Some new imbroglio. I suppose
she said. not at all appeased by his
seeming ,carelessness as to what the
dowager Lady Tregarthen or Mrs
Taylor-Smita might say when gossip
started.
'Well, it is, in a sense" he admitted
"You see, we are jolly hard up. 1t is q
squeeze for you to double my pay, and
as happened to inform Mr. Trail thai
was going to marry Enid. long before
he knew she was his daughter, it came
as bit of a shock afterward to heal
that he intends to endow her with
100000 on her wedding day. Now the
question to be discussed is not whether
the adopted daughter Of a poor light
house keeper, who may be Lord This
and-That in disguise, is a good match
for me, but whether an impecunious
lieutenant in the royal navy is such a
| tremendous catch for a girl with a
great fortune
/ Lady Margaret was stunned. She
began to breathe quickly. Her utmost
expectations were surpassed. Before
| she could utter q word her son pre-
tended to misunderstood her agitation
'.Of course it was fortunate that Enid
/ and I had jolly well made up, ou1
1 minds somewhat in advance, but it was
| near thing, matter of flag signals
! otherwise I should have been COM
PEELED to consider myself ruled out OF
the game. Therefore, during your tea
table tactics, II the dowager, or that
old spitfre. Mrs. Taylor Smith, says a
word to you about Brand, just give 'em
a rib roaster with Ends two hundred
fhou,, WIN you? While they are reel.
I'M, iIiy,Sfor no hlovrrs {hvow na1f = Ies3fao