Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-10-03
My Lady
And Perkins.
BY c. b. LEWIS.
Copyrighted, 1907, by Associated
Literary Press.

a slight stOop and somewhat of an un-
certain gait. But for the vigilance OF
her maid, Perkins, she would have
looked every month of her age and
passed for the old woman she was.
1t was Perkins who skillfully padded
her gowns and applied the dainty pink
and white complexion and who gave
her daily lessons in the art of remain
ing a young woman.
1t was Perkins who had told her for
the last dozen years that she looked
under forty and who made each birth
day count one less instead Of one more.
In her way, and it was a good way,
Perkins was jewel Of the first water.
Ny lady had wealth. When, ct the
age of forty, she had married again,
only to become a widow for the second
time within three years, her cash in
come had been largely added to.
At fifty a third ardent sutton ap-
peared, but my lady decided to pre-
serve her widowhood and retain con-
troll Of her money. At sixty she had
herself and she had Perkins. Five
years previously, when the woman had
come to her, she had said:
Perkins, l am a frivolous thing Of
thirty-ive."
''Yes'm," replied Perkins as she men,
tally added twenty years to the figures.
ST am frivolous, but not quite fool"
Nom"
"And I want you to help me from be-
coming one"
"Certainly. m'm."
= f1f you see me flirting or acting gid
dy, as most young women are apt to
do at times, put your foot down and
stop it,"
II will, m'm."
Should 1 really fall in love, Perkins
should be so giddy and frivolous
and foolish as to think of marriage,
put both fer down and bring me to
my senses ere it is too late. That's all
this evening, Perkins"
Thus Perkins became lady's maid,
chaperon and adviser combined. She
was the keeper of the keys and the
watchdog of the treasury. She was a
good judge of human character and a
close estimator of how far a Irritation
could go and still come under the head
OF harmless
On Sever,l occasions. when things
had gone their limit, she had announc-
ed the fact, and my lady had turned
her back on the affair.
1t was orr season at Nice when
things went wrong. Perkins was find
inn hor 10 fha III
rubbed away. My lady was beginning
to notice her own stoOp and limp, and
she was almost ready to acknowledge
that she felt all of forty-eight and
few minutes over
Count Dubois made his appearance
at this Opportune moment. He was a
real French count, if that was worth
anything. He was also spendthrift
and gambler. He had about reached
the end Of his tether- when he got
around to Nice on a tour of adventure
and ran across my lady and her
friends.
His reputation soon caught up with
him, but in Europe a title excuses
much. There was almost at once an
open Irritation between my lady and
the count, and for q time the Argus
eyed Perkins watched it and said moth
ing.
However, when Mrs. Grundy had be-
gun to nod and wink and whisper be-
hind her fan, she took my lady in
hand. On all previous occasions the
dear old thing had heaved a sigh or
two, shrugged her shoulders Snd sub
mitted to the inevitable, but on this
occasion, to Perkins great surprise,
she prov obdurate.
"Peri ), 1 am surely in love-" she
replied.
"But you can't be. You are toO-too
young"
"But I know that l am in love, and
/ shall marry the count, poor boy"
Perkins came back at her with
enough statistics to swamp the char
acters of three or four adventures,
but my lady had made up her mind
and nothing could move her. Perkins
knew when to argue and when to con-
ceal herself behind the portiercs.
Before the count left the parlors next
day she was in possession of all needed
particulars. There was to be yacht
ing party of a dozen friends, aud dur
ing the trip the engagement would be
announced-two weeks later a mar
rage and honeymoon trip.
The yacht would not make the har-
Dor Until a late hour in the evening,
and the count would call for my lady
in a carriage. He further threw out a
suggestion. 1t was that Perkins be
locked in her room at certain hour to
prevent her wandering about Nice dur
ing the evening hours and getting lost
or falling off the quay.
Human jewels such as she had been
known to disappear off the face of the
earth while innocently taking the night
air of that charming resort.