The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-06-02
house and endeavored to retrieve his
lost Becky as pOyerness.

II daren't-I don't think 1t would be
right to be alone-with-you, sir" she
replied, seemingly in great agitation.
"Come as Lady Crawley, then!
There, will that satisfy you?" and the
vulgar, ill-bred M. P. fell down on his
knees and leered at her like a satyr.
Rebecca, in real CONSERVATION at
her lost chance, wept genuine tears,
as she exclaimed: "'Oh, Sir Pitch,
sir-I-I'm married alreadyw
When it further transpired that the
bridegroom Of Becky's secret marriage
was the brass-spurred and long-mus-
tached Capt. Rawdon Crawley, there
were two cataclysms. n in which
Miss Crawley went from one fit of hys-
terics into another, and n where the
frenzied old Sir Pitt went wild with
hatred and insane with bafled de-
sire. But the bridegroom captain re-
marked to his wife: "You're sure to
get us out Of the scrape, Beck. I
never saw your equal, and I've met
with some clippers in my timey too"
George Osborne, though dependent
on his mercenary, low-bred father,
despised him, and when the elder o.
borne forbade George to marry Il
little Amelia, the young man broke
over the traces and married her out
Of hand. The marriage was egged on
and managed by the faithful Dobbin;
and, radiant in her straw bonnet with
pink ribbons and a white lace veil,
little Emmy went off with her hus.
band to Brighton for the honeymoon.
Here they fell in with the Rawdon
Crawleys. Becky, mistress of a fine
establishment, and surrounded by re-
spectful admirers, was so adroit al
wheedling tradesmen and standing off
creditors, that she made it possible for
them to maintain a fine social posi-
ton on nothing a year.
Soon after this, among the brilliant
train OF. camp followers that hung
around the Duke of W~ellington's army,
our friends were all in Brussels.
George. now desperately infatuated
with Becky. and neglecting his six
weeks wife shamefully, slipped a note
in a bouquet at a ball, begging Becky
to elOpe with him. But before the note
was answered came the call to arms,
and Lieutenant Osborne, forgetting all
love and intrigue, kissed Ameli< and
marched away-marched, alas, to his
death on the field Of Waterloo.
Colonel Rawdon Crawley, promoted
for g~allantry, returned in triumph, and
he and his wife passed the winter of
1915 in Paris in much splendor and
gayety. Becky's salon became IA
nous, and great people hobnobbed
there. Colonel Crawley's dexterity
at cards and billiards became so
marked that he constantly won from
his guests, and under Becky's tute-
lage he became a clever and success
full gambler, and thus aided in their
fortune Of nothing for a year.
Amelia, now the Widow Osborne,
and with a small SON., Georgy, was in
sad penury; her father-in-law refus-
ing to see her at all, and her WI ia
Their and mother dependent upon her.
Becky, too, was the mother of a son,
but she cared nothing for her child.
Nor for her husband; indeed, she so
far forgot her wifely duty a to be
guilty OF, a intrigue with the rich old
Lord Stevne. Colonel Crawley dis
covered this, thrashed the nobleman
and left his wife. Then, Becky, fol-
lowing her own devious ways, became
an undisguised adventures and
neglected to car for her reputation.
| She bobbed about from one city to
another; now bounded by creditors;
now cared for by some rich admirer.
At last, when poor Becky had fallen
very low in funds and in repute, she
was found by Joseph Sedley and his sis
ter Amelia. The old acquaintance was
renewed, and gentle, generous Amelia
took her one-time bosom friend into
her heart and home. Major Dobbin
strongly di%sapproved, and denounced
Becky for what she was in her very
! presence. Amelia resented this, and
Dobbin then begged Amelia, once
again to marry him-a plea he had
often made. On her refusal, Dobbin
went off vowing never to return, leav-
ing Amelia alone with her fealty to her
dead George. Whereupon Becky,
learning the state of things, told
Amelia of Georges note to her, asking
her to elope with him, and contrasting
the faithless George most ~unfavor-
ably with the patient and l~ong-suffer-
ing Dobbin. So Amelia recalled Dob
bin, married him, and they lived happy
ever after.
Mrs. Rawdon Crawley then attach.
ed herself to Joseph Sedley, though
not by any legal bonds. He was
her utter slave, and insured his life
heavily for her beneft-and benefit she
did, for he died soon after.
Rawdon Crawley died, too, and the
son Rawdon refused ever to see his
mother again.
Rebecca lived at Bath or Chelten-
ham, where some excellent people con-
sidered her a most injured woman
She devoted her life works to piety
and charity, and though when she
met Amelia and her husband once,
they turned quickly away, Becky only
cast down her eyes demurely and
smiled.
Vanitas Vanitatum! Which OF us
IS happy in this world? Let us shut
up the box and the puppets-our play
Is played out.
Copyright, 1919, by Post Publishing. Co.
(The Boston Post).