LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2276, 19 July 1881, Page 4

LITERATURE.

THE FAIR CLIENT. BY E. L. B. ' Oh, dear ! Cousin Carrie, father ia going to marry that hr.rrid Mrs Dayton.! Wh*r, shall we do ? ' srid Ali c Clinton, as s>>e_ran into Mrs Somers' breakf«t-rnoro, one bright summer morning, followed by her y-.uager brother and Bator, ' Won't you speak to father, Conain O irrio ? ' continued she, coaxIngly. ' You know you have more influence with him than auv one elee.' * Yes, do—won't you ?' chimed in George. ' We don't daro to speak to him about it. That dreadful woman ! I never could endure her. 1 am surß wo can never stay at home if Bhe c.ines. I will come and live with you. ' And an will I,' sohboi little Mary, crying, out of pure sympathy for her brother and sister.

• What is the matter?' asked Mrs ?omors. 4 Has anything happened lately ? Only last week your father told mo that the report of his intended marriage was false. It seems to me yoa alarm yourselves unnecessarily.' « Oh, no,' replied Alice, a fair girl of sixteen ; ' she 13 coming here next week, and I heard father tell uncle John this morning that he hoped his houße would be a little more cheerful beforo long, for he thought of bringing home a bright, presiding genius were his very words ; " and Alice leaned her head on Mrs Somera' shoulder and sobbed bitterly. ' Well, well,' said Mrs Somers, at last, overcome by the r united tears and entreaties, '1 will exert all my influonoe in your favor, but I am afraid it will he useless whon opposed by Mrs Dayton's charms. How did your iathi?r become so infatuated by a woman he once disliked so excessively P' ' Oh,' Bald George, bluntly, 'she flattered him so much. I heard her tell him that he was one of the finest looking men she ever aaw; and she ca'led him so dignified and stately, and then she looked at Mrs Dale and langhed, but father did not see her.' 'Stayl that reminds me,'exclaimed Mrs Somers, 'I have au idea in my mind, hut I fear it will be hardly right to act upon it.' ' Well, dearest, dry your tears and go home, and I will think about it,' said Mrs Somers, kissing her brow. 'There, I see your father is coming ; run home through the garden, and I will speak with him. And Mrs Somers stepped into the little gra' s-plat in front of her house and called to Mr Clinton, who readily obeyed her summons, for he had been waiting for an opportunity of informing his old ward and favorite of his determination, and of justifying himself in her eyes for what he feared a rash step.

Long and earnest was the conversation. She recalled to her mind the dislike formerly existing between himself anA his now worshipped Mrs Dayton, asked him if he had forgotton that he had once thought her so heartless and worldly that he had forbidden his wife to visit her, and reminded him of a conversation he had overheard betweon Mrs Dayton and one of her friends, in whioh he waa ridiculed so unmercifully as almost to produce on ooen quarrel. Bat it was all to no effect. He listened, with ill disguised Impatience, and said that she had been much misunderstood. She had explained everything to him, and in a village like theirs so many unfounded rumors were flying about that he thought a person of sanaa should pay no attention to them. For his part, his determination was taken, and onoe formed, Mrs Vomers ought to know it was seldom changed He had studied Mrs Dayton's character with great attention, and the more intimately he knew her the more he saw to love. She had owned to him that she was formerly very much prejudiced against him, but now he hoped—lndeed, he might say he was sore she thought favorably of him j and Mr Clinton rose

to go. 'Promise me one thing,' said Mrs Somers, who could scarcely repress a smile at the Malvolio-liko conceit of her old guardian ; * promise me that if I can prove to you that her opinion of you is the same now as when yoa overheard that conversation, that you will discontinue your addresses ?' ' I may safely promise that, I think,' said Mr Clinton, smiling. 'Good morning ; 'and his slow step was soon heard on the gravol watk in front of the house. Mrs Somers stood for a few moments In deep thought, and then threw on hastily her bonnet and shawl, and calling her pet * Fidele,' took her way to Mrs Dale's a careless, light hearted, fashionable woman, who seemed to live only for the sake of amusing and being amused. She had been an o. d school companion and playmate of Mrs Dayton, and as her lively and piquant manner of writing pleased Mrs Dale, they had been constant correspondents for many years, and called themselves friends. But Mrs Dale considered her letters far too good ts enjoy alone, and as Mrs Somers was a favorite of hers, she often brought them to her—never seeming to think or care that she waa betraying her dearest friend's confidence or lying open her most seoret motives to one who, to eay the least, would not regard them favorably. It was in search of this packet of letters that Mrs Somers had gone, and having easily obtained them, she turned her steps toward Mr Clinton's office, not without a little trepidation and sinking of the heart, for the part Bhe had taken on herself was i mo it unpleasant one. To draw from under cIB in the pedestal on whioh he had been p'aoei, and to made him feel that the hand that had elevated had acted a traitor's part, and while pretending to desire his esteem, had been only seeking her own comfort, might produoo effects more disagreeable than she was prepared to encounter. Besides, she had some qualms of conscience, which she stifled as they rose, about the propriety of betraying the private correspondence of any one. In the midst of these cogitations she found he-self at the door of Mr Clinton's office, and the next minute was sitting by him, as she had often bsen in her girlish days, when she had brought him letters from her lover, that he might sympathise in her happiness. Now her errand wa3 ho different a one that she might have feared to speak it if his air of perfect assurance and confidence had not provoked a smile, and a slight feeling of vexation of his infatuation.

He could not repress, however, a slight emotion of anxiety as he seated himself to read the passages she pointed out; and fradually his face lengthened, the corners of is month were drawn down, and at last be took the letters, and turned his face so as to conceal it, read everyone through, while she sat a little curious, a little impatient, and not a little frightened, trying to discover the effect of the communications.

There, in Mrs Dayton's well known hand, was a complete history of his courtship, from the time that she had smiled a sweet apology to him for brushing by him hastily to the day that he had brought her a banquet of most rare and beautifnl flowers, and told her that hours would seem like days till he saw her again. Thern it all was, her annotations and comments. Sometimes he was called her Adonis, at others her Holofernss, and many other sobriquets seemed to ■lip from her pen without - a moment's thought. She spoke of the gay home she intended to have, and said the would soon be able to persuade the 'Thunder-cloud' that the office would be the pleasant eat place for him, and his sister's house the best home for his ohildron, about whom, of course, sbe could not be expected to concarn herself. And then she expatiated on the delights of a large income, and a home to which she could retire after being weary of the confusion of a watering-place or the bußtle of the city, Without a word, the letters wore returned to Mrs Somers, who raised her eyes inquiringly to the giver. The epithet ' Thun-der-cloud' might well be applied to him at that moment, and Mrs Somers feared lest the storm should burst on her head ; bat ■iter a few moments he thanked her rather coldly for undeceiving him, promised, as she requested, perfect secrecy us to the manner in whioh he had obtained his information, and declared his determination to act upon it, The letters were safely returned, and neither Mrs Dale nor Mrs Dayton ever learned for what purpose they had been used. But Mrs Dayton is Mrs Dayton still, and the 'bright presiding genios' of Mr Clinton's home is the blue-eyed Alioe.