LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7805, 25 April 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A* ALL KIOUT SITTUfG. Naturally I was e*cc*4vely »cr voua. You see. it was my very first koKMHrty, and, it being quite out of'< the •uestion »"** Aune-»idget -. ; er AM* or Aunt Derca! irrnnt —1' ate - * was •*"**■ to go all alone. Lady- • Chetwynd was «juiw kioxi abool It, and said that she woufc taka w under her own especial 11 »i **•* 1-realK- believe that she was ** *-i tatfter'iftW&ea'that none of my dear aunte wera inclined to chaperon me. I caa anderataiid that they would 1! * '■ look * ■ liWr peculiar at an up-to- - dafe house-party. Aunt Dorcas will persist in wearing a twist of hail - Mated that is many shades lightei than tha Utile wisp of her own hair that the has left in front; Aunt jfartha'a teeth make a funny little noise when she eats that leads one ii> <Mo believe that they are not quite her own, and that they arc very likely to fall out ; and Aunt Bridget *, . fcaa never been Been, within the memory of man. in anything but a black bombasine, cat rather short In the skirt and hooked np behind, would ,*•* look very chic at a faahionabta . fciiiea party By aunt* were particularly enarm- > ~t iRf •bout my new frocks. They or- « # 4**** thtm ■* * rom some Frisian ",/' shop in London, and the young lady }':' who brought them down might very ■: well base been a duchess if she bad 5 ao« happened to be a milliner. She assured me that every one of the 3 Fariaian.conations were dernier cri. &Vmmk "no intention of yielding the '. palm for " side " to a London shop l glrl. T ,e\e» if she did look like o duchess, so I assumed a magnificent L>j.,i|Mr<4 lofty isdWerenee and observed* r J - that the frocks were not half bad. ,- , »( But w»an the young;, person had eom--1 " platpl the necessary alterations and departed for town I did a wild sort .at war, fnmct . all /round, from sheer unbounded admiration and delight at '► * my exquisite oeafectiens. Aunt Bridget inidrmod roe, with' great state aad that she had -deputed "her own body servant, Drusilla, to accompany ma on my visit., I-was sorry for this, as T aroutd much rather have received my naiahtng, touchea from Lady Cbttwyad's French maid, Drusilla being nearly as old and quite as crotchety as Aunt Bridget herself. But all my auMs agreed that no Lascelles had ever gone abroad without aa attendant ot her own, and that it was .-* . . «olr right to sacrifice their own perianal comfort in order to uphold the ** " : honour Of an ancient family. There- ./" fore, when I bad imprinted an af**tfonete little peck on each witheri.'.. edehesk, I drove away, Drusilla sitr -ting primly opposite to me in the J bund fly that was to convey me to -1" - the far distant station, en route for, *. s* , • J"*dy- Chetwynd's country seat. Bib's stone Abbey. 'f J ~ i ■ For my first grand dinner-party I Bedded to don my simplest confecin the long glass before deja» - exuding to- the drawing-room. I was *<!**» hartal test Lady Chetwynd should •-«. «,.. nroaounee me aadly overdressed. But Si,.- - **•» I entered tha brilliantly light- '*' " J!?•* ,0 *■ *■* AwHing magnificence o' •,; the , gowns, the hand-painT ed satins, tha embroidered guazes 3<<t.i -if***! 1 "?. * W !M» gems and spangles, toft? we Cashing jewels, and the-eostjy ' 6' •"•P** P* -0, me feel like an insigiil- ' 3 i who ba? Jul ] I dewy lost her glass slipper. gf , .- «treme stmplicitj' of my frocli For-"r-i. - ;* OBa 'fv. a long, bored young man, Si f . to wnose ««» I did not venture to !t - f. > I? 1 . < ? eS ' took pRy - o* l mv c°n- * -. kl "* ™*«> h. and told ma that he was deputed by Lady Chetwynd to take me L-s- »W dinner. I noticed that a lady, t In - white velvet embroidered with , v . gold tuiftuoise, standing near looked ls " at me very angrily, 1 was about to a'.i ffSFt" *° ■ the J' oun m *n that he , } " c wn brtter taße in the white velvet ! ( Wj instead of me, when Oinncr was announced; and before I .quite knew what had nappenod I found invseK stting beside the young man at a *",' ** We that "PPcarcd to have more flowers on it than we can manage to raise al our village flower- - ' - aßow' .if the summer happens to be »- E 'Tlfc-W, bored you - man ask - . • presently « I liked shootinV I replied that I did not Enow. Then he injquired whether I cared for fishin . I said that T was not iquitc , - J'sure. Thirdly, ha asEed whether I was very gone on huntln'. I teld him that I hadVncver tried it. He looked as astonished as his poculiarlyHnpasfrive face w o u.ld permit; then of ca'ni despair, hedt.* whati I did go in to him, almost in a . «<ii fcst the others should hear ' • -and laugfc, that I dwelt in a remote .v.llage with three maiden aunts, that &** 'Jrf'&fPS'rTlW JWtqduction into SoJMy. and that I had not hud t > niuclr opportunity of going in for ■r anythlßg at present, but that I hoped very soon to be.able to makeup f for lost time. .'. - For;,th<> first time lie looked at mc ,'a »th ; «ome degree of interest, and 1 'suppose he rather liked what li«> saw * f ° r ; be hardly looked nwnv agaiii through that inicnnlnat.l,> meal 1 had ample time to tell him about myflongHraired guinea-pigs, and Aunt shtrtha's prize chictens and Hie dread lul trouble with the little chair boys in the Tillage church, where I played ths organ, .and how splendidly I _ . could make jam and pickles. He S quito.forgottto look l>ore'J, and he Said, when ( was putting on my gloves, that it was 1 the most refreshing conversation that he bad had lor a. long time—tyiilc as reviving as £he scent of new-mown hay after the S? H enervating perfumes of an effete and played-out world of fashton. During the temporary lull in some terrific piano'pounding I heard Lady _- Chetwynd refer to some dear, sweet, innocent littl thing. The white vel.vet lady laughed scornfully, and remkrlced, with great distinctness, that * innocent IHtle things always have .-a, v* knack, of scenting out money and of ••wiM.* 04 ™* fot it for all they wore worth. Then she glared nt poor me, and if ..her eyes had been the two'steeldag- **' tttra as they appeared to 1w I should have been slain on the spot. (.' "htraight up to me when the gentlorr man appeared, and, in spii.c of tho t-, i *} ri * d a °d cle»crly-vcilod invitations' itf .of the white velvet lady, he refused P. "*tp.Jeave iny side during the whole |-, efewng. p% \Mn nice and attentive, and I began to «s*' mj * visit vcr >' m,lc '»' and to sorry that it would only last a ~*reek. One evening.ibcfore dinner La. Chetwynd came into my dressingroom, and, patting mv check, a «ked ho*l.shbuW like to he the wife of a mtniMwlro. I said that I did not MuchreuiMKh-aboot it, for I" had fifty pounds of my very own, and nuUioni, •ires were always fat and rod-faced HOr'aiad old. ». &.-*| -She'ladßjned, and said, "Not afc-

n« doing now), that I held all the ' best trumps, and was certain to pull oil the odd trick at the finish. | I didn't know what she meant, of Course, and it was impossible to ask her. for she went away then, Saying that she was mi Re rejoiced that that destablc fiifß Somcrvillc would be corupk-tely cuft. out. I was .surprised at this remark, for I had seen her Kissing Mrs Soiiierville on (the previous evening-, and 1 had heard her whisper, •■• Only give me time, dearest Pussy, ant) I will pay ©very .farthing."

i I had another delightful evening |with the long, bore* young man, |»ho said he would certainlv come ."own to our village before many "**"* ww» over on purpose to stu|dy the idylßc sort of life we .seeinod ito lead. He thought it sounded exactly the kind of thing to suit him. I was so glad. I am sure hj« is just the sort of good, simple, unsophisticated boy that my aunts would like .only I am sorely afraid that he will I make great fun of Aunt Bridgets 'hind toorobazhle B°*n hooked up be-

\l*jT " J e B ,rls -« v «>»)ady looks •H * ,V Tl aov ' wh atcvtr her age |«P~ally by rose-tinted rfeetSc ' tßght-*ad retired for the night 1 £Mhf? B "i? nt '" Comc in * " a "d J-ud> Ihetwynd s maid appeared with a message from her mistress, asking me to join her in her boudoir j was so astonished that I said 'Ves certainly, ' „ n tne sl)llr o( thc mo Mrat; aod tiien, of course, I was obliged to gs. On entering the room I found Lady Cbctwynd. gomerville, and an«*w Pretty girl-I mean Woman■srted at a card table. There we* some decanters and glasses and three by, and also, to my astonishment, a J^™ Ues so J supposed thev .vera expecting some gentlemen to wo the party. thetwyntt, excitedly. •■ w e are sadlV w want of a fourth for bridge. You can play a little, can't you ? We .will SD«n teach you to play really wdL Vie are all very good at it in■ttewr.'-'- ' I was rather sleepy, but the cakes looEed so tempting that I could not resist joining the party, and in a Trery short time I found that my ■sleepiness, under the excitement •> he game wore completely off. If a|>|peared that no gentlemen were expected after all, for Lady Chctwynd land Mrs Somervilte and the other girl, whom they calTedi '• Boodle*," soon began to smoKe furiously, and ttey never stopped until someone—l think it was '•• Doodles "—called out that it was quite daylight, and that we really must go to bed now If we wanted to have the least pretension to decent looks on the morrow.

My brain was so wildly excited that I could not sleep, so, after tossing restlessly about tor an hour or two, 1 got up and had my bath, with a whole large bottle of eau-de-cologne in it, which made me feel quite fresh again. My eyes still looked a little heavy, however, so I made my way into the garden, where I wandered up and down, a prey of the bitterest remorse. What would my loving, trusting aunts say when they learnt •11 the truth? It would bo borne •sdly home to them that they would mwer trust me to go to a houseparty alone any more.

Tears were beginning to trickle down my cheeks, when on the gravel path in front of me I saw the shadow of a manly figure, and, turning quickly, I beheld the long, bored young man, whose name, I forgot to say, .was Mr .HcbWethwaite-Braund. Tnere was no use. in wiping my tears away; lie hod already seen them. Besides, I have the rare advantage ,of looking nice with tears on my eyes. Our curate once told me that tbey were like .violets washed with morning dew, and, of course, a curate always speaks the truth. "My poor little girl,"' Mr Braund exclaimed, " I know all-! What a scandalous thing of those designing) women to victimise such sweet innocence t What can Society be coming to when matrons who ought to know better prey on guileless childre* and .make them their dupes ? " This kind sympathy, following on |Biy remorse, made my ready tears flow afresh.

" There, don't cry," he said, hurriedly. •• Every drop you filed sears my heart like molten lead." " I am think! ug of my dear, good aunts," I sobbed. ■•• Thev will be so disappointed in me."

" Your aunts ? Ah, to be sure ! There, don't Tor mercy's sake, crv any more. Look here,; suppose we do not tell them, eh? It will only be a small, pious fraud that will hurt nobody. A little secret, don't you know, just between our two elves. Tell me, in confidence, how much is it ? Let me have the proud distinction of being your banker." I opened my eyes wide, and t quite forgot to cry any more. " Mylbpa&r ! " I said, in amazement. "Do you keep a 'bonk ? " He smiled kindly oncourpj^suent. "Well, not exactly what you would call a bank ; but r have no objection to lending motley on occasion." ";Oh! A moneylender!-' I exhumed in' dismay. I had always heard inoncvlendors spoken of as .something too horrible for words. He. coloured slightly, and Attempted, not very successfully, to laugh.

" You innocent little darling ! " he said. -" Do you not understand that Izm offering to advance you the money to pay your losses, so that you may be spared the righteous anger of your dear, good aunts ? " "My losses? " 1 cried. "- Yes. Will you tell me the sum? cannot find words to express my torror at the disgraceful conduct of »eso women. A mere child ! A plaything in their hands j Oh, at is monstrous ! But never mind. You will pay me back some day. There will not he the slightest obligation, realy. I shall lookl upon it as quite a rivi ledge." " My losses ? " I said again. .'•" Yes. The heavy losses that those unprincipled women nave inflicted on you." I " Oh, please, Mr Braund, you are (labouring under tome huge mistake," j I exclaimed. " I haven't any losses i have won—won enormously, gloriously ! won a hundred and twenty inounds. Lady Chctwynd and Mrs Somervillc were so awfully ,They told mo they were sglfendid playen* but they can't pjlay a bit. My, aunts and I play bridge every eveninß-except Sundays, of courseall through the year, so naturally I | .now something about it. 'Boodles' od I won, as she 'expressed, hand ov*r fist, and she told me that if we were to combine, she and I, we jlnight lie able to make a Ircmcngood thing out of our' skill and splendid luck. Do you think, Sir Braund, that it would be worth while to try ? "- But all Mr Braund's enthusiasm seemed to have dropped from him like a mantle.

" Oh," he said,, rather blankly. , |Then, brusfluely, and like one morticed and disgusted, " What on earth .were you crying for, then ? " I looked shamefacedly down at the gravel path. " 1 was filled with remorse that my .ear aunts should vlvave so much . ause for aisplcasurc with me," I eplied, sadly. " For risking your money or voiumorals ?" he asked,, with a hard ugly laugh'. "Oh, neither," T returned. "For spoiling my complexion by sitting up all night in a vitiated atmosphere!" " The whole atmosphere of Kih- , stone Abbey is fairly vitiated " he said ; •■'• but I don't think jf will do you mftcb harm. The simple village maiden seoms quite a match for the rapid Society dame, and can even give her points and beat her at her own despicable game." With this he turned and left me, and he went away from the Abbey that very same morning. I heard, after he had gone, that he was the millionaire alluded to by Lady Chctwynd. He has never been lo'caß on my aunts, and sometimes I think what a pity it was that I diS not pretend that I had 1 lost. It seems, i that one can miss one's best chances in life by the breadth of the verv finest hair. (The End.)

WHOSE FAULT IS IT 1 LET NEW PLYMOUTH PEOPLE DECIDE THE QUESTION. When a fog horn warns the mariner to steer off the coast, if he still hugs tphc shore and wrecks upon it, whose fault is it ? If the red switch light is up ami the engine driver deliberately pull ahead into another train, blame the driver. If a careless workman will, in spite of warning, try to find out how many teeth a buzz saw has, ami the saw tries to find out how many fingers the workman lias, blame the workman, not the saw. If New Plymouth people who have kidney complaint and backache will not take Doan's Backache Kidney Pills when they are endorsed by scores of citizens blame the people, not the medicine. Mr DonuM Robertson, of Manaia, late toll-keeper, Junction Road, New Plymouth, says :—'"For twenty years I was troubled with my kidneys, which caused me to suffer with very bad pains. At times these pains nearly crippled me. If I stooped 1 could scarcely rise again, and work was out of the ■question. I swallowed enough medicine to cure a dozen men, rightly taken, but it did me no good. I then got Doan's Backache Kidney Pills at the Co-opera-tive Store, and these seemed to do •ne good right from the start, and a short course completely cu*ed my kidney trouble. 1 have other troubles with my health, and if I could (jet is effective medicine for them as Doan's Backache Kidney Pills proved for the kidneys, I would be quite well. Everybody round about knows Wnnt I suffered with my back, and now I tell them all that I have no backache, thanks to Doan's Backaciie Krdney Pills." Take no substitute. You want the pills which Mr RoWertson recommends, therefore see that the full name is on tire wrapper, and that the word "Backache" is in the name. Doan's Backache Kidney Pillg are sold by all chemists and storekeepers at 3s per box—six boxes 16s 6A—or will be posted on. receipt of price by Foster McClellan Co., 76 PittStreet. Sydney, N.S.W.