OCR Text |
Show bet I H . forn to m;At "You hSv leave you i Sirs. Bombustlev I lessons. I shall 'T,rr"; ifw1 n" " I to make herself eseh day more lovely than she ever was before." "Perhaps you are right Her dres is certainly the most stunning one she has yet worn." I havo jut found out that she is vf ry anxious to secure a young husband. hus-band. If vo had not offended her. one of us might be made happy by her." "By her fortune, you mean." How little feeling you possess! Do you not perceive that this woman by devoting herself and her fortune to a young and impecunious husband would prove herself to bo a most noble philanthropist?" phi-lanthropist?" Pshaw!" In a similar vein the young men continued to chat, and faithfully tho ' fair stenographer took down overy I word they said. I Two hours later a neat typewritten report of the conversation was submitted sub-mitted to Mrs. Bombustle. As she rend, her rago became uncontrollable. She became very red in tho face, her ! breath was so rapid and short that she could scarcely speak coherently, and she struggled in vain for words. Flora feared that her aunt's excitement would be followed by serious consequences. Mrs. Hombustle persisted, however, in having several similar conversations reported, and every time a typewritten report was read by her she Hew into a rage. Flora, alarmed, called a physician phy-sician and had bim come into tho room when Mrs. Hombustle was in the midst of a tantrum. My dear madam," said tho doctor, "you mui-t avoid getting so excited, or you will die of apoplexy. Even if you do not die, your health will be sadly injured, nnd your remarkable beauty will fade." Tho last remark which Flora had instructed tho physician to bo sure to mnko, had tho desired effect Mrs. Hombustle immediately became calm, nnd promised to have no moro reports made, adding that she did not fear death, but that it was important that sho should retain her good looks. Flora also wrote an indignant letter nnd sent it to tho young men. Sho severely criticised their ungentlomanly conduct, and urged that decency required re-quired that they should never again show their faces in tho hotel. Tho young men read tho letter with consternation and sought another boarding place without delay. One of them, Robert Tallman was his name, had noticed what a pretty and intelligent intelli-gent girl Flora was, and had resolved to seek an introduction. His disappointment disap-pointment and mortification were consequently con-sequently keen, and he bitterly regretted re-gretted his unmanUne?s, tho more so because his character was good and his usual conduct unobjectionable. One day ho mot Miss Honostoel on Broadway. Ho colorod deeply as he asked permission to speak a few words of apology. Flora coldly acceded to his request "You cannot imagine how sorry I am," he said, "that my unseemly levity should have caused your aunt and especially you, so much distress." Miss Honostoel looked into his frank countenance and saw that he was sincere. sin-cere. . "I am glad that you can at last appreciate ap-preciate the full enormity of your conduct," con-duct," sho said with dignity. "May I not hope to win by good conduct your approval in the future?'' i was timidly and humbly askod. "Perhaps," was the slightly encouraging encour-aging reply. They often met withia the next few months and became deeply in love. Aunt will not leave me one cent of her fortune if I marry you," said Flora to Robert after he had been urging urg-ing her to name a day for thoir wedding. wed-ding. , "Would you rather have her fortune without mo?" "Xo; I would a thousand times rathor lose the fortune than to loso you." "My dear girl." They kissed each other. "The fortune is not to bo despised, however," said Flora, reflectively. "True, especially as we cannot expect ex-pect a fortune from any othor source. " HER INFATUATION. Mm. Eombusllo was an old and rich widow. Sho was not very old only about iJxty and even to hint in her presence lhat she was old at all mortally mor-tally offended her. Tho great ambition ambi-tion of her life was to appear to bo young and to secure a young husband. Nevertheless tho blandishments of art could not conceal tho fact that Mrs. Fombiisllo was no longer in tho heyday of life. Sho, however blissfully bo-tteved bo-tteved tint her deceptions were effeet-iv. effeet-iv. Hut a disagreeable revelation was in store for tho elderly dudino. Mra. Hombustle had for many years fawn a guest at a fashionable hotel in Now York city. Twice she had nearly near-ly uecooded in capturing a husband, but ill each instance tho suitor, though impecunious and fond of money, ultimately ulti-mately fullered and lied from hor presence pres-ence Disappointed, but undaunted, Mr. Uombustlo steadily held to her jHirjwiso. She was just recovering from tho effoctM of the breaking of tho second marriage engagement when two new boarders arrived at tho hotel. They were handsomo nnd well-drossed men, ach twenty-eight yoars old. They were assigned by tho head waiter to n tabio quite near to tho ono at which Mrs. Hoiubiistle took her meals. She wm favorably impressed by their appearance, ap-pearance, nnd on the second day after their arrival, at tho dinner hour, sho occasionally turned her face toward thorn nd smiled benignly. They now for tho lirt time gave her presence pedal heed, and that they wore amused they took no pains to conceal, lie fore Mrs. Hombustle left the tablo she noticed with a littlo uneasiness that they appeared to bo making fun f her, but so great was her egotism and her faith in her charms that she dismissed her suspicions with con-frnvipt. con-frnvipt. Hut tho noxt day sho know that sho was a target for merciless ridicule. Whenever sho looked at them, they looked at each other and laughed. Ordinarily good natured, sho had a hiyh temper when once woll aroused, and ber admiration for tho young men wn displaced by a hearty hatred, With hr r anger she nourished an intense in-tense curiosity, and sho resolved that in some way sho would find out what it was they said about her. Mrs. Hombustle had a nioco named Flora Donestecl to whom sho was much attached. Miss Honesteel was twonty yonrs old, was energetic and bright, and was a stenographer in a wholosalo houso on Broadway. Hor aunt wished Bur to live with her as a companion, but tho girl, desiring to load a busy ami useful life, and to bo independent would not accede to Mrs. Bombustle's w'kshes. Tho old lady secretly admired ad-mired her niece's spunk, and in her will left the greater part of her property prop-erty to Flora. One night Miss Honostoel received a trkif letter from her aunt who wroto that ehe wishod to seo her nioco as soon as possible on important business. Flora at once ropaired to tho hotel and found her rich relative in a very ex-ettnd ex-ettnd condition. In a vehomont manner Mrs. Bombustlo Bom-bustlo explained how she had been in-ulted in-ulted by the young men, and asked Flora if she thought she could obtain permission to be absent from hor place I business n few days. Tho reply was in the affirmative. "Then," said Mrs. Hombustle, "I wish you to come at once to this hotol, ait at a table bosido the young men, and take down in shorthand for my benefit what they may say. 'Oh, aunt do not bo so foolish. I would not deign to notlee these young rascals if I wero you. Pretend not to ww them, assume an air of dignity, nail show them that you consider them and their opinions of no consequence. They will then respect you, and be ashamed of themsolves." , "Don't talk to me," said Mrs. Bom- bastle; "I know what I am about What I desire to learn is, can you do mo tho favor?" "Certainly," said Flora, percoiving that further romonstratieo would bo noelcss. "But I am sorry," she thought, "that aunt will persist" The girl was not without a keen eonno of humor, howovor, and it was with a good deal of merriment in her Jvart that she seated herself at a table near the young men when they ato dinner the noxt day. MrsL Bombustle soon arrived, nnd fouV her customary place at a third table. The young men looked at tho ottt lady and laughed. "The knowledge that wo do not admire ad-mire her evidently vexes our aged fcelle." - "- - "I am glad of it Such a ridiculous aid humbug as sho la ought to know haw she is really regarded. " -She imagines she is about twenty rs old. She's so gay now that she Vthavgbnen perfectly enrapturing Sitwenty." so with you; I believe sebeautlful and en-Ithon. en-Ithon. She has levering and ety Vjj and so lb' AuoJ- " hat shall wo do.'" "I do not know." They loved, and yet they wero not indifferent to thoir wordly interests. But while they in vain tortured their wits to invent some plan by which Mrs. Bombustlo might be placated, circumstance faored them in a singular singu-lar manner. In spito of her mortifying mortify-ing experience, the fantastic old lady soon resumed her chase for a young husband with unabated ardor. To hor great dollght she succeeded In attracting attract-ing the attention of a Mr. Van Lessip a new boarder ot tho hotol. He was not only vory handsoiri but ho was also exceedingly pol.,. He skillfully encouraged en-couraged Mrs. Bombustle's infatuation, infatua-tion, nnd controlled hor as if she were a child. Mr. Tallrnan heard of the courtship, and saw his opportunity. Accompanied Accom-panied by Flora, he called at tho hotol. "How dare you come into my presence pres-ence after what has happened." said Mrs. Bombustlo, ns she saw the young man who had ridiculed her. "Ho is sorry for whnt ho did," cried I Flora. "Now ho is your friend." "Xonsense." "Mrs. Bombustle," said Tallman. "I know that I treated you very rudely, rude-ly, but I am sure you will forgive me when you find that I have made a discovery dis-covery that will save you from a Hfo of misery. Permit me to toll you as a friend that Mr. Lessip Is unworthy of your confidence Ho is a gambler and a blackleg." "I do not believe it" exclaimed tho old lady In a rage. , "I will prove it" A pcllco officer and a detective, who had been summoned for the occasion, 1 entered the room. They succeeded with much difficulty in convincing ISjBombustlothat Mr. Tallman had fcsthe discovery. |