Heiresses.

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 118, 20 May 1905, Page 10

Heiresses.

Tlie women, acting on a brond hint from the doctor, scuttled into the front room, the lnst one closing tho door carefully. Knch went to different articles of furniture, inspecting closely, find in the ea.se of mantelpiece ornaments milking etircful search for defects nossiblo in delicate work doling from tho reign of mid-Victoria. A suggestion that tho lamp should be lighted was contested strongly by a lady who btood with one arm around it protectingly; she. declared that tho days were di awing out, argued that lowering of tho Vend inn blinds would cause, tho \uitehing neighbours to give to Spa-raid pietniituio information, [knides, tho little oil it contained belonged to her. " Apparently," remarked the; woman rniSpoiiKible for the suggestion, " as people get older, bo they gut moie uud moio stilish." " You're no chicken, Emmer," said tho lamp lady, " Let mo see, now. Your bro« tber Hob went to 'Knven or tmiuewheiei nine year ago, and ho wus tlicn thirtythree, poor lad, and there was two year lu-tuopii you. You was two year to tho bad compared with him. Alice, what does thnl make your aunt luniner? HubbtiltCt " ' lIEMARKfI. " Wnmi't listening, mother." The girl tubbed her pjcu. " Wouldn't be a child of mine," said the lamp lady, with bitterness, " if you didn't Miub your pnicnl* at. every opportunity. You lulu, v delight in it. * Doesn't mako nny diffeicnce to you (hat your poor dear grandmother " " Don't forget," urged one of the othet«, in a whisper, " tlitit there iiro folding do'us. Extraordinary how she's preset ved hor seven senses up to the veiy last." " May i wsk whoro you propose to put them chest of diois when you do get 'cm home t"

" \-es, Maiu," answered tho woman pleasunlly. " You can ask, by all means." " He lights, iMiimer," said Maim, nedaUily, " them chest of droia ought lo have come down to my hide of the family " " But you've got the lump, door. Think how handy that'll como in when you and your 'ui-.li.ind over in Farncomhe-street aio having one of your usual lows." Urgent call for silence, liccuusr two voices, a deep lm.ss nnd a quavering soprano, wore speaking together 111 the next room j all placed a bund to ear listening with an iulentiicss thnl. wunklrd foieheads. Tho ladies looked around the room, apparently anxious to discover soino piece of furniture which bud escaped tho memory of their elderly relative. " Poor dear !" they all ."-aid. And shook heads. " She'd made up her mind, bless you, about every stick of furnituie, und who wns to havo which nnd who wus to huvo what. Clot everything mapped out, just &o !" "It's to be hoped," said Mnrin, fondl-. ing tbo glass rcteivoir of tho lump und speaking pointedly, "thut you'll nil bens leady to go ns what she is when your timo conns." " My "usband," remarked v voice in the corner near somo ut tides of china, "my 'uxband pop [led off tho very same dnte, oddly enough, (hut it is today, only the month was .September. I remember his last words as well ns any thing. ' I put a couplo of shillings on the horse, I did, but it didn't win.' " • j "Ah, well," remniked another voice in the dtifik, I' no doubt he's a lot happier where he is." "I consider thnt," protested tho voice in tho corner, heatedly, "a moat unkind nnd a. most uncalled-for remark. I'm tuneI did everything a wife— — " THE MANGLE. The women buzzed comfortingly around her. A buf.» laugh came from tho next room, jjjid tho iclatives found common agreement in deciding thnl doctors hecamo more or less lund-hcarled us they grew | older. The youth who had been nttcndini* j in the absence, on holiday, of the regular j Burmondsey mnn now there, was a nice, ; sympathetic, fuir-huired young chap, if j you liked ! In announcing the irravo news ! concvinin'jf tho old Indy, tho young doc- j tor, tlnry icniiuded onch other, hud spoken with something like tears; such tendernes^i on the pnit of the medical profession wn.s indeed wire and piecious. " Ooing back," suid a Indy who hud been testing the lelijibillty of the oval table, " going back npain to the question of tho mniigh- ; I didn't like to remind her I'd go 4 one already, because the poor soul .seemed so louchy diiectly any one undo a j lemiirk of the kind." ".She ceitninly flared up once or twice, j ' Tnkp it or leavo it,' sho sajs, poor dour ; lif you don't want it, wy so.' But that was only her manner, blew bey." j ".She'd v, sweet disposition, if you only i knew how to manage, her. Does- nny ono \ remember who's In hnvo the linoleum in i tho passnßO? I could do with v M'ltnrc of I it for my Innding. My old iruui'n tripped | himurif up thftro 11101 c than once," j '' We shall hnvo to suy a hist good-bye j presently to her, nnd one of us inn say n.s we'll* cnmini; out, ' By-the-bye, gianny, what nbout '" "Thnt mangle," snid the Indy nt the oviil tnble. " would mnko Monday for nny ono a bright mid el iff r fill day. I'enphwho nover uw> v mniijtU- huvo v;ot no idea what a godsend it ts. 1 can always tell a. person who's got a mangle of her own from one who hnsn't. Now, I'll Hwon that mmiy'le." '-he went on, resting her elbows, ''for either this tiblo bore, or the pier- j gin**, or the wn.sh.ui' (.Innil. Then*! I cnu't tiny fiiirpt t tin ti thnl." Vojrcs* fiom dlffcu'ilt places in tho room j huiried to rcjily lii.it if the could not nny fairer tli.ni thut xhc had bettor givii up >uyiint. j "Very well," *din letnitcd huffily,; "you've thrown away your lost ehmire. C'onu- to ni", nny one of you, 011 some future d.il-> and jink nn wlut I'll takn for it, mid I'll bnni! the door in jour Urn Tine ' tin I'm sittinc hue Any one would think . that ut a tinii- lil:«» this we mi«ht jm-t for once .show a liltlo friendly spirit ono towards Ihe other." NKWS FROM THK RICK ROOM. " Was any oiw> nwnre?" • A r»*l «|sv#* w ho had boen buvy in llw* dnrk nt tho side of the room .spoke solemnly nnd with deliberation. " Was any oini awme? Thut this S't-cilled bouke.ue. Which sin- mbistcd 1 was to hnve, Is virtually ami pructicnlly and to all intents and purposes " " Hush I' 1 said tho others. "Shan't hush," she cried, increasing tho volumo of her tones. " Don't earo if she does Vnr me. I knew the glatts was out, but I'd no idea the blitutcd thing had got all unguinmcd like thi*». Why, it'll cost points and ptmns to nuike it «o with tho rest of my furniture." "Mustn't let it go with tho rest, dear. Try to keep it in the house us long as you cnn." "Now, who was it," hlio remarked, hotly, "mado thnt remnrk? Como on, now, no hiding in the dnrk. Homo one must have t»iid it, Hint's n very Mire thing. Wn» it you, Kinmer? Sounded liko you. It 11 iv- Rothcrhltlw, nil over " In tho dnrk (but slightly relieved by tho vugue light from v Inmp-post noross tho way) thoy.nll talked noiHilv, reonlling disputes of earlier days, und inability to find lihleueiu or to see each other distinctly seemed to increase ueerhity of mnnner. l*3v«*n tho movement of tbo doctor* chair in tho next room escuped the attention of all but the young girl of the party. Tho doctor called aloud ; contesting, quarrelling relatives i|*tiorod the .summons. Tho girl relumed, dapping her bunds nud nlmost dancing. " He says it's nil the fault," xho cried delightedly, "entirely duo to tha locum tenons." "She can't locovor from that," said the girl's niolhur, with resitjnation. "Lei's just go in nnd " " Suyd," went on the girl, " that granny's good for another ten years yet, if only Home one among us will tuke trnublo und look after her, und hnve a bit of a argument with her now und again." They gasped v furewell to the furniture of the front room und in the passage win red blankly ut each other. " Onfortunutc," pronounced Alice's mother; "but, nflcr all, it saves n lot of to-do and bother." "Murm," njjreed tho othors, nftor a pause, "you can tnllc sense. Sometimes I" — \V. Pott Ridge, in the Daily Mail.