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About The Sioux County journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1888-1899 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1896)
CHAPTEB IL-Contlnued. When she reached the door and knock ed, what she heard fell upon her eurs like a sharp blow. Mrs. Hubert was talking and laughing in tone of loud, ringing merriment "Hubert haa lost hla heart Indeed," hU sister thought; but still, in answer to Mrs. Hubert's sharp, clear "Come In," she -went in without any expression of re proach in manner or face. "You won't mind my dining alone after my journey, will yon, Jenifer?" the bride began in a lazily apologetic way. "Flora and I make a point of doing so always when we're alone after traveling; the feeling of not having to stir out of one's room before going to bed U so lnducive of composure." "Will you come and see my mother? She is better, anu has sent for you," Jeni fer said a little coldly.' "Not to-night, I think, thank you," Mrs. .Hubert replied, bending forward as she poke to see If her husband was putting the proper ingredients into a tomato salnd. "Just the tiniest soupcon of sugar, Hugh, that's quite enough; now to deal gently with the mustard; if you spoil that salad I won't eat an atom more dinner, and then yon know I shall have neuralgia." "Then you won't come and see my mother to-night?" Jenifer asked angrily. "Hubert," she added more softly, "think at our poor mother, before you let me go back and say your wife won't come to Jher." -".Don't you think you had better go, Effie?" he suggested appealingly. "i am not going to-night, Hugh; you know if I get fussed und worried about when I'm tired, that I always have a headache; your mother couldn't see me when I came, and now I'm in my dressing gown, settled down for the evening, you an tell her, Jenifer. Of course;, every thing is very sad and miserable, but that's no reason why I should be made ill. Oh, Hubert! you've put in ever so much more agar than you ought, and now I can't eat anything." And she flung herself back in her chair, looking wonacriuliy white and dainty amongst her billowing laces, as if tho tomato salad was the chief consideration to every well-regulated mind in the house. CHAPTER III. As every one had anticipated, it was found, when the will was read, that the late Mr. Hay had left the whole of the Moor Royal property to his eldest son. And as the Moor Royal property was valued at about two thousand five hun dred pounds a year, it was naturally as sumed by every one that the eldest son and his wife had every reason to be per fectly well satisfied. Greatly to the astonishment of all and sundry, it was found that the widow was left with two hundred a year only, and on this pittance shj had to maintain herself and daughter, for Jenifer was only men tioned in her father's will as the one who was to inherit the two hundred a year at her mother's death As for Jack, the son who hail not been brought np to any pro fession, and who had spent his grown up years in doing nothing more remunera tive than si perinteiiding the management of the stables and home farm, he was the inheritor of three thousand pounds and his father's favorite hunter only. "It was an iniquitous will," indignant partisan of the widow and younger chil dren said. "For a woman who bad en joyed a well-fiiled purse aud a large in come for twenty-six years to be suddenly reduced to what would be penury to her. was a cruel caprice of which no one had ever deemed it possible Mr. Ray could be guilty. She had been a loved and trusted wife. He had never checked her expenditure. He had never regarded any thing as too costly where she and ber daughter had been concerned. Aud now be had left ber in poverty, and Jenifer penniless. It was u hard and cruel blow, and, when it fell uou her first, it crushed out f her mind th memory of a sealed let ter which was also mentioned in the will. But this was of little consequence, Jeni fer and Jack said. The sealed letter left la the lawyer's bands, to be delivered up t Hubert when be bad been three years la possession of the property, could con sswn Hubert only. ' For a time "old Mrs. Ray," is she soon sm to be called, was not at all alive to the redeeming feature in the otherwise aajaat will, which was this namely, that Ssrr has band bad desired that she and (Vrklter sfceaid hare a home at Moor Royal wtta fiabert so loaf as either of them de rM it And, additionally, that s boa Id Cm widow leave Moor KeysJ, she saoald fM tat rlckt to data and take away of oo fmraitare as one thoofht wtdsw was partially Mrs. Hubert Ray was keenly alive to It and Its consequencej. Though her father-in-law had been Ignorant of her exist enee, she regarded it as a wicked piece of personal Injustice to herself that he should have hampered the inheritance of Moor Royal with any such condition. It dimmed her glory as mistress of Moor Royal that her husband's mother should still seem to have a right In the place; and that Jenifer should be there, free to move about and perhaps use and order things as she had been accustomed to do all her life, was an opei and smarting wound to the wife of the reigning power. She was still in the very early days of her sovereignty when she determined to say a word to Jenifer, which should show her that her mother and herself were far from welcome residents at Moor RoysL She knew that In the saying of this word she must exercise tact and taste, other wise Hubert might hear s sound of it that would not be pleasant to his ears. She sat over the fire in her own room two days after the funeral and the hear ing of that will which had wrought such a change in her fortunes. It was the best bedrooa in the house, lighted by a large, deep bay window filled with quaint old painted glass. There was a good deal of heavy magnificence about the furniture and appointments of the room, and its air of comfort was Indisputable. Still, she longed to weed out many things, notably the massive four-poster and the huge Spanish mahogany wardrobe. "In fact, the only thing I'll keep here will be this dues of an old brass fender, and I'll furnish up to that," she was thinking when Jenifer, after knocking at the door, came in. Jenifer's eyes had shed many scalding tears during thj lust few days, but they were clear and sweet as ever now when she came up to the long, deep old chair in which her sister-in-law was burrowing. Mrs. Ray lookea at her critically, and began calculating the probabilities of an early marriage on Jenifer's part. "Which would vastly Improve the situation for me. The old lady can't work on Hubert as this girl can," she thought, ns she mov ed her dress aside, and indicated that Jen ifer might take a feat near the fire. "I came to te.l you that toother Is com ing down to dinner to-night, Eflie," Jeni fer began, disregarding the proffered chuir. "Rut haven't 1 told you that Mr. Jcr voise and Flora will be here to dinner?" Mrs. Huoort said, carelessly. "Oh, surely, surely not!" Jenifer cried out; "our father just dead, our grief for him so new, so fresh. You can't have brought strange. upon us now, yon can't have forgotten that mother is broken hearted;" "That's only a phrase, Jenifer. Flora and I made up our minds long ago to weed out all such senseless exaggerated phraseology from our talk. And Flora is my sister, so I can't regard her hus band and herself as strangers." Mrs. Hubert Ray resettled herself com placently in her chair as she spoke, and looked at her sister-in-law with steady, unflinching eyes. Silently, in such sorrow as she haa n ver known before, Jenifer went back to her mother. "It will be ha d to check her brave at tempt, but mother mustn't go down to meet those heartless people." This was Jenifer's first thought. Then she re minded herself that "those heartless peo ple" knew nothing whatever about her mother or the trouble that had befallen the Rays. Anrf remembering this, she grew just. "Mother, darling, dinner's at eight to night, and Eftie's sister will be here. She seems very fond of her sister. Mrs. Jer voise has been so good and generous to Ellie, Hubert says." Mrs. Ray sighed. In Jenifer's effort to speak calmly, aud make the liesl of things, the poor widow heard the first warning note of the change that was to come. She was no longer the first object of consid eration at Moor Royal. Effie's sister was coming inopportunely enough. But sor row must be laid aside in her presence, for the sake of peace and pleasantness. CHAPTER IV. It was the first time since her husband's death that the woman who had been mis tress of Moor Royal for the larger half of her life had come down to dinner with her children. The visitors, Mr. and Mrs. Jer voise, had arrived, and been thoroughly instructed as to the will case by young Mrs. Ray. But, with the exception of their presence, everything was so exactly similar to what it had been doiens of times when Hubert had been at borne, and some young lady meats staying la the borne, that old Mrs, Ray cos Id sorely claim forgiveness for treating ES as a guest, and taking bar accsatomed seat at the head of the table. Bat ta reuse runag power was oa the alert. At a sign from Mrs. Jervoise, Hu bert's wife swept swiftly up to the high backed chair on which her mother-in-Uw had just seated herself, and, tending down, whispered: "Hadn't I better begin to save you trouble t once, by taking my proR-r placer Then, stood, she added: "llu bert, giv your arm to your mother and take her to her place. How negligent you are! Flora, you must take bitu in hand again, or he will get quite rough aud brusque in this retirement. " Mrs. Jervoise was an older edition of Mrs. Hubert Ray, a little harder, per haps, on closer observation, but equally slim, supple, self-coutident, and agreeable to beholders at first sight. Her husband was at least thirty years her senior, but she carefully guarded against being forced into the folly of tak ing the place of an old man's darling. She alv lys was ready to seem to adapt herself to his habits, views, aud whims. Rut in reality she trained him judiciously and unceasingly, anl the habits, views and whims that were studied sud consulted in their household were hers. "It will be your own fault if you don't make the old lady and the girl feel that they'll Is- happy in a house of their own, Kflie," Mrs. Jervoise said to her sister during s brief a'ter-dinuer chat; "but the letter! No tact can abolish the fact of the existence of that letter. It may be well, it's no use suggesting what it may be, because all suggestions will probably go wide of the mark. Rut If I were you I'd never be anything but very kind to Jai-k Kay, till you know what's Id that letter." "Jack is very good-natured; It's easy enough to be kind to him," Mrs. Ray re plied. It was not a-i agreeable evening to any one of the pajty. Perhaps Mr. Jervoise made tne best of It, for be slept with quiet, unbroken persistence from the minute he entered the drawing room till the longed for moment arrived when bedroom can dies were brought in, anl they were free to disperse aud go to bed. rh:s was a habit that ha been formed under Mrs. Jervoise's direct personal influence. Flora having a habit of leaving her husband to unbroken repose four or five nights out of every seven that they spent in town dur ing the season. According to an old custom of thplrs, Jenifer and Hubert sat down to chess. They v. ere good aud fairly matched play ers; but this night Jenifer s thoughts and eyes kept on wandering to her mother, who sat apart from the others, absorbed in her own reflections. She held some knitting in her hands a black silk sick that had lieen Is-guu liefore her husband's death and l-en intended for him. But she never swnied "to pause; the needles moved fulteringiy aud the rows iucreased slowly. It was a relief to her that the two sis-d-rs left her undisturbed, and devoted themselves exclusively to one another, and to some new songs which Mrs. Jervoise had brought down from London. They made a pretty picture at the piano, these two fair sisters, who were both so cold and radiant In their golden haired, fair whiteness. Even their dresses conveyed the impression of starlight. For though young Mrs. Ray had put on mourning for her husband's father she mourned for him to-night in a dress of dull-white In dian silk, covered with a network of white bugles; while Mrs. Jervoise looked like the Spirit of Foam of the Sea in clouds of snowy, cobweb-like lace. "I wonder where Jack is?" Hubert said, by way of a diversion. "In the study, reading The Field, most likely," Mrs. Ray remarked. Then she sprang up from the music stool, saying she would go and look for him. "I think Jack confines his literary stud ies almost exclusively to The Field, does n't he?" Hubert laughed. "What a fellow he is for sport of all kinds, to lie sure! Eftie was saying to-day I bad better give him the refusal of the home-farm; he'll never be happy at a clerk's desk." "Has there heeu any thought of his taking a clerkship, poor boy?" his mother asked pityingly. "I suggested to Jack that he ough to do something, mother," Jenifer put in. "You wouldn't have him live in idleness, and wnete his substance?" "His tastes lire nli for the country, poor boy," his mother went on; "such a buy for hordes, ami dogs, and guns!" she added, in an explanatory tone, to Mrs. Jervoise; "while Hubert here has always lieen one for a London life and London amusements theaters and balls and clubs; and now, you see, Hubert's lot is cast in the conn try, and it's likely that poor Jack's will be cast in London." "Not altogether a bad job for Jack, I'm thinking, mother dear; we shouldn't like him to be a mere sportsmnn, aud nothing else," Jenifer said, cheerfully. "Then you don't think It would be a good thing for Jack to take the home farm, Jenny?" Mr. Ray asked, disap pointedly. "No. Hubert, I don't think I should like the idea of Jack being tenant at die home farm," Jenifer said decidedly, though she felt her expression of opinion was giving annoyance to her brother. "He wouldn't have working interest there sufficiently large or engrossing to keep him from wasting a great deal of time." "I am sorry you're against It, Jenny," Huliert said, hesitatingly. "Erne and I thought It such a good thing, as it was an arrangement that would keep Jack near ns and yet make him quite independent, that I've already offered It to him." "And he?" "Has accepted the offer, naturally enoi'gh. It seems to tne," Mr. Ray said, forcing himself to speak cheerfully. "You're glad, arj yon not, mother? You'll be pleased to have Jack settled at the home farm?" "With a nice, rich wife; It's the duty of all poor young mez to marry nice, rich wives, and I'm sure Eflie will try to make Mr. Jack do his duty In that respect," Mrs. Jervoise interposed. "Won't you, Elfie?" she added, as Mrs. Ray entered Ft the moment. "You couldn't tear Jack away from The Fieid, Eflie?" her husband asked, laughingly. 'He wasn t wilh The Field to be torn away. The study was empty, and The field uncut. here can he be? How rude of him to go away the first night Mr. Jervoise and Flora are here! Really, Mm. 1,-iy, you have not brought op your sons to be polite enough to ladies; we had dreadful trouble, even with Hubert, at first, badn t we, Flora? He used at one time actually to have the assurance to put his professional duties before our pleas are. 1ms fine It! fsncy a partner in a great government contracting company's bouse letting himself be fettered by basi ns considerations!" Mrs. Hay threw op ber bead as she spoke, and looked very bright and bewil dering. She talked folty, trahr, bat aba talked it attractively, and even those who felt the folly of it most keenly were fasci nated into listening to her. "Miss Jenifer Ray has got a good deal cf old-fashioned family feeling about ber," Mrs. Jervoise told ber sister later. "She will almsys be stanch to ber brothers, and she'll make handsome presents to her nephews aud nieces, and she'll help to nurse any one of you that may be i!' Hut you'll never deceive ber, Eflie. and she'll never like yoa. Take my advice; keep straight with Jack, and dou't waste powder aud shot on the others." "Jack isn't much of a home bird; he doesn't five me many .opportunities of playing guardiaa angel to bim of aa even ing." "Where does he go?" "To the harness room to smoke, and sometimes to th vicarage to flirt, I sup pose. "The vicar has daughters?" -o, lie Dusn t; but his wife Is young and pretty, and has young and pretty friends staying with her very often. My dear Flora, why should I care a penny whether Jack falls a prey to one of these young women or not?" "I'll never hint that you need care aftct that glad day closes that makes known the contents of the sealed letter which the lawyer holds; and oh, I'd forgotten! who is the lawyer? What is be ll.e? old and a fogy, or " "Young and beguiling? He's neither, Flora; he's worse than either." CHAPTER V. Mr. Riddero had come, a young man. Into the district eight or ten years liefore the ojiening of this story, and, without social introductions or business creden tials, he hsd worked bis way to the very front ranks of the let local society, and Into intimate business relations with the most influential men. From the date of his first Introduction to Mr. liny, of Moor Royal, he had taken a genuine Interest in the family and its affairs. It should tie added that this in troduction had taken place about five years ago, when Jenifer was just seven Icen. The girl In ber richly formed beauty had lieen very pleasant to his eyes then. He liked watching her as she galloped about a paddock with her brother's point ers, asf setters and greyhounds. He liked the courage and skill with which Miss Ray would treat a young horse fresh from the bauds of the breaker. He liked to witness tne exhibition of her pride in, and love for, her mother and her brother Hubert. He likwl to dance wilh her, lie cauw she danced every note of every bar, as if her feet made the music Instead of the music moving her feet. In short, he likwl her altogether, but he never had a warmer feeling than liking for her, until he saw how she held herself up without flinching under the hearing of the words which he read from her father's will, which declared her penniless until her mother's death. Rut as he snv. her turn to her mother consolingly, without a pang or thought for herself, as he rend the thought which made her knit her brow nnd draw her breath when Jack's slender portion was proclaimed, he felt that he loved her. and anathematizeu his poor chance of ever gaining her. "She m:ist have had no end of fellows after her, and the lot of a rising country lawyer's wife isn't likely to appeal very powerfully to her imagination," he told himself sensibly enough. (To be continued.) Trees five CVntur OH. Cerleke, the great German foresVr, writes that the greatest ages to wh!cb trees In Germany are positively1 known to have lived are from 5m) to 570 years. For Instance, the pine In Bohemia und the pine In Norway and Sweden hnve lived to the latter age. Next mines the silver fir, which In the Rohemlan for ests has stood and thrived for upward of 4X years. In Bavaria the larch has reached the age of 275 years. Of foli age trees, the onk apiwars to have survived the longest. The best ex ample Is fhe evergreen onk nt Aschof- fenbiirg. which reached the age of 410 years. Oilier oaks Iti (lei-many have lived lo be from 315 to 320 years old. At AscliofTeiilmrjf the red b.-erh lias lived to the age of 245 years, nnd at other points to the age of 225 years, i Of other trees, the highest known are: ' Ash, 17o years; birch, Kfi to 2X) years; aspen, 220 years; mountain maple, 225 ; years; elm, 130 years, and red alder, j 145 years. London Public Opinion. j Deepest Depth of the Ocean. Ry slow degrees we are getting to know the contour of the sea bottom al most as well as we do that of the sur-1 face of the land, but It cannot be said that we have found the deepest water on the earth. Depth of 15,000 to 27,300 feet have been reached In the North Atlantic from lime to time, and one of 27,030 feet was discovered In the North Pacific off the eastern coast of Japan, where there is a remarkable Ktilf or depression. All these measure ment have, however, been outstripped by one recently taken south of the Friendly Isles In the South Pacific by II. M. K. Penguin. A depth of 2U.4O0 feet had been marked when the sound-Ing-wlre gave out before the lead bad reached the bottom. A fresh sound ing will therefore have to be made be fore we can tell the full depth of water at this spotLondon Public Opinion. A llloodthlrsty Monarch. The King of Renin, on the west coast of Africa, believes In the efficacy of human sacrifices. When times are good he kill a large number of slaves, and In seasons of calamity he kills an equally large number of these unfor tunates, nnd In both cases to appease the gods, who are supposed to be equal ly angry at the good and the 111 for tune of mortals. Profit In Whisky. The Palmetto State of South Caro Una sold Inst year, through Its dis pensaries, $020,002 worth of liquor, on which the net profit was IIOD.OSU The sales of the siibdlspensarles amounted to $1,076,WI3, at a profit of $201,383. Indestructible by Fire. Paper Indestructible by Art baa been Invented in Paris. A specimen of It was subjected to a severs teat-l-M boars Id a potter's furnace god came oat with lit gUat almost parfact WORN BY THE WOMEN SOME OF THE VERY LATEST IDEAS IN DRESS. la the Fashionable Haes for Fall Theva la Beaction from Fnmmer'e Brilliant Colore Browns, Bronze, Iilack, an l Deep Green All in f avor, Fads of Fashion, New Tork correspondent : -- ' EACTION from summer's brilliant colors is plain iu the fashionable hues fur fall, and leaf browns, bronzes. Mack aud deep greens will have their annual jierlod of favor. It la as well to select an early dress in some one of these effects, lK-cause tbey are always lie coining, and while the new dress must carefully avoid any thing that will iden tify It with the past instead of the coin ing season. It Is as well that It should not be conspicuously "this season" till the styles are not only settled among the makers but accepted by the wear ers. Hllllard cloth green Is sure to be one of the new tastes for the season. There will be an effort to revive royal purple, but purple never accomplishes either general popularity or entire ex clusive favor. Like yellow, purple has a way of standing out. It smiI1h other women's dresses by contrast, which no one likes to do, and It Is try- Ing to almost all complexions. For very elderly women of the grame dame type, the color Is dignified and suita ble, nnd always sets off silvered hair finely, but it Is not a safe color to ad vise generally. If you have a purple gown, by all means wear It again, aud lie glad that fashion permits, but be wary of Investing In n new one. Orcens are much safer, and the pres ent stylish shades are rich without be ing conspicuous. Veivcts in these col ors are very beautiful, and are enough to make any woman exhaust her pis-ket money. It even made beautiful the box jacket of the Initial sketch, which was of a general sort that can be easily made quite uuhandsonie. It was dark green velvet, loose and sa'cque-like, und Its front was decorated with white satin, embroidered with soutache. The high stock collar with Its wired orna ments was white satin, with braiding, and at the wrists there were white chiffon ru tiles, with braiding almve them on the materia. With this there was a skirt of blUl.Td green mnimui cloth, trimmed with soutache at the hem. While greens are at their best In velvet weaves, they are handsome In less costly stuffs, and the dress that was the subject of the second picture was an exceedingly tasteful walking rig. It was of voile. Its skirt banded with cream cashmere galloon showing brilliant colored silk embroidery. The jacket bodice Included a flgaro of the voile with galloon edging, the sides held together by cord loops and buttons. A deep sailor, collar of the goods was edged with galloon, and flaps of the dress goods with galloon border came under the arms. The blouse front was TTSJS't VS. 191 nitONZK AMD OKKF.N. white silk and fastened with hook and eyes, the rows of pearl buttons at the top belns- merely ornamental. A finishing touch of richness came In the wide-boned girdle of green velvet, with buckle In the center. In woolen stuffa the new bronaes are handsome, thorn verging so cloaoljr up on green as to demand g rwn trimmings Or VOU.E IS FASHION AMI K GREEK. spams making up very nu.-iy. The ..i.l in the next Illustration was r. broi!.;e suit ing plalded with dark gre u. u.i 1 made with a moderately wide skirt banded with dark green braid around the hem, each succeeding row running up one of the gislets until only two rows re mained for the front breadth, which was bordered with braid at the sides. At either side the skirt was adorned with pocket flaps of green cloth braid ed with bronze, and the bodice was of the same materials. Only the sleeves were of the plaid material, and were QI IKTOP III E, IICT NOVKL AS TO SLEEVES decorated with buttons at tliearmboles. Buttons also trimmed the skirt. It made a strikingly neat street dress, and would tempt the home dressmaker se riously, but matching such plaids Is a task for a skillful profiwdonaL A great many of the new features of the fall styles are embodied In costumes that show greens or bronzes, but less striking shades carry novelties, too, and though the color of the fourth pictured dress was a unlet brown, it had sleeves that were new enough to Iks worthy of study. It Included the effect of out lined shoulders, lsdow which the sleeves were pleated with puffs to the elbow, where they were gathered Into a small ruflle anil finished with a deep cuff of knife pleated velvet ending ia a white luce frill. The bodice was gathered In front, but was plain In back, aud lapped over to the left side and fastened with a brown silk cord loop. A gathered ruflle of brown velvet gave a Jacket effect. The dress goods In this model was cheviot, and the skirt was plain. Of course there Is nothing new In find ing that black goods are chosen by many for fall dresses, but In selecting such a sombre hue It Is wise to have the dress include some distinctly new feature, and to brighten It tip with some touch of rich coloring. In the model taken for to-day's last picture Issth these points are successfully consid ered. The sleeves are the point of new ness, fitting tightly to nearly the shoul der, where they nicet full but very narrow puffs. In the girdle comes the needed dash of color, from garnet satin that also supplies a big bow at the csy POISTKD II Y COI.OIl ASK JiliW SI.KEVKS. back. Small buttons trim skirt, sleeves and body. Tweed mixtures nre never out of style, and dark putty and lead colors win lie worn again as always. Hunting pink, which Is reallv scarlet. Is certain to appear this season for nobby little Jackets. If you are able to afford a change In jackets so that the scarlet one will not make a too conspicuous portion of your wardrobe, then by nli means go In for a little scarlet affair. Weir it as soon ns you get to town with any skin. It must be faultlessly finished and lined with white, gray, corn color or black satin. The cloth must be raw edged and no buttons should show. The Imix front ami close back with high stock collar and regular coat sleeves, roomy but not puffed, must be distinguishing features and there should be no hesitation about the red. Select It of the genuine hunting pink of the English field wear. There Is talk of little coats In all sorts of col ors, wine ml, bright chamois color, billiard gr.-en, etc., but scarlet and bil liard green are the only one likely to meet the acceptance of good taste, and that will Ik; of the swagger nnd advanced order. The girl who can have only one Jacket should select It of good cut and materinl and In putty color or of stone mixture. Have raw edge cloth always. Copyright. nX Ram Jones, the evangelist, lias been laying up treasures on this side of thd great divide. Pictures printed In South ern papers show bis new horns la Georgia to be quite palatial. "Dudes made whlls you wait," la th sign of a New York laundry which creaaes trousers la two minutes for 10 cents. il tk ii i - " . .