Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-01-13
SELECTED sTDR Y
ARIST0cRACY;;
EleanOr's Seaside Acquaintance
BY LEWIS GLENN

Tall, handsome, elegant, with a dash Q
hauteur in her manner, was Eleanor d.
Burgh-very exclusive and highhred, ant
looking with contempt and disdain upon th'
daughters of tradesmen or mechanics.
matters not that mary of them had amassee
wealth and lived in style, had educated thcil
children in the best schools in the land s.
they came under the ban. were counted no
bodies by our heroine.
Mrs. De Burgh was woman Of sens;
and refinement, and cxpostulated with hel
daughter on her foolish pride j. but tina
young lady turned up her aristocratic most
(when her mother warned her that if she
continued in her present course she would
have but few friends, and affirmed tina
she certainly preferred the company oftht
gentecl minority to a vulgar majority
These early traits in her character were
not put of with her short dresses She
was brilliant scholar and acquired the us
ual branches of French, German, music
and all the logies; yet there were severa
young ladies who graduated with her, and
perhaps somewhat excellcd her in their stud
les but they were not of her friends they
come not Of ancient lineage, and consequent
ly, she met their friendly advances by &
cool = nay, freezing peliteness. Was moi
she an only daughter of the ancient family
of De Burghs. who from time immemorial
had rolled in wealth, and had never beer
known to mix with the vulgar herd +? She
gave her head an extra toss at the bare idea
of her associating with the sons and daugh
tiers OF common people.
We shall not write all essay on the folly
of exclusiveness, and the probability of the
descendants of our present business firms
looking in their turn with contempt Oh the
poor remains of a former aristocracy, but
we commenced to write of Elcanor's summer
at the seaside, and her good fortune to meet
with live Countess who Immediately at
tached herself to their party, and who vas
pleased to pay Eleanor some attention.
Eleanor had been there two weeks before
the arrival Of the Countess Dalrymple, and
had been busily Engaged in knitting al
Afghan, which she much wished to finish
in the time for a birthday presentto equity
old uncle who never rode out, and, Of
course, would never use it,
She was knitting away, and it nearly
completed, when she was accosted by a
SLOWLY dressed lady, whose charms. if she
ever possessed any, had long departed
Don't you find that piece of work very
tircsomc my dear 2" said she patronizingly
mot at all. like to knit worsteds it
is quite facinating."
Il cannot see how it can be anything but
bore. Work is not in my line. / know
as little Of the use of needles as Nubian
damsel whose wardrobe requires no stitch
ing" s.
Il think ;" said Mrs De Burgh, who was
sitting near her daughter s'no lady's educa-
ton is complete without a knowledge Of
these things
THAT may be in America but in my
country we have SO many and such well.
trained servants that it is entirely unneces
sary for u.s.
THAT is strange | am told that Eng
lands queen taught her daughters to be ex.
pert housekcepers and sewing. I am
certain, has been practied by royaly and no
bility from time inmemorial"
"Bah All fudge Now, my mother-in.
law the late Countess Dalrymple, had three
daughters, and not one Of them could sew
the merest trife and my own mother
Lady Fitz- Allan, never during her whole
life, sewcd stich.''
II should have tried it, if only out o
curiosity" said Eleanor. ~
osHow could she, when her French maie
was always at hand to do FER commands ?
at must be tiresome to have nothing t.
| ds,