The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-12-08
How Poor Girl Captured a Million.
aire.


Jr. to Miss Alva Smith. the story of
which is often told in uppertendom.
While at school. Miss Smith suddenly
received word that her father had made
an unlucky venture, that his fortune
had gone up in balloon. and that she
and her sister must at the end of the
term, then near its close, go at once to
the home of their grandmother in Vir-
ginia, their to remain until their father
could summon them North again. This
was not suited at all to the tastes of q
'demoiselle conscious of her own at
fractions, and she determined to make
q venture of her own account. She
borrowed some money from her teach
er, and made an arrangement with her
to go to Richtield Springs for a few
weeks, so that when she appeared
there, she had as duenna well-known
instructress. and this piqued the curios-
ity of the young men about the resort.
There was u coterie of New York girls
there, Miss T., daughter of
a broker, Miss O., daughter of a
rich brewer, and several others, who
knew of the misfortune of the Smiths,
and who also tried to make it appear
that the young Miss Smith no longer
deserved place in the ranks of the
saouueaW richie, as her father had ''gone
up" Mr.. William Vanderbilt, Jr.,
came to the Springs to attend q ball,
and the New York girls were all in a
flutter, because each one desired to cap
.ture the son of the great millionaire.
Miss Smith took in the situation at q
glance. but she had nothing to wear
and she had only forty dollars in her
purse. She proposes to Miss T. to buy
a dress, and Miss T., having big stock
money, was ready to oblige her. She
wasn't, however, inclined to part with
anything that would be becoming to
Miss Smith, and accordingly she select
ed yellow silk with o wine-spot in
front, and offered to sell that for Miss
Smith forty dollars. being assured that
Miss Smith being more of blonde than
brunette, would look "horrid''
in yellow. But Miss Smith paid
the price, and the fair dealer in
secondhand clo' chuckled over the bar
gain she made. Her pleasure was
turned to chagrin that evening when
Miss Smith appeared upon the ball
room floor queen of beauty, and in
that yellow silk, too. Instead of put
ting white upon her face, she had made
her complexion brown, and. having
borrowed a lace mantilla from her
teacher and big black fan, she came
out the picture of hewitt ching senorita.
Her coy glances shot into the Wander
bilt heart. She tossed the soft ends of
the mantilla over her shoulder, as she
strolled the piazza, and used that fan
most bewitchingly. The New York
girls stood aghast, and Miss T. shed q
tear over the loss of her yellow silk.
and felt that she had been cheated, for
she never thought that the dress looked
SO we'll. The result was that Wander
bilt fell desperately in love, pressed his
suit, became all the more ardent be-
cause of the lady's studied hesitancy,
and was the happiest young million
aire anywhere when he gained
kiss and the privilege of putting on the
finger of the senorita q diamond en-
gagement ring. Mrs. Vanderbilt at
once visited Richield Springs, was
charmed by her prospective daughter
in-law, and invited her to go and spend
the summer with her. The smart young
girl, however. pleaded that she had a
dear, sweet grandnAamma in Virginia to
whom she owed duty visit, and she
said that she must 20 there first.
Thither she went, and taking an &C.
count of stock, improved her wardrobe
as smart girl with little money only
can, and then she accepted the invitation
of her prospective mother-in-law. She
confided to her the story of the bitter
ness of the fashionable New York girls
who were so anxious to, get her ex-
pected husband, and the result was that
the mother had her pride touched, and
she at once cut the Us and Os, much
to the CONSERVATION of the families
aforesaid. Well, all went well. The
millionaire married the pretty girl of
the yellow silk dress and the black lace
mantilla, and they are now living hap
PLY upon the avenue. Cor. st. Louis
.ReDubiic0N.