, 1882-05-12
How Vim. II. Vanderbilt was Captured
by a Coy Maiden.

There is very pretty romance about
the marriage of VIM. H. Vanderbilt, Jr.
and Miss Alva Smith, the story of which
is often told in uppertendom. The young
| lady and her sister were at school in
Pennington, Ct, in Miss Porter's acad-
envy, whence Nellie Grant was expelled
for insu ubordination. Nellie Grant had
counted a little too much upon the power
of the name of her father, whom she al
ways called Ulysses and Miss Smith first
gained reputation by being one of the
spirited girls who recognized no differ
ence between her father, very smart
, speculator in New York, and the
Cialena tanner, and she was recognized
leader in the agitation which resulted
in Miss Grants retirement, and
there has been ever since between the
two such feud as very charming women
are capable of. While at school Miss
Smith suddenly received word that her
father had met an unlucky venture, that
his fortune had gone up in balloon,
and that she and her sister must at the
end of the year, then near its close, go at
once to the home of their grandmother
in Virginia, there to remain until their
father could summon them north again,
This was not suited at all to demoiselle
of her own attraction, and she deter
mined to make venture on her own ac-
count. She borrowed some money from
her teacher and made an arrangement to
go with her to Richfield spring for a
few weeks, so that when she appeared
there she had as duenne q well known
instructress, and this piqued the Curl
osity Of the young men about the resort.
There was coterie OF New York girls
there. A Miss t, daughter of a
broker, q Miss O.. daughter of a rich
brewer, and several others, who knew of
the misfortunes of the Smiths, and who
also tried to make it appear that the
young Miss Smith no longer deserved a
place in the ranks of the "nouveau
riche,' as her father had "gone up"
William Vanderbilt, Jr., came to the
springs to attend ball, and the New
York girls were all in a hutter, because
each one desired to capture the son of
the great millionaire. Miss Smith took
in the situation at a glance, but she had
nothing to wear, and she had only forty
dollars in her purse. She proposes to
Miss L. to buy dress, and Miss I. hav-
ing big stock of dresses and small
amount of pin money, was ready to
oblige her. She was not, however, in
cllned to part with anything that would
be becoming to Miss Smith, and accord
ingly she selected yellow silk, with
wine spot in front, and offered to sell
that for Miss Smiths $40, being assured
that Miss Smith, being more of blonde
than brunette. would look 'horrid" in
yollow. But Miss Smith paid the price,
and the fair dealer in second hand clio
chuckled over the bargain she had made.
Her pleasure was changed to chagrin
that evening when Miss Smith appeared
upon the ballroom floor a queen of
beauty, and in that yellow silk too.
Instead of putting white upon her
face, she made her complexion brown,
and having borrowed lace mantilla
of her teacher, and a big blacS fan,
she came out the picture of bewitch
ing senorita. Her coy glances shot into
the Vanderbilt heart. She tossed the
soft ends of the mantilla over her shoul.
der as she strolled the piazza, and used
the fan most bewitchingly. The New
York girls stood aghast, and Miss Z.
shed a tear over the loss of her yellow
silk and felt that she had been cheated,
for she never thought that dress looked
so well. The result vast that Wander
bilt fell desperately in love, pressed his
suit, became all the more ardent because
of the lady's studied hesitancy, and was
the happiest millionaire anywhere when
he gained kiss and the privilege of put
ting on the finger of the senorita dia-
mond engagement ring. Mrs. Wander.
bilt at once visited Richfeld Springs,
was charmed by her prospective
daughter.in-law, and invited her
to spend the summer with
her. The smart young girl, however,
pleaded that she had dear, dear grand.
mamma in Virginia to whom she owed a
duty visit, and she said she must go
there first. Thither she went, and tax
ing an account of stock, improved her
wardrobe as smart girl with little
money only can, and then she accepted
the invitation of her prospective mother
inlaw. She conhded to her the story of
the bitterness of the fashionable New
York girls, who were so anxious to get
her expected husband and the result was
that the mother had her pride touched,
and she at once cut the L. S and O.'s
much to the CONSERVATION of the fami-
lies aforesaid. Well, all went we'll. The
millionaire married the pretty girl of the
yellow silk dress and black lace man
tilla, and they are living happily upon
she aSenue