Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-08
JESSICA'S MARRIAGE.
It Occurred Many Months Before
She Net Her Husband.

Jessica Wynne had waving brown
hair, merry dancing eyes, red lips, al
ways parted over small white teeth, a
round waist and bright, fresh COM
plexion; she was barely seventeen, a
perfect edition of the pocket Venus and
the possessOr of fair portion. These
were her assets, against which stood
the facts that she lived in quiet coun-
try house in Wales, that she had
neither father nor mother. and had
been since her babyhOod the charge of
widowed, childless aunt, blessed with
philanthrOpic turn of mind and more
solicitous of sparing labor to her lady
helps than of contributing to the pleas
ures of her niece. However, on the
whole, the odds were in favor of the
girl, who, being gifted with fearless,
Independent nature, cOntrived to make
the most of opportunities, and as she
grewup became the acknowledged belle
OF the country side. Herreputation ex-
tended as far as Cardiff and Brecknock
and no county or garrison ball was
deemed a success unless Miss Wynne
was present. She was escorted to these
festivities by some obliging chaperon,
TO whom Mrs. POlsOver trusted her,
sometimes for a couple of days at a
stretch, with many recommendation
as to prOpriety and department.
One never-tO-be-forgotten day Jes-
sica was invited by some acquaintance
she had met at Cardiff. and who had
taken great fancy to her, to spend two
months with them in London immedi-
ately after Easter. The girl passed a
week in a deliriOus JOY of prepara-
ton and anticipation; she dreamed of
triumphs which would eclipse those of
the little Welsh belle, of Intoxicating
delights, of parties, balls. Nottingham,
SandOwh, the New Club, theaters, of
all the places she had read of in the
society papers; and, looking at the
pretty face in the glass, she even hoped
that it might be her proud fate to see
her name in print as 1.-The lovely Miss
Wynne" in some glorified paragraph.
Colonel and Mrs. Tressilliau, her
future hosts, were fashionable mid
dle-aged couple, addicted to a good
deal of wandering over Europe in
quest of health and amusement, but
generally occupying a fine house in
South KensingtOn during the season,
where they entertained literally both
their compatriots and foreigners,
whenever they were not themselves
being entertained.
Jessica Wynne returned to Wales at
the beginning of July. If Mrs. Polls
over had been Observant she might
have noticed shadow in the laughing
brown eyes. a certain compression in
the scarlet lips. She vaguely observed
that the girl was unusually reticent
about her London experiences. ''Yes.
London was very gay-plenty of things
going on, of course; lots of fine gowns,
good music. o, yes, heaps of concerts,
too-many of them" Had she en-
joyed herself?'' ''Of course; how
could she help enjoying herself in
London during the season." and an
swers to that effect.
The truth of the matter was that the
popular little Welsh belle had been
sorely neglected in London. She found,
to her indignant dismay, that her
beauty, wit and repartee remained I'M
appreciated; with increasing choler
she soon remarked that other maidens
as fresh and fai= as herself shared her
ignominious obscurity. Her conscious
ness, which was not conceit, told her
that she was sacrificed to rivals less
fair, less clever. and, above all, less
young; she realized that one and all of
the successful queens of society were
odlous married women-fast, bold, ex-
acting, tyraunical matrons, who mo-
uopol1zed the attentions of the men.
She saw those uprincipled creatures
surrounded by their courtiers at the
play and at the race; they were asked
to dinners, picnics and balls, and when
poor little Jessica did get card for
dance the entertainment painfully re-
minded her of the breaking-up festivi-
ties of her school. where the white
frocks so hopelessly predominated over
the black coats. Remembering all
these things, the girl Set her teeth
hard, gathered her eyebrows into
resolute frown and vowed that if she
had lost her first innings she would be
even yet with the London world.
Miss Wynne had not forgotten her
VOW, or else fortune favored her. A
year later Mrs. Polsover died, leaving