Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-16
MRS. MONTGOMERY SWIFT.
Disconsolate Society Girls Daring and Sue
cessfGl Ruse.

CeSSl IL huSt-
Jessica Wynne had waving down hair,
merry dancing eyes, red lips, always
parted over small white teath, a round
waist and bright fresh com plexion; she
was barely II. 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 IL a
quiet country house in Wales, that she
had neither father nor mother, and had
been since her BABY hood che charge of a
widowed, childless aunt, blessed with a
philanthropio 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 a fearless, indie
pendent nature, contrived to make the
most of opportunities and as she grew
up became the Acknowledged belle of the
country side. Her reputation extended
as far as Cardiff and Brecknock, and no
country, or garrison ball was deemed a
success unless Miss Wynne vas present.
She was escorted to these festivities by
some oblging chaperon, to whom Mrs.
Polsover trusted her, sometimes for a
couple of days at stretch, with many
recommendations as to propriety and de-
pertinent.
One never TO be forgotten day Jessics
was invited by some acquaintance she
had met at Cardiff, and who had taken a
great fancy to her, to spend two months
with them in London Immediately after
Easter. The girl passed a week in a
dslirious Joy of preparation and antici'
patton; she dreamed of triumphs which
would eclipse those of the little Welsh
belle, of Intoxicating delights, of parties,
balls, Nottingham, Sandown, the New
Club, the theaters, of all the places she
had read of in the society papers; and,
looking at her pretty face in the glass,
she even hoped that it might be her proud
fate to see her name in print as "the
lovely Miss Wynne" In some glorified
paragraph.
Col. and Mrs. Tressillian, her future
hosts, were a fashionable middle-aged
couple, addicted to good deal of wan
dering over Euro pc IN quest of health and
amusement, but generally occupying g
fine house in South Kensington during
the season, where they entertained liber-
ally both their @ mpatriots and foreign
ers, whenever they were not themselves
being entertained.
Jessioa Wynne returned tc Wales at
the beginning of July. If Mrs. Polsover
had been observant she might have no
ticed a shadow in the laughing brown
eyes, a certain com preston in the scarlet
lips. She vaguely observed that the girl
was unusually reticent about her London
experiences. Eyes, London was very gay
plenty of things going on, of course;
lots of fine gowns, good music. oh, yes,
heaps OF concerts, too-many of them"
"Had she enjoyed herselff" "Of urse;
how could she help enjoying herself in
London during the season." and answers
10 that effect.
The truth of the matter was that the
popular little Welsh belle had been sore
Iy neglected in London. She found, to
her indignant dismay, that her beauty,
wit and repartee remained unapprecIated;
with increasing choler, she soon remark
ed that other maidens as fresh and fair
as herself shared her ignominious obscur-
lty. Her consciousness, 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 odious married women-fast, bold,
sxacting, tyrannical matrons, who mo-
She saw those unprincipled creatures
surrounded by their courtiers at the play
and at the races; they were asked to
dinners, picnics and balls, and when poor
little Jessica did get card for dance
the entertainment painfully reminded
her of the breaking up festivities at her
school, wrere the white frocks so hope
lessly predominated over the black coats.
oil nIr RI
set her teeth hard, gathered her eyebrows
into a resolute frown and vowed that if
she had lost her first innings she would
be even yet with the London world.
Miss Wynne ha ] not forgotten her vow,
or else fortune favored her. A year later
Mrs. Polsover died, leaving half her
money to the lady helps, the other half to
Jessica, who became almost an heiress.
When six months had passed, little
paragraph appeared in several Welsh
papers containing the folio wing inteli-
gence:
eve understand that the beautiful Miss
Jessica Wynne will, at the expiration of
mourning, return to society as the bride
of Capt, Montgomery Swift. This gal
liant officer, now on leave, will, however,
shortly after the honeymoon be COM
PEELED to join his regiment abroad"
This announce ment, shorn of local
hyperbol gradually found it's way into
the Birmingham end Manchester dailies,
and finally drifted into one or two Lon
don papers.
Mrs. Montgomery Swift took charm
ing furnished house in the Mayfair, kept
a perfectly appointed broughsm and vic
toria, procured her toilet from Paris and
forthwith became the rage. Her gowns
were copied, her repartees quoted, her 5
O'Clock at homes crowded. She gave
neither dinners nor parties, availed herself
of few of the introductions obtained
through the Tressillians, Tho were abroad /;
with charming impertinence and pretty
audacity dropped all the people she con-
sidered bores, and plunged into the mad
dest whirl of social dissipation. Ameri
can girls knashed their teeth with envy
when the little "grass widow" carried off
their most hopeful admirers, dowagers
frowned, young matrons pursed their
lips, mothers of marriagesb daughters
were bitter, but Mrs. Montgomery Swift
needed them not, and reveled in her
popularity.
"Who the deuce is Ca pt. Swift, and
where does he hang outS" querried a
puardsman of 3 fellow warrior psrting
from Jessica, when she re entered her
carriage after her daily walk in the park.
"Who cares big d for the husband of
a pretty womanf" was the hippant
answer. "He's somewhere on the gold
coast. or in India, or at Suakim, she tells
me; he might be dead and buried for ali
1 care-only it's much safer TO know
there's husband somewhere; ald, TO do
the little woman justice, although she