Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-04-22
PASTE OR DIAMONDS.
A Necklace That Enabled Mrs.
Sykes to Meet the Kaiser.

| dykes had set her heart upon going.
Not only was this to be the most superb
event of the Cowes season, but period
had now arrived in the career of Mrs.
Sykes at which she felt that in one form
or another it was imperative that she
should meet royalty. For two years
ever since, in fact, Mr.. Sykes had con-
verted himself, as he used to express it,
from tradesman into gentleman by
selling Sykes Soap Substitute to a
limited company-Mrs. Sykes had been
steadfastly maneuvering herself into
society. BY reason of her husband
enormous wealth and her own not over
scrupulous astuteness she had succeeded
up to point But though the circles
in which royalty moves are not inacces-
sible to certain portions of the common
herd, the line, which even in these DAYS
has to be drawn somewhere, had hither-
to been drawn at Mrs. Sykes. She had
sustained a severe disappointment in
connection with the Marlborough house
! garden party, but defeat only acts as a
stimulant on some natures, and as Mr.
| Sykes, whose one hobby was yachting,
! was going to Cowes for the Royal
! Yacht Squadon meeting, Mrs Sykes
was seized with the inspiration that her
| failure in London might be retrieved
| by forcing herself into the Duchess of
Beaumonde's entertainment to the En-
| glish and German royalties in the Isle
of Wight.
When she came to consider how this
was to be accomplished there was one
lady to whom Mrs. Sykes thoughts at
once turned. This was a certain Lady
Pail Mall, whose husband was afflicted
with a chronic impecuniosity which
made it extremely difficult for both to
keep up the state and dignity BETTING
their station. Her ladyship, being a
young, pretty and clever woman, was
often compelled to practice various
stratagems and devices in order to keep
her own and her husbands head above
the waters of debt, which constantly
threatened to overwhelm them. Not
the least remunerative of the many
avocations pursued by her ladyship
whereby she contrived to make her
rank and position profitable in a pc
cuniary sense was that of social sponsor
and general guide, philosopher and
friend to people who, like the Sykes,
were at once wealthy, ambitious, vul-
gu oAA0 SShNl w ullC
Lord Pail Mall borrowed money freely
from the husbands of those ladies for
whom Lady Pail Mall procured invita-
lions, presented at court, patronized
and introduced into her set, her lady
ship accepted from the ladies them
selves numerous handsome and costly
gifts.
All this Mrs. Sykes knew and appre-
ciated, and upon it she formed her
scheme. 1t was scheme, however, in
which her husbands cooperation was
Indispensable, for, in spite of the fact
that Mrs. Sykes enjoyed liberal al
lowance, her anxiety to shine in the
world kept her in perpetual state of
financial embarra ssment. At the pres
ent moment, so far from having any
spare cash in her pocket, she was very
seriously in debt. She was obliged,
therefore, to confide in her husband be-
fore she could carry herr scheme into eff
feet. John Sykes had heard a good
deal about the Duchess of Beaumonde's
party and had every opportunity of APP
preciating the depth of his wife's
anxiety to get there, but he opened his
eyes considerably when he was given
w uAllS4 SOdItb I1ldb Will UllC view OI
procuring a card Mrs. Sykes contem-
plated making a costly present of
jewelry to Lady Pail Mall
You don't mean to say that you want
to offer bride to real Countessi" ex-
claimed Sykes, vulgar man. possessed
of simple mind and limited voca bu-
larry.
Bride! What a dreadful express
sionr' answered his wife 81 propose
to make her ladyship a present, John,
! that is all. To one in her position it
would be an insult to offer any thing
but diamonds. The only question is
what form the present should take |
| think necklace"
| at will cost lot of money, Polly"
Not more than we can afford" re-
piled his wife. 1T might be fifteen
! hundred-it might be two thousand: but
you never were a mean man, John
To do him justice, john was not.
During the last two years he had, in his
own phrase, stuck at nothing in the
way of expenditure for the purpose of
enabling his wife to attain that position
in the world on which she had set her
heart though, as Mrs. Sykes very well
| knew, his wrath would have been great
if he had known that she had spent
several hundred pounds more than he
was aware Of He only needed to be
convinced that Lady Pail Mall was
| amenable to the influence which his
wife proposed to bring to bear on her,
and that there was reasonable pros
pect of her ladyship being able to pro-
! cure the desired quid pro quo When
Mrs Sykes, by dint of long argument
| and eXpostulation, had convinced him
on these points he was ready to go and
! buy the diamonds 1T once. But he in
sisted on buying them himself. Mrs.
| Sykes had not intended this, but she
found her husband firm on this point
and was too good a diplomatist to con-
| test it.
''You had better call on her ladyship
this afternoon and sound her about the
| business he said, in conclusion. ''Two
thousand pounds is a bit Of money, and
don't want to jump before come to
| the fence. You can sec how she takes
it before get the stones, and mind you
do it carefully"
Mrs. Sykes did it-whether carefully
or not is matter of opinion. She sue
! ceeded, at any rate, ia making Lady
! Pail Mall understand what She wanted
and what she was prepared to pay for
it. If Lady Pail Mall had been dis
posed to resent the fashion in which
the transaction was approached the.
price was too substantial for her to be-
tray her sentiments. by the time the
two ladies parted very definite under
standing was arrived at. Mrs. Sykes
friends with many edifying anecdotes
of his early life and adventures in the
soap trade. In the course of such con-
versation the talk somehow turned upon
Mrs. Sykes love of finery
'Ah, You can afford to indulge these
] tastes y said ord pnN Nnu III y