Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-21

sgthel no eoorinn can be thoroughly hap
py sCjlo Is not a religious t1omdn>"
CHAPTER L
srrst lightly indicate my early history.
Nv father was a prosperous business man
10 the city of Philadelphia. No name on
Narke: street was moro respected, and Ger
ainly no stors front on Market street was
uglier than his. He was kindly man, en-
srely devoted TO his business, and all the
more because it demanded slight knowl
edge of science, which gave him an excuse
for subscribing to The Scientific American
and forming cabinets of specimens. !
was exceedingly fond of him, and he,
think, preferred me to my younger sister,
who WIS prig. as many girls are.
It may be that l ought to ascEibe my
fathers preference to the fact that, being
preoocious child, soon learned how to
play at billiards, for It was IN that game
that he found his chief and indeed his
only, relaxation. In course Of time be-
came quite an adept, though it was tire
some to have TO knock the balls about night
after night, and many long evening have
J spent in my fathers company, stretching
myself across our big green table and
chslking my tall cue with childish gravity.
Ny mother was as ambitious as my father
was contented. Long before either Of her
daughters was old enough TO understand
the meaning Of the word position" she
he'd discovered that it was impossible to
convey to bis mind in any wav the idea
that there could be anything wanting to
ours.
His idea for the future happiness of
Ethel and Elizabeth Jones was that we
were to marry energetic young business
men, live quietly in the country, and raise
peas and families to be the admiration and
despair of our neighbors. 1t may be i'm
sgined that my mother rarely endeAvored
TO convince him how trite were his ideas
when l add that whenever these visions of
the future pastoral happiness of his dsugh-
tiers presented themselves to his mind he
Invariably was excited to declare an inben-
ton to retire from business himself and
taste similar buoolic joys on my grand
fathers farm in Lancaster county. My
mothers hopes, however, were none the
less distinct because my father did not
happen to share in them; she looked to Us
sVE uOuDtt StlstEo vi energy anu pAkIISs
One, at least, OF her daughters has not dis
appointed her.
Ny mother was an ignorant woman in
many ways. but she was quick. apprecia-
tive, far sighted and possessed of consider
able knowledge of the world-or, rather,
Of the failings of the world, which amounts
TO the same thing. 1t was this knowledge
that enabled her TO succeed in establishing
relations with advantageous people AGAINST
the time Of our growing up. Considering
her disadvantages for she never dared to
allow my father to suspect that she was in
trguing for her dsughters) her success was
wonderful. Perhaps the success she did
obtain was not SO wonderful as her tact and
self control. She managed never to appear
pushing; she always behaved with good
taste, and she kept several obnoxious rela-
lions out of the way, but as I incline to
think, after my fathers failure and death,
al her care might have been of no avail
whatever
Old Mr.. Latitude told her she would
have ooosid hard time to get those girls
Into Philadelphia society-and his reasons
Tor saying SO were excellent He also de-
sired her to count on him for assistance;
but as his function in society was simply
the collation., condensation and diffusion
nfgossip, his offer involved more temporary
good will on his part than future profit to
my mother. 1t certainly looked as if she
wsrs going to have hard time, and we
might easily have dropped out Of sight, for
though we had acquaintance with some
people it rested with us to keep it up, and
Twas only Is. am inclined to ascribe our
success TO the fact that my mother was
able to keep US at Miss Mayburn's school.
1t helped matters to Q certain extent that
ny mother Immediately crossed the Rubi-
con Of Market street and established her
s.lf among the people whom we wished to
know, but we might never have accom-
plished anything further if it had not been
Ter the connections we were able to form
1t Miss Mayburn's and the kindness of the
girls we met there We were not entirely
Unknown, to be sure, nor altogether disap-
proved of when we first went there. Ny
nctber has often reminded me OF her policy
With Mrs. Hathorne at Cape May. It was
Dur first visit to the sea-we had been used
70 spend our summers at my grandfather's
hrm-and befoCe Mrs Hathorne appeared
We had been allowed to run wild with
so,ne children whose manners were not too
dad. bat whose voices and appearance wore
Of Pitssburg, Pittsburgy; and inagine
that We were at times disagreeahle. But
when Lofty and Gcrty Hathosne appeared
eur liberties were snatched from US.
On the beach we were attended by my
mothers maid, and nay mother in themean-
Zine waited three days for another servant
Our dinners we took no longer in the pub
Tic dining hall, but at the nurses and chill
dren's table. The fine muslins xnd broad
sashes in which we had daiightsd were laid
assoc, and We soberly wore our flannel
dresses all day long. My mother took care
b behsve in kn. Hathesue's prasance - Il
they had exchanged positions, and the con-
kQuenes was that at re end OF the week
Ne were familiar with the girls, and ME-.
i-.4-... az, liall eonverssd amlcsO4y with lly
mother upon the beach. I do not think,
tAsrefore, that Mrs. Hathrne was greatly
1splesse6 sc1ue enc OF Two pears afterward
p md thRt LEFTY and I were in the same
claas ct Ms Msybuxn's and very likely to
Aeeeme iuttnate.
lisokbaak 70 my sheool days with graft
oeeA e9eetseu end rsSst. According 70
ny tatAaeS psecopcstsed notions ve eught
y 4eye hs4a can't - . boarding school,
BOT b wa unakis b make mp hi mind 10
aala u .fs1a A1AA saa l. AaAe 9e.l& !