The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-04
FOR THE HONOR OF THE HOUSE

principally TO Sir Reginald Lorilard's Sec
ond wife.
The first Lady Lorilard Cborn Janet Nc
coy was a Scotch Iassie. delicate in Body
and serious In mind, who regarded her
lord as a brand to he snstched df possibIe)
from the burning, and adored him. The
marriage was arranged for them when
they were respectively fourteen and eleven
years Of age; their engagement came to
an uneventful end when the bride was
eighteen, and their marriage life lasted
from March TO the following December.
No child survived. hut poor pale little
Janet's tauchter is alive and hearty still.
Sir Reginald. having married once to please
his mother and satisfy some inherited cred
itors. took a second wife TO please himself,
and thus effected a double-barreled consola-
ton: for the lady was a widow. and quite
n contrast In every respect TO her shy and
somewhat dowdy predecessor. Large, just
a little loud, and rather snowy than hand
some, she quickly made her mark, and Sir
Reginald thought himself a very lucky
man \ wife who never had a headache,
who WAS ready 10 go out with him I'm any
sort OF weather. who di1 not want much
London, and filled his fine old country
house with merry company. saving him all
sorts of bother. was just the wife for
him Bother TO him was original sin.
They met at Scarborough, and. as bother
would certainly arise out of a formal en-
gagement, they were welded at once with
out any fuss. She was what men in those
far-off days called (and liked as) a folly
woman: for, indeed. IL you viii believe me,
there have been times in our social life
when II was not considered necessary to
look bored and be duh. But there were oc-
rs gfnn- wrhaFn rr,~I
could see flashes, like the -gIimmering of
distant bayonets, in Flora Lorilard's usual
~ dove-like eyes. These came when she
considered herself treated with dIsrespect,
and those TO the manner born noticed that
she was very touchy about her personal
dignity.
The Lorilards came of fine old stock, and
there We're those who considered that old
Cir Piers had stained his shield by placing
the bloody hand upon it. He cid this to
please his wife, Dame Barbara, of whom
more anon. Ethan Priors, their house in
Midlands, was a great barrack-Iike place,
In a splendid park. Right through the mid
die OF its first floor, with a large church.
like window at each end, ran the picture
gallery, fuu or portraits Of by-gone Lori
lards, I'm srmor. in buff coats, in velvet
periwigS, in military uniforms, as Ro-
man generals, as masters of fox hounds, as
bishops, and so on. And there also hung
presentmentS OF their wives, their sisters.
and their cousins and their aunts, pretend
Ing To be heather goddesses or shepherd
esses, or displaying their charms in the
dress OF their period as Its fashion dictated.
Here full length, was Sir Piers, the first
baronet, In a long brown wig AMI a book
In his hand TO show that he could read; but
the anne Barbara, his wife, was nowhere
20 be seen An ordinary lot. these ances-
tors, from an artistic point of view. As a
rule. all the men scowled ana all the worlen
simpered; but there was some Interesting
family history In it and a big scandal OUT
OF e. IN the case of Lady Barbara afore-
Our first Lady Lorilard considered ror-
traits as WORLDLY and would not be taken.
Her successor determined that posterity
should be delighted with her in the dress
she wore when presented ION her mar
rage and commissioned an artist of that
day for his reproduction of chif-
IONS 10 paint her, which he did to her en-
tire satisfaction The likeness was striking
and the details perfect. The satin was
satin and the lace, lace. You could al
monds Shine The sitter was proud of ner
hands, and so one. the left, glittering with
6sId g1 ana n second Wsddins ring. was
perverse necklet. OF course, IL had TO 20
70 the academy, then held in Trafalgar
sqnars; bur as there We're to be large par
ties at ETHAN Priors for the hunting and
christmas. ii made its first appearance
there, and a place of honor was prepared
Tor IL In the gallery by skying a oi5nop.
face turned TO the wall.
Lady Lorilard was vexed. Sir Reginald
laughed This was evidently the practical
JOKE of some rattle-Dated young fox-hun-
Ter on his way TO bed, with too much soda
and b. But it should not be repeated. He
ordered four brass plates, and had the
fra me EcrnrvO6 into The - -
corner. No turning now.
The frame was there all right next MORN
inss but the canvas had been cut clean out
Lady Lorilard was furious, and SO was
her lord this time. Their guests, one and
al. declared that they had never interfered
with the picture, and the house was
searched from basement to garret-in vain.
We did not then rush off with our scan
dals to a private detective. The family
wash was conducted in the family laundry.
To carry out my metaphor I will say that
Lady Lorilard used soft soap and hard
wringing upon the servants. and at last
she came upon the legends of Dame Bar
bara.
She also was a second wife. and had a
StepSOn, a vigorous boy. until her own child
was born. Then he faded away and died.
When four wears old he had been painted
with his mother, as Cupid TO her Venus,
according to the fashion of the day, and
the picture hung In the center of the gall
lery.
The new Lady LoriIard was jealous OF
her predecessor. and hated the sight of
this painting. She had Ii removed and her
own portrait substituted. The next MORN
ing II was found. face upwards, on the
floor. the cords by which il had been sus-
pended intact and the hook To which il
had hung firmly i'm its place, but now IL
was holding up the deposed Venus and
CUPID. just as before.
This was more than Dame barbara could
stand. She nad a bonfire made of this lat
ter, replaced the former, and set as g watch
uDon II a grim old soldier who had been
with the army In Flanders and was not
nervous. shortly after midnight he saw a
lady. leading a naked child by the hand.
come slowly up from the south end or the
gallery and stand in front or the new pic
ture. He thought il was his employer COME
TO see If he was on the alert, and walked
up TO ner. At CLOSE quarters he noticed that
the lady vas dressed '~'Cutlandish' and that
the boy had a how. Then he gave the alarm
agreed upon. and when lights were brought
there was nc lady. no child. and, what was
most extraordinary. no picture of Barbara,
Lady IOrilard. was found.
After this the same wonder appeared in
other parts Of the house by day and night.
Every servant left, and one, driven des-
perate by these apparitiOns. confessed that
she had assisted her lady to poison the heir.
But The end was not here Dame Barbara
defieI the c~OnStahleS sent TO arrest her, and
barricaded herself in her room. Whilst the
officers Of the law were consulting outside
as Ia what should be done a lady in a
curious sort OF bath gown" Verbatim from
the reporp. leading a child without any
clothes on" suddenly appeared and passed
IN. The officers made a rush, thinking TO
follow. but the door resisted al their ef-
forts Then they heard an unearChly shrek.