The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05


Her Beauties were a well known in
stitution. and although her liking for any
especial one OF them seldom lasted long,
her liking for always having a good
looking girl to take about with her was
constant.
And she was right. She was fond Of So
ciety. but she was a plain, middle-aged
woman who in herself was in no way
brilliant: and there was no doubt about
It that these young ladies of hers greatly
enhanced Lady Dunroy's social value
She was in the habit of picking up her
beauties in the wilds; or rather more
strictly speaking, in part Of the world
which she choose TO consider so. That
they were well-born was necessary, but
that they should have lived a life out
side the social one in which she herself
lived was even more so.
They must never have been seen before.
They must be new.
II was therefore with much delight that
upon going into Hillshire to spend a week
with a very old friend of hers. whom she
had not seen for years she
discovered that the eldest daughter of
this same old friend was an exceptionally
good looking girl. Nay, more than that;
IL may as we'll be granted at once that
Jane Smith was exceptionally beautiful.
Rather above the average hight, she
had an exceedingly well-made figure.
which she carried in a really regal man
ner, both well and gracefully.
AS to her face. IL was a very lovely one,
and not only was its complexion perfect,
but il was set in a very shapely little
head, and crowned by a mass of soft,
naturally wavy hair, which in color was
a bewitching combination of auburn and
gold.
Her name, Lady Dunroy considered, was
against her. In her opinion the name OF
Jane was commonplace, and that OF
Smith extremely uninteresting. But then,
as everybody knows, names above all
other things take their interest from the
person they adorn, and If Jane Smith
became the fashion, then would the name
of Jane become chic, and that of Smith
be thought desirable.
Besides her mother was Lady Julia
Smith, and the Lady Julia" quite re-
deemed the Smith, as indeed Lady Julia.
in Lady Dunroys opinion, redeemed Mr..
Smith, who was homely country bump
kin, called in Hilshire '"rhe Squire"
Now Lady Dunroy was one of those
people who think Of the country as a
place where roses and cabbages are
grown; and of the people who live In IL
during the greater part of the year. as
unciviized creatures, little more Guilt
waited or intellectual than saVages So
1t would have surprised her very much in
deed had she but known that Squire Smith
was in his way quite great man, known
far and wide as a frst-rate sportsman
and a capital master of hounds. and that
apart from his fame as a sporting char
acter he was an exceptionally clever well
read man.
know that as to her friend, Lady Julia
she was a very poor creature indeed in
comparison with this uncivilized hus-
band of hers, and that IL was not only In
Hillshire that people had been known to
say that IL was curious that such a man
should so have thrown himself away;
hon adv hn Tod hfars-
self on the fact that she lived in the
world. made the great mistake which so
many of her fellow creatures do-she quiet
forgot that the world in which she lived
was only a very tiny corner of the world,
and that even in that corner of the world
there were many other little worlds all
with an intrinsic value of their own.
II was from her father that Jane had
inherited her fine figure and good looks,
but having gone thus far she stopped.
She was her fathers child in no other
way Her sister Mary, who was unprom-
isingly plain, was the daughter of whom
Mr.. Smith was proud. She was bad to
beat across country and as a long days
companion in everyday home life, and
those who knew the two girls best inVa-
riably liked Mary
attractive to Lady Dunroy She would
have found no possible use for Mary, and
Jane was the very thing of which she
happened just then to be in need. SO
she proposed to Lady Julia that Jane
should spend the following season in town
with her, and to this proposition both
Lady Julia and Jane instantly agreed.
Jane was delighted. She spent the re-
naming days of Lady Dunroy's visit to
Hillshire in laying herself out to be agree
able to that lady, and it is certain that
her endeavors to please were crowned with
success. Jane could be very charming,
indeed, and although, as a rule, she con-
sidered IL a waste of time to be especially
charming to members of her own sex.
she possessed a sufficient knowledge of
the world and insight into character to
enable her to adapt herself very thorough
ly to Lady Dunroy.
That lady's invitation suited her admir-
ably. Change of any sort was welcome to
her. Not that she had a hard or I'M
congenial life of it at home oh. dear no,
quite the contrary. At home she reigned
supreme. Her will was law. Her mother
idolized her, her father was too kind-heart-
ed and peace-loving a man to interfere,
and Mary watched her every movement
with the deepest pride, giving up every
thing to her, and every day out of her
own warm heart and unselfsh disposition
adding a brick to that wall of self-love
and personal conceit which was fast Sur
rounding the elder and excluded all other
qualities which might have been good
No, Jane had certainly not a bad time
of 1t at home. She had hardly wish I'M
gratifed there; but then, on the other
hand, as all the men in the ,neighborhood
were over head and ears in love with her,
she had another captive to make.
And Miss Smith was one of those young
ladies who become bored with their ad-
mirers as soon as it is certain that they
admire very much indeed. 1t was only
in the uncaptured state that they We're
interesting. but in that state they were
distinctly valued, and very much that was
imperfect was overlooked in them then
TO be counted up tenfold against them
in the future, which, if they walked INTO
the trap which Jane had set for them
was certain to be lowering over their
heads
1t is perhaps natural that unalloyed
sweets invariably pail. Jane was tired
TO death of every well-known and ador-
ing face And so she gladly accepted
Lady Dunroy's invitation, and having done
so made up her mind, that she would
enjoy life extremely during a London sea-
son, and that as a beginning it was for
tunate that Lady Dunroy had a SON
In fact her ladyship had made a little
mistake in thinking that Miss Jane Smith
was a flower entirely of her own finding
who had bloomed so far unseen. Miss
Smith had lived in a world of her own
and IN 1t had reigned as a queen. She
was all that Lady Dunroy thought of
her. She was beautiful, piquant. and
knew how to be charming, and for her
age she had a wonderful stock of that
very Indispensable article, repartee She
had a ready flow of social small talk at
her finger tips, and thus far she was all
that Lady Dunroys fancy had imagined
her to be. On the other hand, she was
extremely well satisfied with Miss Jane
nd