The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-24

an existence perhaps as happy ana as Tree
from care as in this troublesome and tran
STORY world it is possible to conceive.
The only child of very wealthy par
ents. Who had reached middle age before
this treasured child had been born TO
them. Mary had been all her life encom-
passed about by their tenderest love and
devotion. From her cradle 10 her 23d year,
OF which period I introduce her to my
readers. she had never known an ungrati-
fed result or an unfulflled fancy-had
never heard a harsh or unjust word nor
had ever been chilled by the bhghting
breath of unkiudness or neglect
Such a child is frequently spoilt and
selfish. disconnected and ill-tempered; but
in Mary Ross no such disastrous results
had ensued. What Rendered her so very
bappv was not so much the circumstances
which surrounded her as the peculiar and
charming sweetness and simplicity of her
character.
Her father, a self-made man who had
begun life as factory lad on the banks
of the Clyde. where he was now the mead
of a great and prosperous firm, might at
times be a little proud of his rise in life
and a little given to Boosting of his sue
cess and his money. Her mother again.
whose origin was humble one, and who
had worked for her bread as a. daily gov
erness in Glasgow for many long and
weary years before she had at length mar
ried her James, was sometimes unduly
ehv and III at ease in the London world
Of fashion in which her lot was now
cast. But in Mary herself there was neiih-
er boastfulness nor diffdence. She was
rerfectly natural and unaffected, as well
as absolutely unspoilt and free from self
consciousness.
It did not occur to her in the least that
people made much of her because she was
a great heiress, or that her popularity was
due to any other cause save to the obvious
and ostensible one of her own amiable and
pleasant disposition. Money had come so
easily into her hands all her life that she
attached no undue importance to the pos
session of it. She spent it indeed freely
and unstintingly but never squanderng,
" and extravagantly-her Scotch blood
kept her from this. 1t was only in her
charities that Mary was inclined to be
lavish, for her heart was so warm and
tender that it hurt her to think that 9TH
ers were in want of the things of which
she had enough and to spare.
Mary Ross was by no means beautiful.
She herself admired the many beautiful
women she constantly met in London
drawing rooms with an almost passionate
admiration, but she was not in the least
envious of them. For it had never seemed
to make any difference to her enjoyment
in life that she was short and a thought
stumpy in figure that her waist was an
inch or two too thick for symmetry. and
that her square, but honest face had not
strictly speaking, single good feature
In it.
She had never looked upon her appear
ance as a disadvantage, for she found
o that she had quite many partners as
the prettiest girls in the room, quite as
many invitations to picnics and boating
parties, and quite as much attention from
the incest men in society as the loveliest
OF all the crowds of women about her and
she was so supplemented and unsuspi-
cious that it never occurred to her that
there might be very obvious reason for
this phenomenon.
I know I am not pretty" she would
say to her mother, or to her young friends
but / believe people like meat least,
always find l am welcomed and made
much of wherever I go, and perhaps it Is
even nicer to be liked than to be ad-
mired"
And so Mary was perfectly and serenely
happy. She was, moreover. a very pleas
ant-looking girl, and no one could have
called her actually plain. Her hair was
soft and abundant, and Of a pale, fiossy
brown, her eyes, too, were brown and
kindly and her large mouth was redeem
ed from ugllness by the delightful smile
which almost invariably lit up her sweet
and sensitive-looking face. If she was
not beautiful, she was at any rate very
winsome and attractive.
30 among the crowd of pleasure-seekers
In the busy London season Mary Ross was
always the gayest of the gay, ENJOYING
life to the uttermost with that eniovmpnt
which sound constitution united to an
absolutely clean and wholesome heart and
nature alone can bring. From her early
morning canter in the park on her beau
tliul bay mare, that her father said was
the best that money could buy" ana
that she herself spoke of as the dearest
DARING gee-gee in the world" down To
the latest dance of the evening. Mary
Ross was always full of spirits and gaietv
never sick, never sorry. never tired. al
ways the same-sweet-t tempered and con-
siderate to others fun of innocent merri-
ment ana radiant with good health ana
good temper and full of a happv con-
NictIon OF being beloved by her parents
ana her friends, and thoroughly liked ana
appreciated by all the rest of the world
besides. -0 WI ~
Ihen, one day, there entered into Mary
ross lie that sweet mystery of woman
hood, which comes in time to the major
ny OF other maidens be they plain or beau
uIul rich or poor. Mary Ross fell in love
II came about in this wise.
IL was on the river. on the eve of Henley
regatta in July, that she first saw Cant
Herbert Rawle Mrs. Ross and Mary had
gone down to install themselves on the
Monday in the new houseboat which Mr.
Ross had just purchased. For. of course
the ROSES possessed everything worth
possessing that money could buy-a man.
sion III town, moor in Scotland. a villa
al cannes, stalls at the opera. a box AT
Ascot and a EPSON, a beautiful schooner
yacht ana now a housebo Mr.. Ross
only dld not own "a coach, because he
could not for the life of him have driven
FOUR horses himself, and a man cannot
unfortunately, depute the driving of bis
own coach 70 a dependant
-.'v uodseDOat was the last new tov-tbe
latest fancy, in fact which Miss Roee
"a NN