Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-20


neither could / find place for Chill.
abandoned in q ferry house. 1t was al
though she had been born in mid-oceai
"a child without a town or a habitation
So in a few weeks, partly by fate an(
partly because had become attached
| to the Child, l found myself--a newspa
per WOman--in possession or baby
about a yeaE old The little girl wa,
pretty and L liked her She was begin
ming to talk and to walk, ana before
had her a week, we began to be afraic
that some one would claim her Blu
no one ever did,
My chief knew Of the acquisition t.
my household. but said nothing. He is
a wise man and allows his subordinates
to do as they viii, provided their 10y
atty to mis- newspaper is answering.
One day-the LIST of June-the chief
sent for me and said: II want you tc
! go to Newport for the season. Lady
Blackburn and her daughter are to be
there. They have just come over from
Europe, and are to be the lions of New
port society Her ladyship is am Ameri-
can, you know, bat the daughter was
born abroad. She is to be introduced
into society this summer, and it is eX-
| peoted that she will make a brilliant
match before the season Is out"
Who is Lady Blackburn"
Il do not know exactly" ne said, 81
cabled over to Berlin to find out some-
| thing about her, as / understand she
was there some time ago. All l could
! ascertain from our correspondent there
| was that a certain Lady Blackburn and
| daughter We're part of the American
colony at Berlin last season. They were
very quiet. The daughter had made
an unfortunate match or something Of
that kind, and did not so out, They
| suddenly disappeared"
| tsNWhara 6id SfA p-af fitIa
From the dead Blackburn. His an
cestor was knighted three generations
ago for a service. The title died with
| him, but in this generation the widow,
an ambitious Montana woman, has
taken 1t UP, and as she has money, she
is going to make the most of it,
! You want me to go to Newport?'
yes, go there and give her ladyship
I a fine write-up,'
| AS started away the chief called out:
Don't take the baby with you; she's
! too young to enter society"
! / went to Newport, to the Rock House,
| without the baby. 1 found the entire
! hotel in a state of anticipation, for her
| ladyship was expected any day, and a
| retinue of her servants had arrived
ahead Of her.
| Here heard great stories of Lady
| Blackburn, such as I had never heard
| before, and I soon learned that she had
gone to Europe In her youth, had mar
| ried abroad and recently inherited
money from her father in Montana. Sine
was about to return to this country with
her daughter to become the queen of
American society.
| The daughter, the Honorable Con-
| stance. was beautiful and fit enough to
| reign over any belle in Newport.
The entire second floor in the Rock
House was engaged for Lady Black
burn and the Honorable Constance, and
three of. the best carriage houses were
| put in commission for her ladyship' 3
blooded horses.
The day Of her arrival at Newport
wired fun account TO my newspaper
| at home, and had the satisfaction Of
knowing that we had scored a beat,
| for no other newspaper had such a full
| account of the coming of the dis
| tinguiShed woman to Newport
| l had a glimpse of her ladyship on the
day of her arrival as she was coming up
| the steps. She was tall, slender, gra-
| haired woman, with a distinguished
| bearing, and by her side, smaller
| though with scarcely less distinction
walked the Honorable Constance. Later
! | saw the young woman's face. 1t was
| sweet, though nexpressibly sad, and I,
with my experience of the world, said
| to myself: THE Honorable Constance
| looks like a woman with past
In few days all Newport was alive
with the arrival of the Blackburns
! Cards and carriages arrived at the Rock
| House at all hours of the day, and the
name Of the Honorable Constance, the
| beautiful heress was on every lip
I 1t had been decided that Constance
would make her debut in society at the
| home of Mrs. Senator Gray, who is one
| Of the most elegant women in Newport
| society. Then she and her mother, hay
ing met all Newport, could entertain at
a grand presentation ball a the Rock
House.
must say this much for her ladyship,
! that never in the course of my editorial
| career have l been treated with more
consideration. Though l had never met
her / received each day from her pen
a very nice program of the days doings.
On her arrival / had sent her my card
with the name of the paper l repre-
| scented engraved upon it, and her lady
ship had informed me in a very elegant
| ly-worded note, That was written on
very acknowledgements note paper,
| that she would be pleased at any time
| to render me any assistance in her pow
er in the way Of gathering society news.
So every morning received from the
| pen Of her secretary a full account,
which greatly facilitated my work.
The Honorable Constance, like all
!
was passive in this, but I thought she
was sadder than she ought to be, consi-
| dering her elegant coming debut, and
when 1 saw her as 1 often did, walking
| toward the ocean in company only with
a maid, 1 wondered that she was so
depressed.
One evening, seeing her and her
mother seated on the public balcony
after bidding farewell to their guests, l
| thought / would venture considering
their kindness, to approach them and
pay my respects. AS I stepped up be-
hind them l saw that they were engaged
| in deep conversation, and found that
was in ear shot without intending It,
''If we could only find it, mamma; if
we could only find it,? Lady Constance
was saying
at was stolen, L tell you, stolenl
searched the papers and offered rewards,
grief to realize it. but it was never
| found Why can you not give it UP for
| lost, or do you want to spoil everything?
You are only 20, and-why can't you
give it up?"
"They must have lost a valuable
! jewel 1 said to myself, but somehow
l had a feeling that it was not Jewel
| they meant.
The day of Lady Blackburns ball was
| the busiest day Newport has ever seen.
| Never will forget it. All the morning
| caterers and decorators were coming to
| the house to add to the elegant prepara-
| lions made by the host of the finest
hotel in the world.
| An the afternoon carriages We're ar
irving, bearing immense punches of
| bouquets and baskets of orchids. The
Hon. Constance Blackburn was to be
| launched into society under auspices sec
| On1 m M ptiY 1kab1lta1ta thar aver