Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-12
written for the Dispatch by Cassie NJ.
1xne. Author Of I'm an Old Colonial
House" and The First Coming of
Tho English -

House" and The First Coming of
the EngIish.'o
anon Thomas Fauntlcroy, the Wall
..-c,t broker. wrote inviting his niece
C,nuavclIa. to visit New York. the lei
ar PRODUCED great excitement in the lit
40 home circle of his brother, James
r-bnueh these men had dearly loved each
,,bcr as boys. only desultory CORE
.,ondcnce had kept them from drifting
,,t,rrly apart. Toms life had been a
..ce with hnlls and bears for wealth,
milo James had been satisfied to chase
.,a fox and deer for pleasure Whereby
,hcir fortunes differed. as did their tastes
rams residence on Fifth avenue was
g,h IN the comforts Of luxury. while
rsr,rs.s dwelling was the old rambling
,,oo5cn house that was rich only in as
.o,ss;5on For generations II had shell
,.~e5 The Fauntlcroys, therefore It was
.,,a enough for James. and would have
Scsn all sufficient for Tom. too, but not
f,- Toms family, Ills wife, belonging 10
c.o Of the old l(nicl5erbocker families of
Washington Square, when bride. mad
visited virginia To her his ancestral
NOM. with its antique dilapidat!cn. COM
nsrsa with the city house in which she
-csifr8 seemed little better than q com
mon cabin.
In ire course If time, sons and daugh-
.ers had been born TO them. to receive
y,raceton and Paris eduostions, and Mrs.
-tnnas Fauntleroy's life as a society
loader had kept her TOO busy ever 10 re-
naat her visit TO Virginia. This fact had
jear resented by the Fauntleroys in gene
rai and by Mrs. Fauntleroy. of The
ca6ars" Toms mot7er) in particular Be
FORE her marriage she had been a Carter
Io- sT5,a-ter.' as she always pronounced
whereof TO boast, Mrs. Fauntleroy. the
aoqzasr. considered that she had more,
haug an T. +. V. Of the Cavaliers.
lanes Fauntleroy being left n widower
csrrv in life, his mother had reared his
children. lavlshing on them all the affec-
,or rf her old age. That she could not
feip feeling a tinge OF jealousy when re
facing on the greater opportunities for
r9It,,ra that her New York grandchildren
rn,,ld buy was due to the fact that Mrs
. F77antIorov. the elder, had never been re
constructed.
Tt tie civil war (rather than any differ
enre n the energy of her sons she at
,Hbuted the disparity in fortunes of her
descendants The one wish of her life
wss for her Virginia grandchildren to
ap7ear as well IS their New York cous-
ms For this she had struggled and de-
MED herself using always the allowance
that Tom sent her in providing for the
needs Of Jaues's children.
When Conwayella received the invita-
tlor To visit New York, her grandmother
felt as If the hour of her triumph had
arrived That Conwayella was pretty
would have been the verdict universal.
save rom Mrs. Fauntleroy, of The Ce-
dars in whose eyes she was beautiful.
Having reared her herself, she was all
Si,.a ~, ~fl ~
sweet sixteen.
surely no cault could be found with her
personally. thought she. but upon reflect
ing that Tom s daughters frequented Paris
for fashions, and being familiar with the
maxim That fine feathers make Inc
birds" she dreaded lest Conwayella's
clothes should suffer by comparison with
her weather. cousins. ~
Hence a mighty resolve was working III
the ady's brain. She would go herself
10 fredericksburg and select The outfit
for the New York trip. So "Gahe, VINO
had been coachnlan in slavery days, was
ordered to hitch the spring-Wago ana
drive to the front door, for ole miss wus
cv.'rA ter town Not since the war,
r.nap he Yankees had burned her car
Tiage. had she taken this journey, though
the distance was less than ten miles, 1or
Hrs Fauntlerov. of The Cedars, had
ALWAYS hee11 too proud to ride in a wagon,
Nut now her desire that her grandchild
should appear well, caused her TO sacrl-
fee her own feelings in accepting TINS
mode Of conveyance
AS the wagon neared the Falmouth ferry
leading to Fredericksburg, in 1t RODE ola
Mrs Fauntleroy, sitting proudly erect as
~ she had been on a throne. her snow
white hair crowning a forehead calm with
the dignity of the true gentlewoman- by
her side hlushinglv sat her granddaush-
Ter with eyes trimming with the tears
youth sheds at dread of the worio cru
cirrn--for Fredericksburg was Conway
elias world. Very humiliating to the
girls vanity was Gabe's persistencE' IN al
lowing the horse to creep like a SNAIL pu1
her entreaties TO drive faster were a.
fenced by his replying: Chile, yer lerslts
WIN YER is talkin' ter, fore yer WIS
horne caha could drive de eauipige, an
he amt dun forgtt de gait whar solt ole
miss
So C0awayella. who was in the hanat OF
dash.nr into Fredericksburg on Flre-fiS
cher fathers hunter) heaved sign OF re-
lief when the old negro stopped at 'lie
dry goods store. But she was SOON w
learn that her trials for that day "eie
FAR from being over. Her disagreement
with Gabe on the speed OF horses "as
q mere prelude to the difference .ii -
Of dress entertained by her granonot''ef
and herself
Conwayella fancied tailor-n1ade suns
whereas Mrs. Fauntleroy thought mem
Too ran. and ''mannish looking. nd.
Ing rclgnea a belle at the White Suip''u',
her knowledge Of the proprietes OF nieS ,s
were not TO he disputed By Coi'"a!s1ta
tv.ho had never been beyond tredeIlchs-
bJrcl, hence silk was selected, ana IL siie
were not satisfied Mrs. FauntetoN Iea-
sored that she would be on reaching NV
York. and seeing how the rich dressed,
atmilar discussion arose wneli '1ie ''si'o
arrroached for Conwayeiia to leave "s
10 the trunk she should use. ne sii,
preferred a fiat paper-coTerea one. pu'
her Grandmother pronounced II cIe"h
looking. and substituted instead her non
nc,-5ox. a square trunk OF ur'ai'iis'
leather
When Mrs. Fauntleroy Furthermore pro
ducea her own red flannel haiinnlal, ~
slsting on loanng ii 10 her grafo cav, :,
ter. as she might need il GONG NO ~ 49,.
Conwayela's power of resistance vas 80
hsuEted, and SO the balmoral was pacheS