The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1902-04-11
GIRL WAS TOO RICH.

Nobody who hasn't gone through ii
knows how horrid it is to be rich. |
mean very rich-so rich that people
say: "There goes the rich Miss FL
lice" No, pretty Miss Ellicc' or
'nice Miss Ellicc." though it does
seem TO me that ] have some claim to
both those descriptive adjectiyes. but
always that inevitable 'rich Miss e.
lice"
was as nearly born an orphan as
anybody could be. for my mother died
when | was a day old and my father
a few months later. leaving me with
all those oppressive millions and no
blood relations Il always hated that
expression, it sounds 50 murderous)
to look after me, so | la made a
ward in chancery.
My nurse used to toady TO me, and
a. for the children ! was allowed to
know, several Of them admitted re-
garding Inc as a kind of natural curl
osity because | was IAN hciress.'
When | vas 10 ehapcron was en-
gagged to live with me and travel about
the world. had longed to travel, but
] soon found out it was just ~ bad
being abroad as at home.
How the facts about me leaked out
everywhere | don't know. | wanted
to take a false name and have n lit
lie peace. but my chapcron, who was
n bishops widow and rather rigid in
her ideas, would not hear Of passing
under false preienses"" as she called il.
II the truth were known | believe that
Mrs. DE Selwyn in her quiet way en-
joyed the kind Of triumphal progress
we made wandering about Europe.
People never failed TO find us out
at hotels. Whispers and glances went
round. and mothers with sons scraped
acquaintance with us and were un-
pleasantly maternal. In England and
France ! vas fairly mobbed with I'M
pecunious young noblemen and oili'
GERS, and would have been amused il
l hadn't been furious. In Germany
il was much the same, and in ltal,
narrowly escaped being kidnapped.
When ] couldn't stand it any Longer
We went back. II was just at the be-
ginning Of the season. and Mrs. Do
Selwyn was determined that should
be presented. ] was presented, and
the inevitable consequences ensued
In the first month ! had is proposals
BY the end Of the season ] had quite
lost count, and ! was 30 sick Of il al
so deadly sick, knowing only too
well that not one Of the men wh'
had asked me TO marry them woult
have dreamed Of doing it il il had no
been for my millions.
/ could have been two 5uchesses-
l mean, that two English dukes wer'
among the moths who burned thei
wings al the golden lamp; and Their
was even a lesser royalty-but il seem
like Boosting to enumerate them
whereas, in reality, with each pro
posal had n more point Of my van
ity broken of until finally had non,
left at all.
Things went on in this way, grow
ing worse instead Of better, for Nv.
years. ! felt old and had lost m,
faith in the disinterestedness of me-
and women. | was not intended b.
nature to be cynical, but experienc
vas ,hwarting nature, and the pee
pie who made themselves SO charm
ing must often have disliked me in
tensely, though all the while ! wa
starving for loye-honest love with
-outtbe suspicion of a mercenary twis
When ! was 2l, and free-as niue
ss a girl can be free--to do as i chos,
Mrs. DE Selwyn and | had a quarre
1t was a silly quarrel about an equa
ly silly young man, my chaperon
nephew, whom she'd been schemin
for years, it seemed, to have me ma
~. / was so Disguised that l thre