Smyrna times., 1902-03-12
WRIGHT'S
CORNER
IN SOCIETY
BY WALTER A. TICE
Copyright, 1901, by w. a. Tice.
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right to look. Even on the Stock Ex-
change, where he had amassed for
tune, he speculated on lines directly !
opposed to current reports.
When he found that Bertram, his /
only son, had incurred during his SEN /
ior year at college an uncOnsciOnable !
amount of debt, instead of adopting the !
customary parental tactics, he prompt !
ly paid the bills and doubled the young /
fellows allowance.
"Let the boy have his fun" he de- /
clared. This is his last year in col
lege. Why, 1 sOwed few oats my
self at that age, and look at me now"
But, when a few years later Bertram
married Edith Byrne, a favOrite on
the light opera stage, family friends
held their breath and waited for the
deluge of fatherly wrath. Surely
Major Wright, who traced his geneal-
Ogy to the Mayfower, would never
overlook this! Aristocratic blood, fam
lily pride and parental affection all
would rebel against the mesalliance.
But again did the majors proverbial
contrariness assert itself. He received
the bride with open arms.
Not so the social set in which the
Wrights had always moved. COnserv-
ative in the extreme, with old fashion
ed suspicion of stage life and stage
people still lurking in their minds, they
declined politely but firmly to receive
young Mrs. Wright. in spite of the fact
that the majors wife, now gone to her
long rest, had been their leader in her
day, and the old Wright mansion a
favorite rallying ground before Bertram
was born. The new Mrs. Wright had
once played boy roles and worm
Here the speakers voice would be
discreetly lowered, and a feeling of
general despair over Bertram's pros
poets would settle upon the gossips.
As for the major, he seemed to grow
young again in the invigorating society
of his new found daughter, who was
a charming girl and felt a genuine af-
fectiOn for the dear old chap, who had
so easily forgiven her for winning his
sons love. To make the two men hap
by became her object in life. Their
wishes were first in the household,
and the major became her devoted
slave, to the extent that the slightest
lack of attention on the part of the
husband was promptly resented and
atoned for by some delicate little
courtesy on the part of the father-in-
}oW.
NEgad, sir,' he would say to his old
hies at the club, you don't know
daughter! She's the dearest little
III oman in the city, sir!'
And the men who met her agreed
with Major Wright cordially and
openly. The women, however, con-
tinued to raise their lorgnettes and
their shoulders when she passed by
" and carefully refrained from leaving
cards.
The major, for the time, was so happy
that he did not notice the social ostra
cism to which the house of Wright wa:
being subjected, and the younger mem
bers of the family were too thoughtful
to bring the condition to his atten
ton When he finally woke up to ;
realization of the situation, he wa
quickly transformed into a mimic vol
cano-that is, internally. Outwardly h
disdained to discuss the matter witt
any one, least of all with the two pee
pie essential to his happiness. Instea'
of talking he wrote out a handsOm
check and sent Mr.. and Mrs. Bertrar
Wright abroad for the summer. H
felt sure some solution of the probleI
would present itself during their al
sence.
But, alas, the day of their homecon
ing arrived, and the doughty majC
realized that he was no nearer storm
ing the social citadel than when I'll
young couple had sailed for Europ
In the society columns of the daily p:
pers he had read that Mrs. Edmun
A. Glider was to give the first impo
tant social function of the ensuing Sc
son, dancing party. The Glider bal
room was the pride of the social wor
in which the Wrights had moved. III
elegance of the entertainment, the e
cIusiveness of the invitation list al
the beauty of the youngest daughte
who was to make her debut on til
great occasion, all furnished materi
for newspaper gossip. And Maj
Wright sat in his library lingering
oblong, creamy envelope directed
"Maior Winslow A. Wright" On
one invitation, and Bertram and b
trans sweet wife would be home tn
day.
He tossed the invitation on his de
and walked down to his office, stol
of wrath seething in his warm, lovi
heart. Before he settled down to bu
ness a messenger appeared and hand
him a note, with 'In Haste-DeliN
Immediately" written across
E corner.
& Major Wright tore it open and read
hurriedly, then again carefully. a
a third time, more deliberately than
fore. These words met his eyes:
Ny Dear wright-For Gods sake let me
some c. N. and RI I'm short about 500 sha
and If don't get them I'm ruined man.
pay any price. Make your own terms Yours
EDMUND A. GILDEl
Major Wright told the messenger
wait five minutes in the main Off