The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-07-15
T HE LADY
GWENDOLYN
BY ANNE STORY ALLEN
Copyright, 1903, by T. c. Mcclure

foot and declared "Dwendelyn willr'
Then She polcd her White bonnet out
of the door and listened They We're
still talking She could hear Mrs. Rca-
gan's voice. high and shrill
"Shure. se can lave II here" she was
saying, and If thcy's any more come
while ye're out I'll taken 'em for We
My. but it's fine! And all of 'em from
Miss Van Tassel Well. welln'
1t could he borne no longer Aunt
Julia might stay and talk with Mrs.
Reagan MS long as she liked and about
all the stupid things they liked.
"Dwendolyn wil!' she announced
again. and Gwcndolyn did
Along the hall. past Mrs Reagan's
half open door, down the stairs step by
step and ST. on to the sidewalk.
The Lady Gwendolyn WIS an impul
sive person. and, being of n mind to
view the trees of the park. clothed. rs
she had been told, in the SNOW blankets
woven by the fairies the night before,
she had determined to walt no longer,
but to start out by herself which was
OF course contrary to any precedent ever
established. Clad In her white coat
marked down and suatched up by Ellen
ut bargain her white bonnet Aunt
Julia had found II IN Third avenue
shop and you couldn't hive told ii
from Sixth avenue her white init
tens and leggings bought trlhe large
last year with a view to shrinking
Lady Gwendolyn started on her way.
Both of her ladies in waiting and the
head groom of the chambers We're ieno-
rant OF her desperate venture. Now,
the first lady In waiting was nearly al
ways in attendance ON the Lady Gwen
d0lyn and usually planned 50 that her
duties rs houSckeepcr fitted IL nicely
with the demands Of her other position.
The second lady In waiting. having
been promoted from the mental RAM
of cash girl in Rush X IIurry's big
Fourteenth street shop tn serve In that
firms lunchroom, found her hours
bit easier and her weekly envelope
trille heavier, two things that made
possible even more devotion on her part
To the service of Lady Gwendolyn.
1t would take too long to recount the
incident, or accident through which
the head groom of the chambers had
arisen to the dignity of Il wooden faced
footman. tight booted and bcfurred of
collar. who flung himself with most
satisfactory rccklcSsness ON and from
the seat Of Miss Van Tassels brough
am
Hes n star, that kid Miss Van
Tassel was wont to eNclaim when, in
company with other blond ladies' she
would leave the stage door after re
hearsnl And Miss Van Tassel, her
self star of no mean magnitude,
would enter her carriage amid chorus
of more or less enNious assents from
the lesser lights Of her constellation.
The coacbman would touch the bad
tempered cob and leave the star groom
to alight beside him after II fly ing leap
over the wheel
Although the head groom of the
chambers had become the footmnn of
Miss Violet Van Tasscl, who had the
reputation of being the most graceful
dancer ms well as the biggest hearted
woman that II music hall audience
ever split Its gloves for still he was
faithful to the house Of Ryan, and the
Lady Gwendolyn could never complain
OF disloyalty.
Christmas was ut hand, and Miss
Van Tnssel had made known TO her
footman n few ideas of her own on the
subject of Christmas trees In general
and Of one In particular that was In
tended for the special benefit of the
Lady Gwendolyn.
Nearly all her spare time for two
days had been spent In driving from
shop to shop, and the address given
for the sending Of the parcels had not
been Central Park West, but Second
avenue ON issuing from one OF the
shops. more noticeably the toyshops,
Miss Van Tassel would hold consulta-
ton with her footman. Advice, sug
gestion, description, seemed to pass be
tween them, together with many mods
and smiles Oh the part OF Miss Van
Tassel and many touchings Of the hat
ON the part OF Tom
All unknown to Miss Van Tassel she
became an angel with very yellow
halo and brilliant garments. All UNI
known to Tom he became to Miss Van
Tassel the Image of the young brother
who had died small pauper before
ever the twinkling toes had brought
fame and wealth to his adoring sister
BY dInt OF judicious tagging Of yarl
Gus people who seemed to be going In
the right direction the Lady Gwendo-
Ign reached the park under the chaper-
onage of two unconscious nursemaids,
whose charges were engaged in making
faces Mt each other from their re
spective chariots. Arrived at her des-
tination, she managed to Chamber ON to
one of the benches and surveyed the
scene before her with delighted eyes.
The afternoon sun was warm and
yet 1t had not quite melted the snow
mantle on the shoulders of the big
statue opposite The trees wore their
snow blankets, and the grass was al
most entirely covered with the white
carpet she had been so anxious to see.
Now, 1t is one thing to fare boldly
forth upheld by sense of injury and
the novelty of adventure, and ii is
quite another thing to wend ones way
homeWard when ones sense of injury
has utterly vanished and novelty has
become mOnotony.
The afternoon sun was not quite 50
warm on the bench when the Lady
Gwendolyn made the discovery that
she had seen enough OF carpeted grass
and blanketed tree branches. Snow was
pretty cold stuff to look at anyway. and
1t suddenly seemed to the Lady Gwen
dolyn that she had been looking at II
very long time.
She climbed down from her bench
with stiffness that surprised her, and
with a growing sense Of insecurity
walked toward the avenue. The park
seemed very large place, and she was
glad to get out OF 1t, yet as She stood
on the sidewalk two big tears forced