The Press., 1903-08-20
T HE LADY
CWENDOLYN
By ANNE STORY ALLEN
Copyright. 1909. bs 4. C. Mcclure


The Lady Gwendolyn stamped her
foot and declared, .'Dwendolyn will!'
Then she poked her white bonnet out
Of the door and listened. They were
still talking. She could hear Mrs. Rea-
gan's voice. high and shrill.
"Shure. ye can lave 1t here" she was
saying. '.and II they's any more come
while yc're out I'll taken 'em for ye.
My, but it's fine! And all of 'em from
Miss Van Tassel. Well, welly'
1t could be borne no longer. Aunt
Julia might stay and talk with Mrs.
Reagan as long as she liked and about
all the stupid things they liked.
"Dwendolyn willr' she announced
again, and Gwendolyn did.
Along the hall, past Mrs, ReagaD's
half open door. down the stairs. step by
step. and SO OH to the sidewalk.
The Is,stsy Cwendolyn was an impul-
sive person. and. being of mind to
view the trees OF the park. clothed. as
she had been told. In the snow blankets
woven by the fairies the night before.
she had determined to wait no longer.
but to start out by herself. which was
Of course contrary to any precedent ever
established. Clnd in her white coat
marked down and snatched up by Ellen
at bargain-her white bonnet-Aunt
Julia had found 1t In a Third avenue
shop. and you couldn't have told II
from a Sixth avenue-her white NIT
tens and leSsgings-bOught trifie large
last year with view to shrinking
Lady Gwendolyn started on her way.
Both Of her ladies in waiting and the
head groom Of the chambers were igno-
rant of her desperate venture. Now.
the first lady in waiting was nearly al
ways In attendance on the Lady Gwen
dolyn and usually planned SO that her
duties us. housekeeper fitted in nicely
with the demands of her other position.
The second lady In waiting. having
been promoted from the mental rank
of cash girl In Rush & Hurry's big
Fourteenth street shop to serve In that
firms lunchrocm, found her hours a
bit easier and her weekly envelope q
trifie 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 wooden faced
footman. tight booted and befurred of
collar. who flung himself with most
satisfactory recklessness on and from
the seat Of Miss Van Tassel's brough-
am.
Hes a star. that kid" Miss Van
Tassel was wont to exclaim when. in
company with other blond ladies. she
would leave the stage door after re-
hearsaL And Miss Van Tassel. her
self a star Of no mean magnitude.
would enter her carriage amid chorus
of more or less envious assents from
the lesser lights Of her constellation.
The coachman would touch the bad
tempered cob and leave the star groom
to alight beside him after a flying leap
over the wheel.
Although the head groom OF the
chambers had become the fOOtman OF
Miss Violet Van Tassel. who had the
reputation of being the most graceful
dancer as well as the biggest hearted
woman that a 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 at hand, and Miss
Van Tassel had made known to her
footman a 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 on the part OF Miss Van
Tassel and many touchings OF the hat
on the part Of Tom.
All nknown to Miss Van Tassel she
became an angel with very yellow
halo and brilliant garments. All un-
known to Tom he became to Miss Van
TasseI the image OF the young brother
who had died a small pauper before
ever the twinkling toes had brought
fame and wealth to his adoring sister.
n Asx,A - 1,x<3totoy,o En- uwipu ~ vovf
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 at each other from their re-
spectiye chariots. Arrived at her des-
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
-et Il bad not quite melted the anow
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 a sense of injury and
the novelty Of adventure. and 1t Ia
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 90
warm on the bench when the Lady
Gwendolyn made the discovery that
HE had seen enough Of carpeted grass
md blankcted tree ..AciIes. Snow was
pretty cold stun 10 look at anyway. and
( suddenly sccmai: to the Lady Gwen
lolyn that she had been looking at 1t q
'ery long time.
She climbed down from her bench
With stiffness that surprised her, and
With a growth, sense Of insecurity
walked toward the avenue. The, park :
eemed very large place, and she was
Had to get out Of it, yet as she stood
N the sidewalk two big tears forced
heir way from. behind winking lashes.
Through which Of those streets lay
he way home7 Which way should she
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