The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-07-23

1uC Slhoh SAN 49, "Sh
known to almost everybody in the
city; that is, the place anu the family
name were familiar to the cars ard
eyes of the people; but there were
comparatively few persons who had
gained anything like a visiting ac-
quaintance" with the family. Tae
circle Of Mrs. Vernon's friends was,
however. as select asst was small; and
as for Pauline, she had bat recently
ventured into society without the
formalities of a set debut. Mr.. YER
non himself was, without being what
we call o public man, a leader of the
people. His influence vas as power
full as ii was general, and it was e1-
erted without effort and, apparently,
without ambition on his part. His
long residence in Louisiana, his per-
sonal force and his great wealth had
combined to give him this hold upon
the people from highest to lowest,
and yet no one could say tina; he was
easily approached. He took no pub.
lie part in the affairs Of the State or
the city; but his influence was always
sought when matters of grave impor-
tan:e demanded the use of specially
sound Judgment, OF when the more
manageable element Of the people
had to be perfectly controlled. He
seemed to possess the confidence OF
all the races aud clans of men in the
city and, by some power, was able to
command them.
When Mrs. Vernon and Pauline
found themselves once more in Chateau
dor they were as happy as it is ever
possible for a mother aud her daughter
to be. Their stay at Bay Saint Louis
had although they were probably not
aware OF it) been a powerful tonic and
invigorator.
Pauline went about the house and
grounds singing like a happy bird,
her face radiant, her step light and
her heart Drumming with half-formed
dreams. There was nothing in all
her circle OF vision to shade or to mar
the golden promise that filled it like
the soft splendor Of springtime. She
knew nothing Of life's evils-not even
the plethora so often attending un.
limited access to the Injuries Of
wealth had ever come to her-andthe
aboundlng good in her experience
only urged her into o rich develop
ment, a radiant blooming, so to call
it, which made her beauty of face and
of form come out like the blowing Of
4 rose.
Tho city was very gay when the
Vernons came back to it, and Pauline
found herself caught in the whirl like
q butterfly in a June breeze. There
was the theatre, there was the balls,
the receptions, the excursions to the
country-seats of wealthy planters -
nothing was wanting that would keep
her spirits at full blood; and there
YVES the library at Chateau dor,
wnere the romances that she loved so
dearly filled many q mahogany shelf.
Both Fairfax and Lieutenant Bal
lanche had called frequently within.
the first month, aud she had seem
them often at the theatres aud ct
balls and receptions given by her
friends. They had been very atten.
tive aud very interesting, each ir his
way bringing to her receptive mind
fascinating impressions aud obscure,
haunting visions of a great world OF
experience lying quite outside OF her
horizon. The young men were so
different in personal appearance. III
address, in habit of thought, in tenn
per and in everything that goes to
build aud project individual charac-
ter, that one served as a foil to cm-
phasize the other at almost every
point.
Pauline, while she had had every
advantage that wealth could bring to
her within the narrow and isolated
circle of environment, was still no
more than q provincial girl; and her
limitations, though they probably en-
HANGED to O degree her attractiveness,
restricted her vision and compressed
her understanding in some measure.
A society girl of to-day, seeing n
like Pauline, would call her strangely
unsophisticated; still she was not less
delighted than most ladies would have
been when her mother announced that
it vas her purpose to "give aparty."
as the phrase goes, limiting the invi-
tations mostly to young people.
When the evening came, with the
grounds and the stately house brill
iantfy lighted, the whole interior
wreathed and festooned with flowers
and the servants all assigned to
duty, il would have been hard to de-
eide which was the more radiantly
happy, Mrs. Vernon or Pauline.
All the windows and doors were
open, so that the gentle May winds
crept through to stir the rich cur
tains and to make the candles in the
m~any-armed candelsticks wave their
silvery flames. Some of these candles
were made Of myrtle-wax, taken from
the wild berries, after a local custom
&c 49, &;~o on5 90 fbav burnel thew