The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-05-13
The Manners
of Men-
BY j. G. TETLOW
Copyright, 1904. by Daily Story Pub Coz


slduOusly to get his feet on the ladder
of success, and he had worked hard
and thought unremittingly and cor
rectly in his journey up the rounds.
He made his final success in soap. He
learned an unusually good way to
make a fine article and studied out an
effective way to advertise 1t. When
it began to pay it paid so fast that
very few years served to make him
very rich man.
When his fortune had rolled well In
to the millions and was invested SO
we'll that his yearly income ran into
six figures he sold his business at the
.behest of his wife and daughter and
moved east to enjoy the fruits OF his
labOrS.
Truth be told, he did not enjoy the
new life as we'll as he did the one he
had left, but his wife and daughter did.
and, being an easy-gOing, full-blooded,
normal sort of person, with plenty or
philosophy, he made himself comfort
able and found plenty Of things to in
terest him, whether at the palatial
home OF the avenue in New York CT
travelling abroad.
AS the years sped, however, he began
to hear a discordant note now and
then, and to find himself somewhat
without the pale of his own family cir
Gle. He had not married early and his
wife had not been the partner of his
earlier struggles. But she had shared
his hopes and fears during the crucial
period of his career and their married
life had been exceedingly companion
able and sympathetic.
Once in New York, however, and
launched into the campaign to get into
society. Mrs Smith soon Joined forces
with the daughter, Nellie, and sought
to obliterate all memory and connec-
tion with the old life and to push res
olutely toward those inner circles so
iealously guarded against those who
ever did anything useful.
AS for the daughter, she was hand
some young woman, as ambitious as
her sire had been, and with all this
ambition directed toward an entree 10
the 400"
It was very soon after invading the
east-in fact, when the palace on the
was stunned to see on the door-plate
the name 'Smythe." There was 4
great uproar and Smith stamped about
for several days, pledging his word 70
two fearful women that he never would
stand for it; but, swearing he would
not, did Nothing could induce him to
sign his name that way, but that was
the way the name appeared in the So
ciety columns, the blue books and on
the ladies' cards.
Later it evolved into Johnston
ending in the rout of the head of the
family.
There are so many John Smiths,
sobbed Nellie-whose name had now
been transfigured to Eleanor-"that we
will be positively lost Who can identi-
fy John Smith in list of names?"
These trif1ing storms in the life Of
John Smith. capitalist, blew over and
he went on in the even tenor Of his
way, reading his favorite paper, smok-
ing black cigars, hobnobbing with
western friends of his old days when
they came east, and taking fly now
and then at the produce market, just
for diversion. Perhaps his greatest
trial was the dress suit into which he
was poured with increasing regularity
and the functions to which he was led
as a lamb to the slaughter. But he
got used to the clothes, and even wore
them with a sort Of grace eventually.
The functions he despised He thought
everything of his wife and daughter
and was willing and anxious that they
should have their hearts desire.
And the career of the Smythes was
meteoric toward the social goal They'
spent money like water and their en-
tertainments were the wonder of the
metropolis.
In the midst Of it all new factor
appeared in the equation. Leslie Archi-
bald Van Not, scion of one of the old
est and most exclusive families in the
metropolis, descended on the one side
from the Van Nots and on the other
from the Bastors, with close relation
ship to the Ganderhilts, began to pay
marked attention to Nellie. This near
ly set the female section of the Smythe
family crazy Young Van Not was one
of the best known society men in the
CITY. and he was welcomed into the
most exclusive circles. Once secured
all was Won-the charmed portals