The Irish standard., 1904-05-14
The Manners
of Mer=
By j. c. TETLow
Copyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pub co.,

81 he mad worked hard and saved as
islduously 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 fine article and studied out an
effective way to advertise it. When
1t 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
Ito the millions and was invested so
well 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
3abors.
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 of
philosophy, he made himself comfort
able and found plenty of things to in
terest him, whether at the palatial
home on the avenue in New York or
travelling abroad.
AS the years sped, however, he began
TO hear discordant note now and
Ihen, and to find himself somewhat
without the pale of his own camily cir
scle. 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-
ton with the old life and to push res
olutely toward those inner circles so
jealousy guarded against those who
ever did anything useful.
AS for the daughter, she was hand
some young woman, as ambitious as
Eer sire had been, and with all this
ambition directed toward an entree tc
the "4OO."
It was very soon after invading the
east-in fact, when the palace on tho
avenue was mpleted-that Smith
was stunned to see on the door-plale
the name "Smythe." There was a
great uproar and Smith stamped about
for several days, pledging his word 10
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
ociety columns, the blue books and on
rhe ladies' cards.
Later 1t evolved into Johnston
Smythe, and there was another scene
ending in the rout of the head of the
Family.
There are so many John Smiths
sobbed Nellie-whose name had now
been transfgured to Eleanor-"that we
will be positively lost Who can identi
fy John Smith in list of names?"
These trifing storms in the life OF
,5ohn Smith, capitalist blew over and
he went on in the even tenor Of his
way, reading his favorlte 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
,,aE a lamb to the slaughter. But he
got used to the clothes, and even wore
them with sort of grace eventually
The fJrOotinnc ha dacpica1 EJo tb,rpJI
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 The;
spent money like water and their en-.
itertainments were the wonder of tho
metropolis.
In the midst of it all new factor
appeared in the equation. Leslie Archi
hald Van Not, scion of one of the old
sest and most exclusive families in thu
metropolis, descended on the one side
from the Van Nots and on the othel
iron the Bastors, with close relation
ship to the Ganderhilts, began to pay
marked attention to Nellie This near
fly set the female section of the Smyths
family crazy. Young Van Not was on.
.sof the best known society men in th'
.pcfty, and he was welcomed into tn,
most exclusive circles. Once secured
:all was won-the charmed portal
would open. To be sure, the Van No
finances were at a low ebb, but wha
zmaatered that-did not papa have plen
ty OF money?
In the meantime papa was hustled
into the background and the campaign
was waged without his assistance Th
women feared that papa would MAX
Rome break that would scare away tn
gDlden fish nibbling at the hook.
Papa saw all this and felt it NOR
keenly than he admitted to himself
He was man among men. He he'll
the respect of every person with whor
he had ever come in contact.
His name had ever been the syno
.nym for commercial integrity and hi
ecnunsel had been eagerly sought i
znpst important matters connected wit
khnsiness, finance and civic affairs. T
sbe thrust aside by those he loved S
snnsellshly and generously as sort c
ahlncllhead who would make ducks an
brakes Of their plans came to him as
very bitter pill. The more he though
<of it the more he resented it, until h
very soul revolted.
Finally the camnaipn came tn q clos