Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-09-22
%4,@9@@e%~@@1833@39A~a@H~&
Lady GWendOIin S Quest.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
LOriginall

lOrlSlnaI
Lady Gwendolin Piercey. the daugh-
ter of an earl whose estate was en-
tailed to the eldest son, at her fathers
death looked out at the changed pros
pect before her with deep solicitude.
There was little enough income to en-
able her brother to keep up the title,
and she must necessarily from having
been the presiding lady Of her fathers
household-he was Il widower-be rele-
gated to what one in America would
call a back seat" AS to a doslra BILE
marriage, Lady Gwendolin complained
that the rich American girls had taken
possession Of the English field. But it
occurred to her that if the titled men
of England could get rich wives in
America, why should not the titled
women get rich husbands? She re
solved to go to America.
Lady Gwendolin had a friend, Lucy
Kennerly, also member of a titled
family, who was DESTROYS of seeing the
world. Lady Gwendolin, who was
nearly thirty, brought it about that the
two should visit America together
Lucy Kennerly preferred Egypt, but
since her friends mind was set on
America she consented Had she
known the object of the visit she would
not likely have been so cOmplaisant.
The two ladies brought with them in
troductory letters. Lady Gwendolin,
who managed her campaign with great
foresight, secured a number to people
of the commercial and manufacturing
classes. Her object was to leave society
men out of her calculations, rather di-
recting her efforts to those directly in
terested in great money making con
Germs. In this she was wise. Society
men are not usually matrimonially in
clined, and the rich manufacturers
who largely are without the prestige
of family no sooner get rich than they
begin to crave a family tree
One of the visitors letters gave them
an invitation to visit the owner and
president of the Mix Manufacturing
company. There was no man present
except old Mr.. Mix, who was married,
and Lady Gwendolin at once resolved
to cut the visit short. But Mr.. Mix in
sisted on showing them through the
works of the company. They were
obliged to comply-that is, Lady Gwen
dolin was. Her friend was quite anx-
ious to see the plant. The president in
tended to conduct his titled guests him
self, but arriving at his office found a
I, hi,
mediate attention, so he turned them
over to the secretary. The secretary
led them through various workshops
till he came to the foundry. There he
turned them over to a workman in
overalls with grimy hands and
smudged face.
Now, Lady Gwendolin had no mind
to spend her time in America looking
at mechanical cOntrivances explained
by a greasy mechanic, and throughout
the tour Of inspection of the foundry
she showed her Impotence. Not so her
friend. She listened politely to all the
workman said, asking him many ques-
tons. Indeed so infinitely did she look
into everything that Lady Gwendolin
snapped:
"Well, if you want to make a foun-
dry woman of yourself, I'm going to
sit here and wait till you get through"
She threw herself on a bench, raising
her skirts so as not to come in contact
with the cinder floor, and waited impa-
tiently for the end Of the inspection.
When Lucy Kennerly could find moth
ing more Of interest she thanked her
conductor with her sweetest smile, and
the two ladies left the foundry.
Good gracious, Lucy" exclaimed
Lady Gwendo1in, chow could you be SO
familiar with common workman"
81 found him perfectly familiar with
the manufacturing processes, and all
such things interest me-" replied the
other
Lady Gwendolin's American trip was
failure. She received a number of
bites, but there were no fortunes
among them, and nothing except a
fortune would avail. She went back
to England protesting that she would
rather marry a government clerk than
an American. Inc latter udu 10 re-
spect for birth and were too busy max
ing money to become gentlemen. Lucy
Kennerly, on the contrary, expressed
herself as much pleased with the coun-
try and the people and fancied the way
many rich mems sons devoted them
selves to active business instead of be-
coming social puppets.
The fellow travellers failed to see
much Of each other for some months
after their return. Then one day Miss
Kennerly wrote Lady Gwendolin an
nouncing her engagement and asking
her friend to officiate at the wedding.
It must come off at once, since she was
to marry one of those busy Americans
who couldn't spare enough time even
to consummate their marriages prop
erly. Miss Kennerly wrote an illegible
hand and the recipient Of the note
could not make out the groOm's name.
Lady Gwendolin had noticed while in
America the attentions of a poor So
ciety man to her friend and had warn
ed Lucy against him.