The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-10-29
A Social Skirmist.

=
from a leaderslilp Of winters social
festivities, deterIGnel Al 90 fors the
summer season &utsisusy Nh4 slke to
find place Of restH HSiftb hnnous
that had been LANDED down stos her
through several generations. prominent
not only socially. but as directress In
numberless votnep'st societies. Il was
no easy matter for 'her to get AWAY
from the incessnnt calls that were
made upon her After considering
many plans she selected a small sum
mer inn in the nlountains, where she
engaged n room for So a week aud
registered as plain Mrs. Jones.
Now, Mrs. Jones had head that In
these summer hotels the guests meet
and intermlngle FOR a season on terms
OF temporary equality. to separate at
the end of August and go to their
homes and accustomed associates Sew
cral ladies nodded to her without In
PRODUCTION. 80 she nodded, smiled and
often passed q pleasant word with
those sLe met.
But Mrs. Jones soon found that her
mods and smiles in some cSses were not
returned in kind. BEFORE she had
been OF the inn a week It was appar-
ent that the social features Of the place
we9e under the direction Of small
clique managed by a certain Mrs. Dole
In other words. Mrs. Dole ran the so
cial part rs the landlady rar the board
and lodging.
Mrs. Fordyce-Jones. who had long
been hunting for new sensation, had
suddenly found one. Hiding from in
Titntions Of the most refined people
who were loath to accept the "rc-
grets." she was astounded nj the dis
covery that she was tabooed by those
who had neither blood. exceptional
breeding nor money. 1t was a great
shock to her amour proprc It set her
20 thinking. She had regarded the
welcomes that were given her by her
peers Ms coming from her natural at
tractlveness. Here were people social
" her Interiors as well as In other
respects who had no use for her
Mrs. Jones determined to capture
the clique. not by making herself
known. not by frowning upon thew.
but by her winning ways. she lay in
wait for some OF their husbands. and
the men became willing captlves But
the same reserve. the same icy indlf-
ference pervaded the women. AS soon
as Mrs. Jones discovered that she was
making no hendway in this direction
she desIsted.
Mrs Jones tried TO think that she
was enjoying the absurdity OF the sit
uation. but she was not One might
expect that she would. These people
were nothing TO her. and they We're
making themselves ridiculous. But
the fact remained that at that par
ticular place she was snubbed. She
had been told again and again that the
reason of her social prominence was
her personal loyeliness. Why did not
that lovellness give her the same ad
vantage now? a tinge of color came
over her face as the fact forced itself
upon her that In her own circle she
was surrounded by flatterers; that It
was not herself that society worshiped,
but her power TO help others onward
and upward.
Nor did Mrs. Jones relish being
denied companionship, though she had
come to the inn to avoid companion
ship The best people there We're
made afraid of each other and her
by the clique. and she had nothing in
common with the palmer class to be
found at summer hotels. She there.
fore sat by herself on the piazza pre-
tending to read novel, but in reality
thinking upon the lesson OF her life.
Was she not when at home playing
the part played by Mrs. Dole2 She
was obliged TO admit that she was,
though In a different way. She had a
kindly word and n smile for every
one. AS TO her invitations and those
she accepted, she acted as she had a
good right to act-upon her own sweet
Will. She had never known any other
Surroundings than those Of wealth and
refinement; therefore she felt assured
she could not possibly be n snob. She
thought much upon reforms she would
like TO make on her return. but they
did not upon consideration seem prac-
ticnble.
One morning near the end Of August,
when the denizens of the hotel, the
elect and the ordinary. were summing
themselves on the piazza. a carriage
resplendent with varnish ana gold
plate. the door emblazoned with coat
of arms the Fordyce-Jones arms
driver and footman on the box in ma
room colored livery and white silk
stockings, drove up to the unpreten.
tkOus stone whereOn guests and bag
gage arrived and departed. Every
woman sat up and stared. No one
was In the carriage. so It was probable
that seine one was going I'm IL. Who
could It beg Presently Mrs. Jones IN
simple travelling costume came out
of the Inn with the landlady to whom
she gave '.lss at parting. entered the
carriage and was driven away.
There was CONSERVATION on the part
OF every woman ~ the clique What
did It meanf Who was Mrs Jones;
Did she own the eqpipagef What was
such an eqnipaee doing at point 50
remote from the cltyf The landiady