The Washington herald., 1908-04-19

are not known, nor viii they be made
public until the matrimonial knot has
been safely and properly tied by a min
lister Of the Gospel in the Capital City;
for, be 1t known, the majority OF these
viii be elopers.
Mrs. gin is the eternal friend of the
young society man who is forced by
stern parental objections 10 steal his
sweetheart. Not only is Mrs. GIL a
friend in need to these young Lochin-
vars who, perforce. must ride with the
captured maidens into the North. instead
/ Of the West: but she furnishes the very
! necessary transportation, in the shape
of locomotive and dozen crowded
coaches in which they may lose them
/ selves. instead Of a snOrting charger and
other appurtenances Of the medieval ages.
Mrs. Gill probably knows more about
the love affairs OF Richmond girls than
any other woman in Richmond. 1t is her
! business TO stay on the side OF TO
nance from which the wind is blowing
She can scent love affair from afar Of,
and once on the scent she follows the
tFah as hunter follows his quarry. un-
| III the logical and natural elimination
OF such an affair is reached on her next
| excursion to Washington. Both the girls
and the young men pour their heart
troubles into. her sympathetic ear, and
IN return she p1uTs the oil Of advice and
consolation on the troubled waters and
matches another plan by which two
1 hearts can be made 20 beat as one
She is pastmistress in the gentle art
/ Of matchmaking So insidiouslv does She
1 work that there is never any hitch or
any trouble. but the Iovelorn swain and
the blushing girl are given their chance.
/ for Easter never fails 10 come around
/ again, and Mrs. GilPs excursions never
+ fan 10 run on Easter.
Mrs. Gill is unquestIonably responsible
1 for more marriages than any other one
woman in Virginia For fifteen years she
had been operating an annual excursion
/ to Washington at this season. and on
/ each Of these a bunch OF pretty buds 20
/ cut as Misses and come back as brides
So sure are number of marriages to
/ take place when these excursions run
/ that they have come 10 be known as the
/ Cupid Excursions" The little blind God
/ is always a passenger. Mrs. GIN needs
/ him in her business. The little rascal
/ practices his Workmanship upon his hui
man targets during the weeks that pass
/ before, but witnesses are always needed
twhen q man and a maid stand up to-
gether before a man Of God. and Dan
/ likes to see the finish Of the work which
he began.
/ And then. perchance, there may go
a girl whose mind needs 10 be changed
/ while the pleasIre-seekers are touring the
I al
| made Of so delicate a job il he were not
along with his little bunch of darts Mrs
/ Gill never OYeTlOoks any bets when il
/ comes 10 a matter Of satisfying her pat
rons- There must be marriages TO make
/ her excursions popular.
The Easter excursion is not the only
one which Mrs. GIL runs each year. Ii
/ is merely the first Of the season-the one
that comes when the spring brings the
1 buds to the trees. when the heart OF a
young man lightly turns 10 the things
I that il ought 10 consider. Others are Op
/ Grated from time TO time during the sum-
mer. but none are so popular or so sue
! eessful as that which Is synonymous with
I Easter. The minds and hearts Of young
/ folks are at this season ripe for the en-
! chantment that awaits them. They have
enjoyed a summer al the seaside and
/ the mountains. with the attendant ex-
/ periences entailed therein; winter OF
| long evenings a; balls and theaters -
round twelve months which has made the
school girls of yesterday the young wo-
man of now The crop Of these never
fails 10 be perpetuated in Richmond and
Virginia: wherefore, Mrs. Gilrs Easter
! excursions are as much necessity now
/ as they were a dozen years ago, when
! girls and boys first began to sit up and
/ take q little notice OF the opportunities
presented 10 them. Later excursions will
| follow during the present summer, but It
/ is a safe guess that none of them VIII
quicken IN the breasts Of dozen sweet
hearts the expectations bestowed upon
the one which is scheduled TO leave Rich
mond next Monday morning
Mrs. GIL, in her own proper person, Is a
most estimable woman. She is the super
intendent of the Virginia Male Orphan
Asylum TO which work she has dedicated
her life. She loves her boys, and her
boys love her. She herself says that no
possible inducement could be made to her
to sever her connection with the institu-
ton which has become a part and parcel
Of herself Her heart is wrapped up IN
the welfare Of her little inmates; but she
takes the time, upon occasion, to know
the names of the girls who are budding
into womanhood, and of the lads who are
casting sleeps eyes at them. Later. IN
month or a year. she will see them sneak
with guilty faces into an obscure corner
OF one of her coaches. and the deed will
have been done She has watched many
romances sprout and bud and blossom
into full flower. She could no doubt tell
many interesting tales about the love
affairs of women who were girls in the
days when her excursions first came TO
be popular as a vehicle for elopers.
Personally. Mrs. Gill had rather see the
young folks work out their salvation
along smoother and more legitimate lines.
But she nevertheless holds 20 the old
and often proven opinion that love viii
find a way. And If that way happens to
be In the form OF a pair of tickets to
Washington at Easter with Dan Cupid
on the train, so much better for Mrs.
Gill She wants IL distinctly understood
that her excursions are not run for that
purpose alone. If she helps some young
lovers with good advice from time to
time, she does not necessarily anticipate
that they will wait for Easter TO make
their marriage vows. But when hard
hearted parents fail TO see the virtues of
certain young men through the eyes of
their daughters, and Easter-and Mrs
GilTs excursion-happens TO come along
at exactly the psychological moment, 1t
is no fault Of Mrs Gills- And she
should not be held responsible for the OBJ
ject in view in the minds OF those who
go upon her excursions. These excursions
are purely commercial enterprises. be it
remembered, and tickets are or sale for
those who have the price.