The Ordway new era., 1910-01-07

have called the impossible. At the
age of 16 she left the parental roof
and went to an uncle in Brooklyn.
where. after many difficulties. having
once been rejected In examination.
came a teacher in the public schools
Of New York city. She had a power
of fascination. as did Laura Van Brunt
Of the novel. and her own family and
all who knew her did her bidding. She
rose by sheer force of will to the
principalship of school No. II. At the
same time she was managing the af.
fairs of her family.
She had to all appearances a strong
influence over her sister. Miss Vir.
ginia o. Wardlaw. who. largely through
the spur of the oldest daughter. went
to Wellesley college. Another sister.
Miss Mary Wardlaw. married Capt.
Fletcher Snead. formerly OF the Con-
federate army. by whom she had three
sons. one Of whom. Fletcher Wardlaw
Snead, the husband OF the victim OF
the bathtub mystery. was arrested in
Canada. US a fugitive from justice.
John r. Wnrdlaw, brother. was an
honor man at Princeton university.
Ambitious a. . Child.
From her earliest years ambition
and money were the guiding stars of
the life OF Caroline Wardlaw. There
is a tradition in the old town of Ogle.
thorpe. where the mansion Of the
Sneads and the Wardlaws still stands
as yet another house Of mystery. that
as child she prayed not for daily
bread. but for cake. The pinch of
poverty which she had experienced in
her girlhood made her at nrst alert
to the value Of money and then the
sion.
She invested money In later years In
many schemes and at one time be-
lieved. as Squire Hawkins did. that
there was a Golconda there for her
and all her kin. She would see the
family return to its pristine glory.
Her ideas were not SO different in that
respect from those expressed In the
creed of Hawkins. Perhaps she may
have had some such visions for the
future of her daughter Ocey as had
the squire for his children when the
authors make him say:
pine forests. wheat land, coal land,
"copper" coal: wait till the railroads
come! We've got to toll along. drag
along and eat crusts in toll and power.
ty-all hopeless and forlorn-but they
will ride in coaches. Nancy. They'll
live like princes of the earth: their
names will be known from ocean TO
ocean,"
Like the Books Characters.
The daughters of the house Of Ward.
law were much like those OF the fami
ly of Hawkins. and much OF the feel.
ing of that time Is summed up In the
concluding paragraph OF The Gilded
Age"
The girls the authors write,
would not have been permitted to
work under any circumstances what.
ever. 1t was southern family. and of
good blood. and for any person ex.
cept Laura, either within or without
the household. to have suggested such
an idea would have brought upon the
suggester the suspicion of being a
lunatic."
IL WAS Ut lHe uedtHDeu OI SlluS ftaW.
kins. 1t will be remembered. that his
children were so impressed with the
family delusion.
II am leaving you in cruel poverty"
Is his valedictory to earth. 81 have
been so foolish. so short.sighted. But
courage? a better day is coming.
Never lose sight of the Tennessee
land. Be wary. There is wealth stored
up there. wealth that Is boundless.
The children shall hold up their heads
with the best of the land yet. Where
are the papers? Have you got the
papers safe? Show them to mel"
The money madness which was
transmitted to the children follows
them through mystery and tragedy. In
the same way the Wardlaws dedicated
themselves to misery and to poverty