Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1912-03-22
A FRUSTRATED
ALLIANCE

In the bedroom OF his apartment On
Madison avenue, New York, Lord
Richard Joselyn was struggling into
his dress clothes, and his face wore
an expression OF as much dissatisfac-
ton as he ever permitted to appear
there. When he had brushed his hair
and settled his white tie he took up a
letter from his father, the cause of
his distress, and re-read it slowly.
my dear Richard wrote the fourth
viscount from his home at Stockton,
England, you have now been six
months in America and have not sue
ceeded in your quest Of bride who
shall restore the much depleted fam
lily income to its pristine size before
we had radical ministries in power
and doles for the laboring classes at
the expense of the landed gentry. Nor
have you displayed any evidence that
you are likely to succeed in such an
attempt in the near future. And
meanwhile the sands of my patience
are running out, and, what will dis
concert you more, fear, the allow
ance that | am making you must
shortly come to an end.
Il have, therefore, Richard, picked
out a bride for you. She is Miss May
Jerrold, the daughter of the Pittsburg
millionaire, who owns a magnificent
house in Fifth avenue, New York. The
family have recently been visiting
England, where I met them. I have
entered into tentative contract with
the mother, and you will do your best
to bring about an engagement now
that they have returned to America.
You will be warmly welcomed, and
there is little doubt that, if you are
not lost to all sense of duty, Double
with Manor will see a new bride next
year"
Upon the table lay a second mis-
sive, an engraved card, announcing
that Mr. and Mrs. Jerrold requested
the pleasure of Lord Jocelyn's COM
pany to dinner that evening.
Lord Jocelyn had paid one visit to
the Jerrold's and it had not pleasant
~ impressed the young EngIishman.
He had found May Jerrold plain
featured, rather worldly girl, and the
father a nonentity, socially speaking,
ruled by the mother, a pompous per-
sonage, who, in language hardly veil
ed. had suggested that the exchange
of the title for the Jerrold wealth
would be in the best interests of both
families AS to the wealth, there was
no doubt of its existence. Though he
had recently been implicated in some
rather speculative transactions in
by conservative judges to worth fifty
millions.
II suppose that there's no help for
it," Lord Jocelyn sighed. 'I've got
to get spliced. Tonight shall warm
up to the Jerrold girl, and soon, after
a decent interval-two weeks, say
shall ask her to be my BRIDE
He struggled into his overcoat and
passed out of his apartment and down
the stairs. A crawling taxicab doomed
up out of the mist. Lord Jocelyn en-
tered, and some twelve minutes later
emerged at the threshold of the Jer-
rold home.
The guests were for the most part
already assembled in the drawing
room when he entered. Mrs. Jerrold
came forward to meet him with af-
fected enthusiasm, and after he had
shaken hands with her daughter, in
troduced him to some of those near
est.
Prince Won Mitfohlen, I want you
to meet Lord Jocelyn," she said
The prince, a tall. slender young
man of military bearing, bowed stiff
~ and looked at Jocelyn curiously.
"A real prince, Lord Jocelyn," whis-
pered Mrs. Jerrold with evident self
satisfaction. Hes in the 'Almanach
de Gotha.' Lord Joselyn-Mr Henry
Doane."
The latter was the antithesis of the
prince; a short, round, jovial Ameri-
can of the successful business type,
who grasped Jocelyn's hand warmly.
A few more introductions were effect
ed, and then the servant announced
dinner.
"You are to take my daughter down,
Lord Jocelyn," said Mrs. Jerrold, and
May Jerrold put her small gloved
hand upon his arm and accompanied
him down the stairs. The drawing
room was at the top of the second
fight; at the top of the first was a
large conservatory, the entrance
guarded by two antique sets of armor,
each posed, lance in hand, as though
to warn all persons away who had
not serious business within. On the
ground floor was the dining room, Law
ishly decorated with pictures of all
shapes and sizes, most Of which bore
the names of old masters and had
been skillfully copied for the Ameri-
can purchaser in Brussels.
The dinner passed off quietly, the
attention of the guests being concen-
trated rather on the viands than upon