The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-10-30
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LADY AMELIA
POINDEXTER
An Experience on an
Ocean Liner
BY RUFUS b. HENDERSON


The flood of the tidal wave of tour
tsts to Europe had ended and the ebt
had set in. Reginald Falrchild, an
American gentleman Of means, had
been spending the summer and part
of the autumn abroad and was return
ing on an ocean liner. Mr.. Fairchlld
though he had reached middle age
was still unmarried. He had been
much abroad, where society is made
up, or at least led, by aristocrats.
Mr.. Fairchild was coming home
from his trip especially dissatisfied
at being obliged to resume his position
with what he called the commercial
aristocracy Of America. This was the
more calling because In his veins ran
the blood OF that older aristocracy
whose members had been leaders in
colonial times. His family had felt
themselves better than soap boilers.
Now, there were soap boilers who felt
themselves better than he. Some Of
them at least lived In far better style,
spending thousands where he spent
hundreds.
One day when the wind was fresh
Mr.. Fairchlld was walking the deck.
A lady sat in a steamer chair wrapped
in rugs with little writing case be
fore her, evidently getting up her cor
respondence. She was perhaps TWEEN
ty-four years old and very pretty, with
liOht Ennlieh hair and
ion. There was about her the air Of
one who had mingled with we'll bred
persons. As Mr.. Fairchild passed her
she very naturally raised her eyes
from the paper before her, but, seeing
his gaze fixed upon her, Immediately
lowered them.
Mr.. Fairchild walked back and forth
past the lady a number Of times, and
every time he thought her more charm
ing. She faced the bow of the vessel,
the motion increasing the force Of the
wind. Walking aft. Mr.. Fairchild saw
a sheet Of writing paper blown past
him and become pinned by the wind
to the stern rail. When he reached
it he took 1t up. 1t was a partly fin
ished letter-a family crest stamped on
the paper-aUd he could not help see
ing the first words, which were my
Dear Duchess"
Mr.. Fairchj!d, assuming that the lady
engaged at her correspondence had
written and lost the paper, turned to-
ward her. Her back was to him, and
she did not look around. He hesitated,
being tempted to read the letter with
a view to discovering the social status
of the writer, but the habit of gentil-
ity was too strong in him, and without
again looking at it he walked back to
the lady and with a courteous bow
asked her II 1t was not her property.
She took 1t from him, glanced at it,
seemed surprised, thanked him and
asked him where he had found it.
The incident broke the ice for an ac-
quaintance. Later, when they were
talking about the lost letter Fairchild
admitted that he had felt strongly
moved to read it, whereupon the lady,
that there was nothing in
it to be concealed, took it from her
NlllliS NdHC anu IL W ulLll.
FairChild declined to read 1t, but the
lady insisted, so he ran it over. II
proved conclusively that she was of a
noble family, her elder brother being
an earl and her nephew and nieces be-
Ing lords and honorables. Further
more, the lady left lying on her lap
several letters, on one Of which Fair
child read the address Lady Amelia
One feature grated a bit on Fair
child. While the composition of the
letter he read was such as a titled
lady would write, the chirography was
defective, there were one or two er-
rors in grammar, and here and there a
word was spelled wrong But the
world is fun of bad writer's, bad
spoilers, and, as for grammar, a genius
Of literature has admitted that he was
unable to learn the correct use Of
'shalp' and will"
Fairchild remarked upon the crest,
and the lady admitted that, strictly
her brother, the Earl of
alone had the right to use
It. When told that in America, where
here were no patents OF nobility, al
most any family adopted a crest who
could afford to pay for the stamping
IF II on his or her writing paper, Lady
Amelia was astOnished and said she
ildn't think she would like America
It all.
Fairchild had a few acquaintances
among the nobility In aspgland and
spoke Of them TO his new acquaintance.
She seemed to know all about most of
hem and told him things concerning
hem he did not know himself Nat
lrally refined, not caring to boast OF |
his acquaintances, he refrained from
telling her how intimate he had been
with them. But she had no such |
Iualms herself. This was not surpris-
ng TO Fairchild, for he had noticed |
hat persons OF rank considered them
elves as good as other persons of rank |