El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-28

wF HEN Miss Lucy Dodge, the grand
M daughter Of the late John Bige-
w low, ran away from her beautiful
London home the other day, she by no
means provided her family with the new
and move sensation which the general
public kmerica and England sup
posed. Dodge, you see, has run away
before, n. once, but several times. Osten-
sibly she runs away to bring her family,
which consists of a devoted mother and
stepfather, to terms. Those who look on
say that she formed the habit Of running
away in order to get her own way. Her
most recent escapade was, SO said her
friends, for the purpose Of forcing her
mother TO let her go into grand opera. On
the surface this was the reason for the
disappearance, which caused a sensation
not only in this country, but all over Eu-
rope.
But back of this runaway and back OF
all the others lies a deeper, more COM
Melting reason-tbe desire to fad and to
acquire true democracy. Miss Dodge was
not born into a democratic family. she
was born to aristocracy pure and simple.
The aristocracy Of wealth, culture and
family. From her birth she was hedged
about with all the conventions Of a highly
conservative family. And as she grew
into young womanhood these conventions
irked her even more than as child. she
hated wealth and its adjuncts, social po-
sition and snobbery.
When Miss Dodge began her running
away she was a mite Of a girl living in her
grandfather's stately old home in Gram
ere. SQUARE This was at that time sucn
an exclusive little section OF New York
that no business Of any kind not even an
apartment house, was allowed within its
borders. This beautiful park, worth many
millions, was the exclusive playground
for the lucky little millionaire children
whose fathers lived within the charmed
quarters.
And Lucy was one of these fortunate
children. Her mother was the daughter
Of John Bigelow, one time Ambassador to
France, and one of our foremost diplomats
and statesp zen. After a sensational girl
mood spent In France and England, where
she was Oh the most friendly terms with
the royal families, Lucys mother married
Charles Stuart Dodge and came back to
New York to live. Here Lucy was born,
and here, IN 1903, the Dodges were d.
vorced. Shortly afterward Mrs. Dodge
married handsome young Englishman,
Lionel Guest, brother Of Lord AshDy st.
Legers, British Paymaster-General- One
of Lucy's aunts married a brother Of Mrs
J. Pierpont Morgan. Thus from her birth
the good fairies showered Lucy with their
BENEFITS, and the word democracy was IN
known IN the vocabulary of the whole
family.
But Lucy was not satisfied to play with
the carefully selected well washed and
perfectly antiseptic children who were her
neighbors. She was always trying to
smuggle into the park some Of the dirty
but highly interesting children who lived
over beyond Third avenue. Seedlings had
no effect. She would point to the children
and say, 'Why can't I play with them?
They are just like the rest Of US under
the dirt"
While Lucy was sure Of this, her gov
eTnesses and parents were sure of the
contrary, and a strict watch was kept on
the pretty child to protect her from the
results Of her democratic tendencies.
But at the age of ten, when she was
voted the belle Of the park and when she
had more partners than she could manage
at the children's parties she attended,
Lucy decided that all was not right with
her world. II she could not find democ-
racy by staying in her beautiful home or
In playing with the other little millionaire
children, she would go in search of 1t and
right then ana there her pilgrimage in
search Of democracy began.
One AFTERNOON there vas a great COM
motion in the Bigelow-Dodge family. EJucv
had disappeared She was not in the
antiseptic park, she was nowhere in
the millionaire district; where could she