Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1922-12-22
A Successful
Campaign
BY H. IRVING KING

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20. 1912. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
That very attractive widow, Mrs.
Pemberton Jones, had brought her two
daughters to Midway Beach for strictly
matrimonial purposes. OF the daugh-
ters, Geraldine-familiarly called Jer-
ry-was twenty, and Margaret-Mar-
gle for short-was twenty-three. While
not raving beauties, they were more
than ordinarily good-looklng girls, we'll
brought up, with enough education for
their daily needs. Geraldine was tall
and dark; Margaret was petite and
blonde. That was because she was
while Geraldine was decidedly of the
nonsubmissive, self-relant sort. In
the Midwest town whence they came
they had not wanted suitors, but
among them had been no one whom
they especially cared about and no one
whom Mrs. Pemberton Jones cared
about at all as son-in-law. But the
good mother planned a war of conquest
from which she determined to bring
back captives If 1t took her last cent
and at any sacrifice of health and
comfort She hated hotel life; but
Midway Beach appeared a good stra-
teglc position and, like skillful
general, she occupied It, She did not,
Of course, explicitly state to her daugh-
tiers the object Of the expedition; but
they suspected it,
The season at Midway Beach was a
crowded and brilliant one At night
the great hotel blazed with lncandes-
cent bulbs, the band blared from the
pagoda-like bandstand in front of the
hostelry and the fiddles sang In the
ballroom to time the dancers feet. On
the broad piazza young couples flirted
and old couples gossiped, while the
sullen and disappearing ocean pound
ed on the shore and announced to the
shivering sands its intention of sweep
Ing the whole frivolous place to de-
structlOn with the first winter storm.
Mrs. Pemberton Jones had calculated
upon some opposition to her plans from
Geraldine, but upon none from Mar
garet But as the season progressed
the usually plant Margie developed an
unexpected Obstlnacy quite equal to
her sisters, and as the season began
to draw toward It's close the girls were,
apparently, no nearer catching rich
husbands than they were at It's begin
ming. 1t must not be thought that the
sisters made no conquests-they did.
In fact, Geraldine had the honor Of re-
jecting mature millionaire and Mar
garet rejected a gllded youth of the
best Wall street standing, after each
of which events Mrs. Pemberton Jones
kept to her bed for whole day. The
good woman was I'm despair and In
dulged in circumstances and tears at
the manner in which her daughters
neglected their opportunities. IF ma
is so set on marriage" said Jerry to
Margie after one Of these family
squabbles, why doesn't she get mar.
ried herself? She's only forty-fve and
looks ten years younger"
But had Geraldine and Margaret
come through the frivolous and fiery
furnace heart-whole and fancy free2
Not so!
In a little fishing shack four miles
away along the shore Of the bay, two
young men were rOughlng it for the
summer. They had a catboat, and
they had an aged negro to cook for
them. They sailed and flshed and
wore old clothes, smoked and loafed.
1t was life good for the health, and |
the young men showed IT,
Most gentlemanly and attractive |
young fellows" said Jerry to Margie, |
after their first meeting with the her
init fishermen. "They haven't |
money though, apparently Is
too bad, or we might be able to soothe
mothers feelings"
How shocking you are!" replied |
Margaret "Of course, we shall never
see them again"
"Of course not said Jerry.
This first meeting referred to had |
come about in this way. The girls
took early morning gall0ps, attended |
only by d groom. Geraldne's horse |
attempted TO bolt near the fishing |
shack, and one Of the young men
sprang into the road and caught 1t, |
while the other soothed the sisters
fears. When the groom came up, he |
found the young ladies, who had dis
mounted to recover from their fright, |
seated on the porch Of the shack, in |
animated conversation with the stran- |
ger youths After that somehow, the
.t,,g e 81 10 -t.
took the direction Of the bay shore |
road, and generally-but always quite |
by accident of course--they met the |
two young men, so that 1t was inevlta'
Bile that a most friendly acquaintance
should grow up between them.
zone can't snub man who has
saved ones life said Geraldine.
"Why, Jerry you declared you were
not In the least danger when that
young man grabbed the horse,' ex-
claimed Margaret.
well, I've changed my mind" re-
piled Jerry. The groom who accom-
panied the girls on their rides was a
discreet person and believer In non
Intervention. The young men never
came to the hotel and the young la
dies saw no reason why they should
mention their humble and chance ac-
quaintances.
81 did ask the clerk once" said
Jerry to her sister, "whO those two
young men were who occupied the old
fishing shack across the bay, md he
said he didn't know some poor devils,
he supposed, who could not afford the
hotel
Several times tie girls agreed I"
yncut, nf thoir uptyIy. o1uuIrpd frlpnI~ |