The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-08-11
AN OLD NUISANCE. "

AN VAO N U4OhNOE.
Mind, I quote those three words.
They are none of mine. Only, thinking
over three or four equally appropriate
titles, chose the one l use as being
the oldest, and always had fancy for
odd things. And now for my story.
On what my aunt (by marriage) and
her family founded their claims to aris-
tocracy [ never could discover. My
uncle had been a merchant, it is true,
and one of considerable prominence in
his day, 1 had been told, and so had
been his father before him, and his
fathers father before that. That his
business in his most prosperous time
was intimately connected with China is
impressed upon my mind Il became an
inmate of his house when l was about
six years of age, in consequence of the
death of both my parents within week
of each other, leaving me with no means
of support, and no other relative) by
the fact that every first of June saw
bright new mattinps laid on our floors,
to remain there until cold weather came
again, and that our mantels and what
nots were decorated with many pretty,
dainty little porcelain cups, thin as egg
shells-rarities III those days, but in
these plenty aud cheap enough.
Now, according to all have learned
on the suhiec-, real Simon Pure aristo-
Gratis look down upon trade even on the
grandest scale, and never have anything
to do with il further than once in while
marrying one of its sons or daughters
who have come into possession of mil
lions enough to offset the honor.
However, our family II venture to in
clude myself, none of my cousins being
within hearing) assumed all the airs of
the "blue bloods" of the old country.
Eleanor, our second, wore a look of
deep indignation for several days after
q manly, clever, good-looking fellow,
the brother of one of her old school
mates, with considerable income, but
who was Junior partner of firm keep
ing a retail store on Sixth avenue, pro.
posed for her hand.
"The presumption of the man !" she
exclaimed, raising her arched eyebrows
in astonishment, and curling her full red
upper lip in scorn; "to imagine for q
moment that because 1 honored him
with my company to the opera two or
three times, would marry him ! If his
business had been wholesale, it would
have been bad enough; but fancy per-
son who sells pins and needles by the
paper and lace by the yard Never I
would die first"
Minerva, our fourth, was equally hor-
-, 81 - g
bookReeper whom her brother Lau-
renee had introduced into the family
circle rare thing for one of hel
brothers to do, for, like all other men, as
far as my limited experience goes, they
scarcely ever thought their companions
to be good enough to be the compan.
ions OF their sisters-when he ventured
to express his admiration for her. The
young man soon after succeeded to q
very handsome property, and became 8
great swell-"a a perfect too-too," as ]
believe the fashionable way of express,
ing it now is-a kind of being after Mi.
nerva's own heart; but she was never
invited to ride behind his fast horses,
and what was much worse, never again
asked to take the head of his table.
enthusiastic professor of music, the stout,
good -natured proprietor of the extensive
iron-works ("wholesale and retail ") on
the next block, the young artist, who
has since risen to wealth and fame, and
sundry others, all falling short of the
aristocratic standard set up by our
family, were snubbed by my lady cousins,
aided by their brothers, and not wholly
unassisted by their mother. Inever had
had, at the time this story commences,
being then in my eighteenth year, chance
to snub any one; for, lacking the personal
attractions of my relatives, as we'll as
their "high-toned" natures-truth tc
tell, having decidedly democratic ten
dencies-I was kept in the background
on all occasions.
Let it be remarked in passing thai
Eleanor eventually married, when rather
an old girl, a widower, in the mill
business-very wholesale, however-tht
father of four children. At the same
time Minerva, few years younger
deigned to become the wife of al
elderly bachelor, something or other in (
shoe mandatory. But they held theil
heads as high as ever, and declared they
had sacrificed themselves for the family
uncle having failed for the second time
through no fault of his own, dear ole
mana few months before the double
wedding.
That their sacrifice" was for tn,
good of the family 1 don't deny; bu
there still were left at home to be takel
care of after their departure three OLE
maids, a young one, and two helples
young men, who, having been brough
up to do nothing, did it to perfection.