The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1881-08-13
AN OLD NUISANCE, y

MIND, 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 marriage1 and
her family founded their claims to arts
tocracy I never could discover. NV
uncle had been a merchant, it is true,
and one Of considerable prominence in
his day, [ 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 I 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 mattings 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 in those days, but in
these plenty and cheap. enough.
Now, according to all I have learned
on the subject, real Simon Pure aristo-
Gratis look down upon trade even on the
to do with it further than once in while
marrying one of it's sons OF daughters
who have come into possession Of mil
lions enough to offset the honor.
However, our family Il 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 look of
deep Indignation for several days after
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 retail store on Sixth avenue, pro-
posed for her hand.
"The presumption of the man p she
exclaimed, raising her arched eyebrows
in establishment, and curling her full red
upper lip in scorn; "to imagine for a
moment that because I honored him
with my company to the opera two or
three times, / would marry him Ii 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 ! [
would die first"
Minerva, our fourth, was equally hor-
ror-stricken ct the effror terry of young
bookEeeper whom her brother Lau-
renee had introduced into the family
circle-a rare thing for one of her
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 a
very handsome property, and became q
great swell-"a perfect too-too," as L
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.
And in like manner the graceful and
enthusiastic professor OF music, the stout,
good-natured proprietor of the extensive
iron-works ("wholesale and retail y 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 snnbbed by my lady cousins,
aided by their brothers, and not wholly
unassisted by their mother. lnever had
had, at the time this story commences.
being then inmy eighteeanthyear, a chance
to snub any one; for, lacking the personal
attractions of my relatives, as well as
their "high-toned" natures-truth to
tell, having decidedly democratic ten,
dencies-i was kept in the background
on all occasions.
Let it be remarked n passing that
Eleanor eventually married. when rather
an old girl, widower. in the milk
business very wholesale, however-the
father Of four children. At the same
time Minerva, few years younger,