The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1883-04-12
Tue THREE GRAlpMo1nERs.

WI uNulkk NLVOs
"AnA you would marry this fellow"
said Grandma Won Breeks Won Starch.
in her bassooniest tthat is the only !
word l can think Of with which to de-
scribe thcml tones, aif you could?"
yves, ma'am," replied Gertrude,
nieekly but firmly.
"The idea is simply preposterous!
declared GRANDMOTHER Hnffes's tife.lika
voice.
"Prepostesoas inaeed!" responded
the bassoon. More than preposterous
--disgraceful! mechanic! common
working man! house painter!'
"He's fresco-paintcr. timills cor
rected Gertrude,
(which ainounta to the same thing"
groencd the bassoon.
Michael Angelo began Gertrude.
"Heaven preserve U.S." shrilled tho
fife; "she's bringing some Irishman in
to discussion nowl Re silent, miss.
Well not hear another word from you.
And understand distinctly. once and for
all, that IL that person calls here to-mor-
row, which no doubt he will have the
mportinencc and assurance to do, you
are to dismiss him instantly, or ,ee
uiu"
"And enieavor to begin the now year"
the bassoon took mp the strain again
I'm n manner hctttinu a descendant
Of the illustrious Gen. Won Breeks Won
Starch. whose unexampled bravery
made him and Bergen-op-Zoom--the
city of his birth famous not only
throughout Holland but the entire
world, Mt a time when You were not
dreamed Of"
AS for Grcat-gran Peeky, she sat
softly rocking to and fro III her cush-
ioned rocker, munehing her caraway
biscuits-a store of which she always
carried in little sachcl suspended at
her side--slcepilv regarding the group
I Of takers, and saving not word her.
self. But that WIS. nothing strange for
her. She scarcely ever spoke save in
monosyllables, and never even in them
when Madame Won Breeks won Starch
and Mistress Huffes were laying down
tho law ca favorite occapation of theirs,
by-thc-hs) to servants. trades-people or
granddaughter Gertrude. And the last
4 luAilE lIut SbuIt w tUtItI
Of tho amiahle lawmakers would have
been the idea of appealing to the old
lady for mn opinion ON any subject what
ever. It.sutliced them that she paid
without grumhling the greater part of
the expenses of the household out of the
income which was to cease ut her death,
and vet allowed them to manage all
things pertaining to it in their own way.
Gertrude--so named by Madame Won
Breeks von Starch in honor of the
patron saint Of Bergen-op-Ioom
lost both her parents in her infancy,
and, her father having been reduced to
poverty some time before he died by
various gentlemanly vices, she had been
left wholly dependent upon her three
grandmothers.
OF these Grcat-gran Peeky was the
mother of Grandmother Huifey, who,
IN turn. was the mother of Gertrude's
mother, while Grandma Won Breeks
von Starch held the same close relation.
ship to her father.
The hassoon grandmother was at The
head OF tho American branch of hel
family tshe had been Won Rrccks yor
Starch herself, and had married cousi,
,f the same namel--a family Of great
prowess and many ags Of gold in theil
father-lana some century and n half ago
Sho was tall. stout and solid, with ,
round face, big black eyes, abundan
iron gray hair, and carriage that i'm
medately suggested to the beholdel
the last syllable of her aristocrati'
name.
The fife grandmother, five years he
Junior, was directly her opposite, beinl
short, slim and timber, with sharp
,ut face, extremely thin fair hair, an,
faded blue eyes
Great-gran Peeky, notwithstandin,
her S3 years, was by far the best-look
, ing of the three Though she did look
must confess, when munching her cara
way biscuits, somewhat like very ME
meditatiye old rabbit. Her snow
white tresses waved prettily above he
still dark eyebrows, beneath whic
beamed with mild, dreamy light he
soft brown eyes, and pleasant winte
bloom fingered on her wrinkled face.
1t was from her Gertrude had II
ceived all the picture books and suga
plums, almost always bestowed in pei
feet silence, that had frightened m
sweetened her childhood, Grandm
Won Breeks Won Starch supplying til
lessons in department. and Grandmotl
er Huifey tlet me whisper it, the pun
ishments, usually inflicted with slil
per or the back of hair-brush. Blu
In spite of the lectures and lessons an
I other disagreeable things, Gertrude lie
| tolerahly happy life with her thrs
! grardmothers until her eighteenth brit
day. From that day dated such stri
i. surveillance, SO much sarcasm, so man
!, seedlings, that even the hair-brush-an'
slipper period seemed bv comparison
. regrettable one. And all on account
10 the young man who came to fresco Il
d parlor ceilings. A handsome youl
man he was, possessing the highly G
y phonious name OF Eyerdell Tremlel
But neither his good looks nor his 7
mantle name availed him aught with Il
- two managing grandmothers, who 81
i'm him only one of the worklng-day rae
- with which the Huffeys and the Y,
Breeks ydn Starehes had nothing
! common.
And therefore, with no more thong
about the matter than If John the ma
,, servant had been there in his stead, th