The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-06-13
The brothers were the BEST Of friends

The brothers were the BEST OF friends.
They understood and sympathized with each
/ others likes, dislikes and weaknesses. Only
once in their lives had they quarrelled, but
that quarrel had lasted for six years. They
| shudder now as they look back upon that
! time.
1t was no vulgar dispute, which is made
! known to all the world and in which mutual
| friends are expected to take sides 1t was
only the Talberts themselves who knew that
a quarrel existed. To outsiders they seemed
more absurdly polite to each other than be-
| fore.
The cause of the quarrel was the Interior
ence of one brother in the others affairs. They
were peculiar men, and very tenacious OF the
Englishmans duty Of minding his own bust
ness On a certain occasion one or them
fancied rather delicate matter as much his
own business as his brothers.. He was mis-
taken. They did not use high words, because
such things were not in their line; but each
brother was sadly firm. The upshot was that
for six years they only spoke when they met
in society.
At last old Talbert died. His successful
daughter had been dead long time. The old
man left Lakewood House and it's contents
to his sons conformity. The rest Of his fortune
he divided into three parts, and left in this
proportion to each of his children or their
children, if any. Then the sons met at Halle
wood House and considered what they should
do.
First Of all, as was becoming, they made up
their differences. Very little was said on
either side, but it was understood that cordial
relations were re-established. At which happy
conclusion each man rejoiced greatly-the
six years separation had been a terrible affair
and tacitly registered a vow that for the
future his brothers affairs should be his own
distinct, private property.
BY this time our friends had grown rather
weary of gadding about. Moreover, it was
due to their position that some place should
be called their home For nearly twenty
years they had lived in the various capitals of
Europe, and they knew that they had con-
quered society Indeed. it is doubtful whether
any two men, not celebrities, were better
known than Horace and Herbert Talbert SO
they resolved to settle down and begin house
keeping on their own account,
They collected their art treasures, and be-
ing not traders, but still thorough men Of
business, in order to save any question arising
in the remote future, made exact inventories
OF luclT respective DtlOllSllSS, uON IL W tLt
uttermost, smallest and most cracked cup and
saucer. Then they combined their collections
and made Lakewood House curiously beat
titul with paintings, china and bric-a-brac.
This done, they settled down into quiet do
nestle life, and kept their house as methodi-
cally and carefully, and no doubt great
deal better, than any two old women could
have done.
Of course, with their cultivated tastes
their general requirements, their cosmopolitan
experiences and the many desirable friends
they were known to possess, the Talberts'
standing in Oakbury was undeniable. They
were credit to the neighborhood and
might, had they not been too good-hearted to
dream of such a proceeding, have snubbed
any one of the families Of position without
dreading reprisals. If people laughed at
their womaniSh ways, etfeminate proceed
ings and domestic economies, they were,
nevertheless, always glad to entertain or to
be entertained by the Talberts. The latter
need not he wondered at. The little dinners
at Lakewood House were the pink of culinary
civilzation-the crystallization Of refined
gastronomic intelligence.