Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-03-16

away; fits all gone; eleven great Jumps
have you had, and the feast Of the gods
Is over"
But Phyllis would not be convinced;
abe pushed her nose up over the window
ledge and whinnied softly. As plainly
as a horse can beg, she begged for more,
but her mistress was obdurate. Placing
both hands behind her she drew back
into the room laughing.
"Not another lump" she called, "eleven
are enough. Greedy Phyllis, to beg for
more when you know I'm in earnest. Go
away and play with the colts, you'll get
no more today"
you'll never make Phyllis believe
that, my DEAR" remarked tall, gray
haired lady, in pretty muslin cap, who
had entered unperceived.
"Oh, yes, mother. She understands
quite well. See, she's moving off already.
Phyllis knows I never break my word,
and that persuasion is quite useless" re-
piled Pocahontas, turning to give her
mother the customary morning kiss, to
place her chair before the waiter for her
and to tell her how becoming her new
cap was. The Masops never neglected
small courtesies to one another.
The branch of the Mason family still
resident at the old homestead Of Lanarth
had dwindled to four living representa-
tives-Mrs. Mason, who had not changed
her name in espousing her cousin Tenn
pie Mason, Of Lanarth, and her son
Berkeley, and daughters Grace and Po-
cahontas. There had been another son,
Temple, the younger, whose story form
ed one of those sad memories which are
| %hn cyViVV1 uFfo1~&o ar ~ MN A IL thrno ~
the Masons had worn gray uniforms; the
! father had been killed in a charge at
Malvern Hill, the elder son had lost his
good right arm, and the younger had
died in prison.
OF the two daughters, Grace had early
, fulfilled her destiny in true Virginian
/ fashion by marrying distant connection
of her family, 40 Mr.. Royal Garnett,
who had been playmate Of her broth
ers, and whose plantation lay in an ad-
| joining county. With praiseworthy
conservatism, Mrs. Garnett was duph-
eating the uneventful placidity Of her
parents early years, content to rule her
household wisely, to love and minister
to her husband, and to devote her ener-
gies to the rearing Of her children &C
cordin9 to time honored precedent. Po-
cahontas, the Youngest Of the family,
was still unmarried, nay, more-still I'M
engaged.
They had called her "Pocahontas" In
obedience to the unwritten law Of south
ern families, which DEGREES that an an
cestor's sin of distinction shall be visited
on generations of descendants in the per-
petuation of name no matter what its
hideousness. 1t seems q popularity OF
distinguished persons to possess names
singularly devoid Of beauty; therefore.
among the burdens entailed by pride
upon posterity, this is a grievous one.
Some families, with the forest faint in
their blood, at an early date took refuge
in the softer, prettier "Metoaca;" but
not so the Masons. 1t was their pride
that they never shirked an obligation, OF
evaded responsibility; they did not
evade this one.
Having accepted ''Pocahontas" as the
name by which their ancestress was
best known, they never swerved from it.
holding to it undaunted by its length
and harshness, and uumoved by the dis
covery of historians that Pocahontas is
no name at all, but simply pet sobri'
quet applicable to all Indian girls alike
and whose Specification is scarcely one
of dignity. Historians might discover
disagree, wrangle and explain, but Pc
cahontas followed Pocahontas in the
Mason family with the undertaking GER
tainty of a fixed law.
To the present Pocahontas (the eighth
in the hne) it really seemed as though
| the thing should stop. She yielded to
the family fat in her own case, because
nAnsrlfa6 ehA Ind NJ
option in the matter, but when Grace's
little daughter was born she put in q
plea for the child.
Break the spell, she entreated, land
unborn generations will bless you. We
Virginians will keep on in one groove
until the crack of doom unless we are
jerked ont of it by the nape Of the neck
Your heart ought to yearn over the
Child-mine does. It's a wicked sin tc
call a pretty baby by such monstroui
name"
Grace trampled on the protest: "Not
> name her Pocahontas? Why, of course
, / shall! If the name were twice as Ions
, and three times as ugly my baby should
bear it. wonder you should objec
> when you know that every Pocahontal
: in the family has invariably turned on
an exceptionally fine woman. All hav'
been noble, truthful, honorable; quicl
: to see the right and answering in pur
. suit of it. 1 shall call my baby by tina
name and no other"
q Pocahontas opened her eyes. "Why
! Grace" she said, "you talk as IL tn
! name were a talisman; as If virtues wer
transmitted with it. Isn't that silly9"
. "Not at ALL" responded Grace prompt
: ly; "unless we cease to be ourselves afte
: we must still take interest in the thing
: of this world, in our families and de
n scendants. We may not be able actual
to transmit our virtues to them, bu
a surely by guardian influence we can he'll
: them initiate ancestral good qualities
= Guardian angels Of our own blood are
= n.raah- danl raarar than nnfsida aYanAI.