Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-17

, AIRS. Wilmer nodded her handsome graz
head OUCr her Knitting
Miss Cornelia put her threat of aban
dOning Mary TO her own evil devices
into execution the following day; but
before her departure she wrote notes of
fareweil-an unprecedented thing-to
all her neighborhood friends for the ex-
press purpose of letting them know what
a viper they had warmed in their boz
SONS. She made no overt mention of
her nieces name. for she was a lady in
most things, despite her dreadful tenn
per. But she inveighed at length and
with bitterness against the degeneracy
and dan gerous democracy of the times,
which overthrow all class distinctions
and allowed the upper and the lower
crust TO come together in the social pud-
ding without even thin layer OF proper
pride to keep them from welding into
one sod0en mass.
Her outraged feelings and sense of
the stup lndous Importance OF her theme
gave the foolish old lady certain elo-
quence that was touching and almost
! pathetic In its funlity. 1t was the voice
pf the past crying ont on the present.
tle voice of conservatism protesting
against innovation
The notes made considerable stir in
the couI ty, provoking a good deal of
comment anl-oh, shame,-much laugh
| ter. The ladies'. il Is true, We're a trife
nettled and somewhat resentfuI inst at
/ first. but Inpre because they had been
| kept so long in Ignorance Of an animal
/ ing bit OF gossip than from any feeling
/ IF pique at having extended hospitality
/ 10 a social inferior. In their own minds
their pcs ton was too vel assured for
any Iue-a external 70 de:Ogate from it.
! and Anti oEy Touched their lives in no
other 1ar. When the gentlemen were
made aware that they had been frater-
nizing with the son Of an overseer. they
( appeared to regard the matter in the
light Of an exquisite joke, and chuckle,!
| over it in mensely among themselves.
Like their wives and daughters, they
We're too accustomed to their own posi-
ton to dwell upon it much, and they
had all along been perfectly aware that
Anthony was what Is called a self made
mana fact which he had never either
thrust upon them or concealed. The
discovery that he was the son of old
Bill Anthony, who had lived all his life
among them and had been well thought
of in way. served to invest that proc
ess of sell making. which had been so
successful in result, with a personal in
stead Of an abstract interest for them.
They Were proud of him rs Il county
man and fellow Nirginian who had
gone ont in the world and done the old
state credit. They beheld him through
the illusive rose color of pronounced sue
cess, and bestowed upon him both adj
miration and approval.
ITO think of old Bill Anthony's boy
turning out such clever blader'
chuckled Judge Wilmer delightedly
Il remember the old man perfectly
slouching sort of fellow, always whit
Ting sticks, with his mouth full of to-
bacco. Capital Overseer he was too
kept the negroes up to the collar and
wasn't brutal to them. Any of rs would
have snapped him up if we'd had the
chance; but Beverley hung on to him.
Beverley thought a great deal Of him,
remember. He came out well during
the war too-saved Hector's life at NAL
vern Hill. There's good stuff in most
Virginians.
Mrs. Wilmer let this bit of yainglory
pass, while she took up a stitch in her
knitting. She was Virginian also.
Weren't there good many broth
ersT' she Questioned. Il seem to re-
member quantity of towheaded chill
dren across the ravine."
''They Were all killed during the war, y
replied the judge cheerfully, "and a
mighty good thing for this fellow too.
They were = worthless set, and would
have hampered him. He need not be
ashamed of them now, however, for they
all died well, with their faces to the foe,
as brave mel should. That is the soil
tary good feature of war; it can burn
4 away refuse creditably."
Il wonder why he never told Us that
he belonged 70 the neighborhoodc" unused
Mrs Wilmer Il think he should have.
1t doesn't seem altogether fair"
Nobody ever asked him any ques-
tons that ever heard of" replied the
judge. "a man isn't obliged to &c
around with L personal history pinned
to his back. You wouldn't expect it of
one of US if we returned to place after
twenty years absence and found none
of our belongings about. The man
didn't change his name, or make big
mystery of himself, and he hasn't
thrust himself upon US. can't see that
he has done anything arniss in keeping
his mouth shut about his own affairs.
If he had become intimate in any of our
houses it would have been different; but
he hasn't been intimate anywhere ex-
cept at the Beverleys, and it seems that
he did tell Mary
'Cornelia is terribly afraid that Mary
will marry him." observed Mrs. Wilmer
81 was over at Repton the evening