The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-17


ali the Bradfords--to pronounce upon
his daughters Puritan curse, nor cid
wish the rswainder of the family and
tribe 20 feel that Prudence had become
an outcast-had as good as thrown her.
self away and disgraced the name Of her
ancestors. ] must in some way bring
all the tribe 10 freely consent TO the
marriage. must humor their pride OF
pedigree in some way.
The result of this thinking took such
shape that, meeting my father alono in
the library one day, ! surprised him 10y
saying, Father, I'm going TO England
next week" "To England, SAINT cried
the old gentleman, with widely expand
rd eyes. why, what put that notion
into your head, my boyi"
"Our talk some time ago. | have
thoroughly thought over the situation,
and I've arrived At the conclusion that
we've got to import an ancestor"
'Import an ancestorw
eyes, sir, an ancestor. There must be
plenty Of Johnsons, Jonsons and john
stons buried over in England, and If i
can find one of the right date and quail
~ the mere spelling of the name Is OF
little importance. / shall look for a Sir
John, Sir Ralph or Sir Richard John
son, and, when find him, over here he
comes TO be prominently and perma'
nently replanted in the Pasonagessit
cemetery. When / find titled Johnson
of the right degree of antiquity, shall
steaf tfrr, bones. tombstone and eil and
we will then transplant him in style
that will astound the Pasonagessit do
scendants Of the pilgrim fathers"
'IIa, ha, ha." laughed my father. "Ha,
hal Why. Sam, blast my buttons, 1t
wouldn't be bad notion"
1 then thoroughly unfolded my plans
TO the old gentleman, who laughed con-
sumedly. My father, you know, is Jol-
ly Joker as ever spun yarn or set trap
TO catch hunter after mares nests and
three tailed cats. He soon began to en-
ter into the fun of the scheme and do
clared that merely as a joke it would be
worth twice what the expedition would
cost.
We were agreed that our enterprise
must be kept "dead secret" from all In
the village and all our own family in or.
der to make it succeed as a really gor-
geous and ever blooming joke. Even my
mother and sisters must remain in the
dark.
In consequence of this understanding,
/ the next week set out for England. In
q note to Prudence told her was go-
ing to the land of our ancestors on
mission of great importance to my IA
ther, and one that would be quite as
important 10 ourselves. AS it was my
fathers business, was not at liberty to
enter into particulars, but she would
probably be able TO get an inkling of it
from Rev. Nantucket Sperm or Captain
Shrimp, at whose houses my father VS.
tied. .
My father gave out that had gone to
the mother country on business of his
own. He wore very solemn face when
he said was going on grave" mission.
/ was going, as he said, TO perform a
solemn duty which had too long been
neglected, a duty which his forefathers
had failed to perform owing to various
hindrances, and one which he himself
had too long deferred. Further than ~his
he declined to explain, except that my
mission involved a duty to one long since
dead, venerated ancestor.
This of course soon found it's way into
the mouths Of the village gossips, as was
intended. Ny father being on rather in
innate terms with the ''neutrals," Cap
tain Shrimp and Rev. Nantucket Sperm,
he did not mind telling them thus much
when they put forth some feelers in re-
gard to the occasion of my visit TO Eng
l..