The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-02-09

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81 object to the rag you display today"
you display today And he pointed to
the flag Victorine had arranged fer my
reception. which at this was
gayly futtering in the breeze.
Attempt to take it down. and "a bull
let from my lamented fathers pistol
shall put IN end to one Yankees impu-
dence." said Victorine.
Il lave no intention of intruding on
your private property or illegally re-
moving your possessions, madam. "
Mr.. Summers remarked. 'lsimply pro-
test" Then he walked away, while
Victorine stalked into the house, and
Emily went to the kitchen to wash the
dishes. The young man fingered near
the gate, and sat down upon u rustic
bench under an old willow.
In a moment more he gave a little
smile, to which | replied in kind.
II beg your pardon he said. u
am Mr.. Summers son Harry. and |
am so sorry for all this. In such a
quiet place people had better be pleas
ant to each other: don't you Think"
Indeed they had, said l.. Il have
been away. you know, and it surprises
me to find that time alters nothing in
Virginia"
We have lived heretwo years., said
Harry Summers. Father is the best
man l know in most things, but he not
only will not do in Rome as the Rom
n do, but he objects to the Romans
doing things in their own way. as they
did before he came"
And sister Victorine, you know, re-
members past times, | said, and that
makes her a little unreasonable. Now,
the war was over when | was born"
so it was when l was born, said
Harry Summers. Il find the people
down here delightful"
And | have spent five happy years
in New York, l said. Dear me. why
should we rake up dead ashes and make
ourselves uncomfortable in such a beau
tiful world as this?"
Then we both laughed, and he asked
me for a rose, which l gave him and
which he put into his buttmnhole.
Harry Summers was very nice, what
ever his father was. and | heard Victor
inc banging away at her favorite tune
again, and from the parlor windows
the gate of the vegetable garden was
not visible. so we talked a good while
together, and when he went away we
shook hands, and had made up my
mind that some day we should all be
very good neighbors.
Shortly | had the fences repaired. and
the pigs no longer found entrance.
Things were generally trimmed up
about the place, but "our flag was still
there" and Mr.. Summers flung the
star spangled banner to the breeze from
a flagstaff on his roof. and they waved
defiance to each other until March rains
poured down upon them and March
winds tore them, when for their preser-
walton they were taken in. as defiantly
as they were hung out. Even then,
however, something was always occur
ring to widen the breach between that
highly respectable widower from the
north and my emotional sister, whose
chief boast was that she was sou hern
to her hearts core. The pigs being done
deep mouthed welcome as we drew neal
home and was prone to taste the stock
ings of strangers. a COW with a crum
pied horn. who objected to sister Vic
tor1ne's red cloak-a useful article with
a hood in which she wrapped herself to
u about the Observation-Disclosures
man Jim, who was always engaged
to work for the Summerses' whenever
the CARTONS most needed him-every-
thing, everybody. occasioned bitter let
tiers or vTordy arguments between Vic
torine and the widower.
Harry and |. who had contrived to
meet very frequently and who would
have been very happy but for the bitter
"reminiscences and high principles of
our relatives, did u best to reconcile
them in vain. Very often | felt like
quoting Shakespeare and requesting
Harry to "be some other name" since
"Summers' was SC intolerable to Vic
torine. And how things would have
ended cannot imagine. but for the &C.
curence of an event which suddenly
altered everything.
Victorine was e~xtravagantly fond of
novels of the romantic sort, over which
she often wept profusely, and her IAN
die burned for hours in dangerous prox-
unity to the curtains of an ancient
four post bedstead which had been our
great-grandmother's. Vainly had l
striven to Danish it to the garnet and in
troduce a modern brass one. Victorine
denounced the idea as northern foolish
ness" The association of that bedstead
endeared it to her. She could not sleep
save under those dimity curtains with
knotted fringe. and her only light was