The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-04-20

alone who would do it.
Well, in a months time had baggei
all the game I thought necessary in The
way of great, greater, greatest grand par
ents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.-and
really a most respectable showing they
made, the ancestors of my wife Elizabeth
God fearing, fennel eating, church going
uninteresting, law abiding, representative
New Englanders, all of them. If butchers
and bakers, spinners and tanners prepon.
derated in the list, what of that? Was not
that the keynote of the Mayfower emigra.
ton, to bake and butcher, spin and tan,
in colony OF their own. unobstructed by
the snobbery of England?
P Shaw had son, butcher. To him
I gave an honorable perch on the topmost
bough of my Elizabeth's tree His son, a
baker, took lower twig, and in due
course of events his daughter was deliver
ed of seven sons, all of whom walked in a
straight line-one was tailor and went
into the clothes line-of virtue; all save
one, who took to politics as naturally as he
did to his neighbours wives. 1t is chron-
icled of him, THAT he did swear great
oaths drink strong rotations of punch,
play at the tavern for high stakes and did
SO thoroughly and nightly debauch him
self into the likings of the people that with
one acclaim they made him governor of the
state of Connecticut
In short, this roistering rake fourished
| as only the wicked can. turned from his
monstrosities with a shudder. This one
| blot on the escutcheon Of my loved one
should be forever hidden. Never should
she know that in her Presbyterian veins
coursed blood SO riotous I suppressed the
| great great grandfather with Comstockian
zeal-shut him up between the leaves Of
the book that told the story of his shame.
Well, by this March had blown itself ip
upon us, and Elizabeth and I had spent
many cheerful evening in my study be-
fore the log fire, getting her tree in proper
trim. 1t was to be submitted on the Sat-
urday of that week to committee of Co.
lonial DANES, consisting of Mrs. Bellfry
Buncombe, Mrs Makehay Higginson, Mrs.
Gaunt de Tompkins-nee Chappy-Mrs.
J. Squirts, Mrs. Will Grumble Mrs. Lind
say Woolsey, Mrs Isadosia Chippendale
Huxter. What with the eminent respect
ability Of Elizabeth's ancestry, together
with my timely suppression of that unsa-
worry skeleton, the governor, Elizabeth was
bound to be Colonial Dame-would be
received with open arms by the DANES in
COl1lOIouCO. vi Ultbu Wo W6EC sure, SO 6uI6
that in the pride of virtuous pedigree
and it's certain reward we asked Mr.. and
Mrs. Makehay Higginson to dine with us
on that very Saturday evening. Against
the congratulatory order of the dinner I
ordered my best brand Of wine to be put
on the ice.
Fatuous folly Of two simple souls, who
thought that in this nineteenth century Of
CHI fha old bor, 49, frlro
fathers would endure!
A frigidly formal note in large Eng
lish hand on English crested paper, bear
ing the name of London stationer-ev-
erything that Mrs. Buncombe buys comes
from England-no one would know she
was an American If it begged to
inform" my poor love that the ladies on
the committee of the Society of Colonial
DANES had carefully gone over the geneal-
ogy submitted to them; but, inasmuch as
none of the executors of Mrs.-weu, never
mind who she is now. She was Shaw
had held office in the colony, it was with
regret that Mrs. Buncombe as regent Of
the Society of Colonial DANES, found
Mrs. - ineligible as member of that
society.
burst forth in an exclamation which
explained to Elizabeth was the way dame
is pronounced in French. 1t had the effect
of stopping my sweet ones tears, which
that cruel note had caused to flow. had
forgotten to say that the note was deliver
ed by Mrs. Buncombe's Buttons, while
Elizabeth and were getting ourselves up
to receive our guests who now were ring
ing our doorbell, just as had told Eliza
beth for the twentieth time that she was
sweeter to me than all the Colonial Danes
in a bunch.
The Higginsons were our salvation that
night. The dinner was capital. Elizabeth
braced up visibly, and when the cham
payne had given us both courage we told
the story of Elizabeth S tree.
Mrs. Makehay Higginson is woman of
resources. She rose to the occasion
IF you haven't an ancestor who held
office or served in the colony, make up one.
Go back far enough and nobody will ever
find you OUT
Invent back four generations and rooted
out an old taxgatherer. He was a bache-
Tor, but never mind-I got in on him all
the same. The ethics of the society be-
came clear to me as they never had before. |
By Jove, Elizabeth, you shall go in,
and on the shoulders of a governor toop'
Then and there owned up to the deceit |
I had practiced. I made clean breast of |
the governor 1t was my first and last Sc
cret from my superior one. She forgave |
me, and we added one more glass of wine |
all round to his memory
We all went up to my study, and we cut |
out the yellow page from the history of |
the colony in which he had served and sim !
ned, and we called a messenger boy, and |
we sent the history of my Elizabeth's |
great great great grandfather off to Mrs.
Bellfry Buncombe, and to the history went
an addendum In the form of note, in
which gave all the glory of this impor-
tant discovery to that wonderful genealog-
ical excavator, Mrs. Makehay Higginson.
That settled it. Elizabeth went in, and |
with flying colors at that, on the back of
her great great great grandfather, the gov
York World.
Your Private Seal.
"No two men in the world have thumbs
ayact1v alike - youchsefed Henry g White |