Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-12-02

were enough to daunt the most SYM
pathetic hostess that ever iived--and
when they at once retired to different
corners of the room and sat apart
with their backs turned to one another
for the remainder OF the evening, theli
attitude was so uncompromising that
IL was no wonder the gentle Thelma
felt quite dismayed and Wretched AT
the utter failure OF the rencontre.
"They would not be sociable!' she
afterwards complained to Lady WIN
Sleigh "They tried to be as rude to
each other as they could"
Lady Winslelgh laughed. "Of
counsel" she said. What else did you
expect! But II you want some fun, ask
n young pretty, and brilliant author
ess (there are u few such) to meet an
old, ugly and dowdy one (and there
are many such), and watch the dowdy
ones face! 1t will be delicious study
Of expression, assure you'll"
But Thema would not try this deli
cate experimental fact, she began
rather to avoid literary people, with
the exception of Beau LOvelace. His
was genial, sympathetic nature, and,
moreover, he had winning charm OF
manner which few could resist. He
was not u bookWorm, he was not,
strictly speaking, a literary man, and
he was entirely Indifferent to public
praise or blame. He was, as he him
self expressed 1t, "a servant and
worshlpper of literature" and there
Is wide gulf Of difference between
one who serves literature for It's own
sake and one who uses 1t basely as a
tool to serve himself
But In all her varied experiences,
perhaps Thelma was most completely
bewildered by the women she met, Her
simple Morse beliefs in the purity and
+ gentleness of womanhood were startled
and outraged she could not under
stand London ladies at all. Some OF
them seemed to have no idea beyond
, dress and show Others looked upon
! their husbands, the lawful protectors
OF their name and fame, with easy IN
difference, as though they were mere
bits of household furniture, Others,
having nothing better to do, went in"
for splritualism, the low spirtuallsm
that manifests itself in the turning of
tables and moving OF sideboards -
not the higher spiritualism of IN i'm
proved, perfected, and saint-like way
OF lile--and these argued wildly on the
theory OF matter passing through mat
ter, to the extent OF declaring them
selves able to send u letter or box
through tho wall without making II
hole IN it,-and this with such OBJ
stinate gravity as made Thema fear
for their reason. Then there were the
en-atheists, creatures who had
voluntarily crushed all the sweetness
of the sex within them-foolish hui
man flowers without fragrance, that
persistently turned away their faces
from the sunlight and denied It's eN-
istence, preferrlng TO wither, profit
The Van Clupps were people Thelma
could not get on with at all she tried
to do so because Mrs, Rush Maryelle
had assumed her they wele charm
ing'--and she liked Mrs. Marvelle
sufficiently we'll to be willing to please
her. But, in truth, these rich ANA
vulgar Yankees seemed to her mind
less to be esteemed than the peasants
of the Altenljord, who in many in
stances posscsson inner tact and breed
ing than old Van Clupp, the man OF
many dollars, whose father had been
u"Chlng but II low NAVY, but of whom
ho spoke now with Sinking pride AS
u real descendant OF the Pilgrim
Fathers. An odd thing It is, by the
way, how fiona some Americans are
OF tlaclng back their ancestry to these
virtuous old gentlemen! Tho Van
Clupps were OF coulse not the best
types OF their country they were OF
that class who, because they have
money measure everything by tho
money standard, and hold even q
noble poverty in utter contempt. Poor
Van Ciupp 1t was something pitiable
To see him trying TO be u gentleman
going in" for "style"--to an excess
that was ludicrous, examining his
house with expensive furniture like
IN upholsterer's showroom, drink
Ing his tea out Of pure Seyres, with Il
lofty ignorance Of its beauty ana
value, dressing his wife and daugh-
ter like shilling fashion plates, and
having his portmit taken In precisely
the same atmude rs that assumed by
the Duke OF WriggIcsbury when his
Grace sat to the same photographer!
II Wan delicious to hear him Dragging
of his pilgrim ancestors, while in
. the same breath he would tllnaly
sheer ut certain poor gentry" who
could trace back their lineage to
Occur de Lion! But because the Err
ringtons were rich ~ we'll as titled
persons, Van Clupp and his belong.
inSs bent the servile knee befol ,
them. ilattering Thelma with that i'll
Judged easerness and Jealous pelsis.
tency which distinguish Unborn yul.
garity, and which, far from pleasing
; her, annoyed and embarrassed her be.