The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-24

4
daughter had heaped upon visiting ce-
| lebrity before.
Mr. Ballinger was much distressed. but
felt a certain justice in the decision despite
his partiality for Miss McBurnie Il told
Poll she orient ha' been so sivigerous.
he conhded to Mrs. Wallace. Il told her
she ort to have respected the dignity
of the occasion more, but she 'firmed there
wasn't any dignity to it. Dignity says
she, is either natural or else there ISM
any. You can't make dignity by simply
getting together and looking like owls
didn't seesany dignity in lot of half scalrt
women puffcd UP with Importance and sup
pressed nervousness That gal beats all!
Says L: Poll. it wasn't clever to Mrs Blair;
it was a insult to her hospitality and then
Poll laughed. There wasn't any question of
hospitality involved she said. They
didn't care nothing about that silly Mrs.
Potter and they just asked me because my
name was McBurnie. was their head
trick mule and just refused to perform.
1t must be admitted, however. that the alb
sence of Miss McBurnie was felt, especially
when the speaker of the day made his In
evitable tribute to the memory OF his dis
tinguished predecessor. The visiting Gov
ernor was obliged to remain over night, to
the delight of the Emerson Club, which ten
dered him reception and banquet with
numerous toasts, and a potato contest at the
close, at which the Governor himself won
the prize by carrying large potato poised
upon an after-dinner coffee spoon entirely
around the banquet table
The next morning at breakfast the Gov
ernor asked Mrs. Blair to drive him out to
the McBurnie place before train time
when L was a boy" he remarked. Il
used to visit Governor McBurnie with my
father They were the closest friends, and
| / always held him as my ideal man. In
deed. l think my life was Influenced in
great degree by him, and my ambition for
the governorship dated from my early i'm
pressions of him. l want to walk about
the old place and pay my respects to his
daughter, who, understand, still resides
there
Mrs Blair flushed. After all her efforts
the Governor was to be subjected to the
caprices of the eccentric Miss McBurnie.
You will find the daughter very different
from her distinguished father. ">she said,
when they had started. Miss McBurnie
is decidedly peculiar, and 1 must tell you
she has really no social position"
"You surprise me. madam exclaimed
the Governor. Miss McBurnie is COM
paratively young woman. not much beyond
thirty, should say. Is she queer and old
maidish?'
Mrs Blair shook her head ominously.
ut is not that my dear Governor. Miss
McBurnie is disappointment You go to
meet her, glowing with anticipation, remem-
bering her distinguished parentage. You
find her common, even rough, and you come
away crushed"
They were by this time at the gate. and
the Governor was looking with keen inter-
Spouse to their appeal at the old white
paneled front door, and Mrs. Blair was be-
ginning to hope the mistress of the house
might be away, when an excited barking
became audible, and soon two flying figures
turned the angle of the house. One was a
big st. Bernard dog, the other a woman,
her sunbonnet fallen back from her laugh
ing face. the splendid proportions of her
figure outlined by a limp brown cal
leo gown. 1t was Miss McBurnie, and
she seemed not in the least embarrassed
when she saw. her visitors. She gave the
Governor a. charming welcome, and the two
fell easily into a groove of conversation
from which Mrs. j. Dabney Blair seemed
excluded, not by purpose, but rather through
some natural uncongeniality. Mrs Blair
had thought the Governor somewhat list
less man even in the potato contest, but
interest. They talked about Miss McBur-
MES father, and the tears welled up in the
daughters eyes and rolled over her hand
some Checks when she led him into the
dim old parlor to look at the old-fashioned
portrait. She showed him keepsakes of her
father, led him out to his favorite seat I'M
der the elms, and finally gave Mrs. Bair's
nerves shock by proposing to show him
her horse. The Governor, like many an
other great man, had a particular weak
ness for horsehesh, and remained caressing
the beautiful creature, which came eagerly
at his mistress's call, until Mrs. Blair was
forced to remind him that his train was al
most due
isn't she an eccentric creature?" she
asked they were driving away; and it
was then that the Governor made one of the
few discourteous speeches of his life.
Eccentric, MADAME" he cried. She's the
only natural, unaffected woman 1 ever
saw!"
When the Governor came again to Nc
Burnieville it was not under the auspices
of the Emerson Club. Old Mr.. Ballinger
met him at the station and took him to his
home, and there he met Miss McBurnie at
tea which Mrs. Ballinger served in
very old-fashioned and delicious style at
o'clock.
Miss McBurnie had always said that If the
right man came along she would marry
him; besides, since the old courthouse was
gone, she said that 1t would be easier to
leave the village. 1t was admitted later at
the capital that the Governors wife was a
bit eccentric, but her eccentricity was voted
charming, especially in genuinely intellect
ual circles, where she was extremely pop
ular.
She and the Governor have always spent
their summers at the old McBurnieville
home, where there are commodious new
stables and private race track, and where,
on fine days, there is invariably white
capped nurse maid sitting on Governor Nc
Burnie's seat under the elms nursing new
baby, while various chubby youngsters of
different ages roll about on the soft green
grass.
Mrs. j. Dabney Blair is a great celebrity
in club circles her talent for presiding hav-
ing been recognized all over the Union. She
is a prominent candidate for the vice presi-
dency of the National Federation of Clubs,
and is busily engaged in writing paper en-
titled 1.-THE Visible Effects of Culture on the
Female Mind in which, so her friends say,
she makes several brilliant hits at the Gov
errors WIFE who recently refused to add
| 49, 30, fO orat h