Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-10-13
MOTHER FAIRCHILD'S
y , > TEA-PARTY. /
BY DORA READ dooDALR.
MAYHEM Mrs. Sylvester Chadwick
wv built a cottage at PaIfray and

-hsHAHS HerseII IN isolated grandeur.
A very splendid-looking woman she
was, with coils of thick, gray hair,
fine, rudy complexion, dark eve
brows and full, bright, brown eyes.
With her three handsome daughters
about her, she inevitably suggested
the old comparison of a full-blown
damask rose encircled by buds. She
dressed richly, too, for her one son,
the apple of her eye, liked to see his
mother in fine, new clothes; but under
this distinguished and fifty adorned
exterior, she carried one of the kind
est, least exacting, most genial ma
lures in the world.
Palfrey, though a plain, uncultured
community, in which pride and indie
pendence Illustrated unchecked, fell
promptly under her spell, and forgot
tc' eye with suspicion the lady who
liked to accept friendly services as well
as she did to render them.
While the house building was in
progress she was frequently on the
ground, and became acquainted with
most of the men in the neighborhood,
all of the children, and good part of
the wives. The young girls seldom
ventured upon the charmed territory,
at least while the owner was present;
her matronly, silk-clad figure, her
well-modulated voice and graceful,
confident gestures frightened the rus
tic young things away. But not frag-
ment of information respecting the
family escaped their greedy ears, and
it was surprising to see of how much
fact and fiction they contrived to pos
sess themselves.
In the course of time the house was
finished, and the Chadwicks moved in.
1t was then thrown open for three sue
cessive afternoons, and an informal
invitation extended to everyone. The
holder spirits-chiehy well-seasoned
matrons-ventured first. These hav-
ing spread a reassuring report, the
Woodworking men folks and sharp
faced spinsters followed their lead,
while half-bold, half-bashful youths,
and maidens undergoing kind of
blissfuI embarrassment, formed the
main part of the company on the third
day.
Mrs. Chadwick's house was a reEela-
ton in itself. Her oldest daughter,
Alice, possessed artistic ability, Olivia,
the second, played and sang very well,
while Juliet, who was barely Is, had
wonderful powers as a mimic. Each
of the three entertained the guests in
her own way, with the most delight
full readiness and good ghumor; they
passed cake and ice cream, played with
the children, laughed off accidents,
and when the visitors were gone,
though the tongues buzzed merrily,
rot a word was said that reflected I'M
kindly on eccentricities of costume or
iufringements of etiquette Everyone
of these young ladies had inherited
something of the mothers rooted
graces of character.
''Oh, dear! of. deari how dreadful it
is to be poor!" cried Mary Fairchild,
on coming home fresh from the SPLEEN
doris of Amity Lodge, as the new house
was called.
ST don't see anything so dreadful"
remarked her brother Dick. philosoph-
ically. He had been planting corn, and
wore overalls and jumper, and was
eating hot doughnuts.
You ought to look in the glass,
then" returned Mary, and went on,
quickly: You'd change your mind, 1
guess, if you could see their piano, and
splendid books, and walls just covered
with pictures, and the girls with real
tcrtofse-shelI brushes-oh-dear-
Their hair is no prettier than yours,
if they do brush it with turtle-shells,"
said Dick. soothingly.
''Nonsense!" replied his sister. with
an impatient shake of her rebellious
brown locks. ''You ought to have seen
their brother, looking as if he'd come
straight out of bandbox."
81 have seen him lots of times, and
he's an uncommon good chap" re-
sponded Dick. the imperturbable,. be-
ginning to whistle.
Mary Fairchild was not really poor,
except by comparison. She lived in
a comfortable, though very old-fash-
toned. house, her father being dairy
farmer, whose name appeared in big
letters on the village milk wagon. He
himself frequently appeared on the
front seat, which began to be trial
to Mary. Mrs. Fairchild was an adj
mirable, judicious woman, with gift
for quietly achieving her ends when
YOU were least expecting it, and the
Young people, who were both pupils in
the high school, enjoyed wholesome,
active life with a fair share of "advan-
tages."
Of course the Chadwicks were not
dependent upon Palfrey for their So
ciety; they entertained succession
of what Juliet called "long-haired ar
fists. and long-tongued lawyers, and
their long-suffering wives;" but they
maintained their cordial attitude to-
wards the country people, and Mary
soon became a favorite with them. AT
first she was invited to act as guide
In their frequent excursions, for she
knew every crossroad and view" for
20 miles round; and she was so bright
and appreeiative and full of resources
that IT grew to be quite the thing 10
run down and get Mary" if there were
tableaux, or boating party, or set
of tennis on foot.
"You are a/true Yankee, Mary-you
can turn your hand to anything" Mrs
Chadwick used to say.
But, though from time to time one
and another of the Chadwicks dropped
in at the farmhouse, they never pene-
+rated beyond the somewhat chilly
front parlor. Mary, fear, in spite OF
her Yankee good sense, was little bit
of a snob about her own way of life.
People with three servants couldn't
understand what it was to have grand