The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1898-11-12

MOTHER FAlRChlLD'S !
! = y y TEA.PARTY. /
Z BY DORA READ oOoDALE.
WHEN Mrs. Sylvester Chadwick

m
wv built cottage at Palfrey and
determined to spend her summers
there, she had no intention of estab-
fishing herself in isolated grandeur.
A very splendid-looking woman she
was, with coils of thick, gray hair,
fine, rudy complexion, dark eye
brows and full, bright, brown eyes.
With her three handsome daughters
about her, she inevitably suggested
the old comparison of 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 luxuriated unchecked, fell
promptly under her spell, and forgot
to. 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
eess 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-chiefy well-seasoned
matrons-ventured first. These hav-
Woodworking men folks and sharp
faced spinsters followed their lead,
while half-bold, half-bashful youths,
and maidens undergoing kind of
blissful embarrassment. formed the
main part of the company on the third
day.
Mrs. Chadwick's house was revela-
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 mimic. Each
of the three entertained the guests in
her own way, with the most delight
full readiness and good humor; they
passed cake and ice cream, played with
the children, laughed off accidents,
and when the visitors were gone,
though the tongues buzzed merrily,
not word was said that reflected I'M
kindly on eccentricities of costume or
infringements of etiquette. Everyone
of these young ladies had inherited
something of the mothers rooted
graces of character.
"Oh, dear! of, dear! 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.
II 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,
guess, if you could see their piano, and
splendid books, and walls just covered
with pictures, and the girls with real
tortoise-shell ushes-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 seer
their brother, looking as if he'd come
straight out of a bandbcx."
81 have, seen him lots of times. and
he's an uncommon good chap" re
sponded Dick, the imperturba BILE, be
ginning to whistle.
Mary Fairchild was not really poor
except by comparison. She lived il
n comfortable, though very old-fash
:oned, house, her father being a 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 tria
TO Mary. Mrs. Fairchild was an ad
mirable, judicious woman, with a gift
for quietly achieving her ends whe1
you were least expecting it, and thu
young people, who were both pupils il
the high school, enjoyed a wholesome
active life with fair share of "advan
tages."
Of course the Chadwiclls were no
dependent upon Palfrey for their so
ciety; they entertained a succession
of what Juliet called "long-haired ar
fists, and long-tongued lawyers, ant
their long-sutfering wives" but the,
maintained their cordial attitude to
wards the country people, and Mar,
soon became favorite with them. A
first she was invited to act as guild,
in their frequent excursions, for sh
knew every crossroad and view" TO
20 miles round; and she was so brigh
and appreciative and full of resource
that it grew TO be quite the thing Il