Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-01-02
SOUTH PARIS AAISR TUESDAY, JANUARY 1900

'.Who' have thought Of meeting ycu
heres's she said. sweepins her skirts
away 70 make room for him On soda
SITS . coon's age since saw you-not
since you gave M that letter TO thoss
genealogical gentlemen In London."
The consul hopsd that IL had proved
successful.
"YeA but nav guessed we didn't
care 10 90 hack to Hengist and Horsa.
and when they'let loose lot Of 'Deb-
boroughs' and sDaybrooks' upon "a
NAV kickedl We've got . drawing ten
yards long that looks Ike sour apple
tree, with lots Of Desboroughs hanging
up on the branches like last years pip
pins, and I gues about ~ worm eaten.
We took that well enough, but when II
came to giving us . map OF straight
linAs and dashes with names written
under them like an old Morse telegraph
slip struck by lightning, thsn NAV and
l guessed that IL made us tired
lyon know" she went on. opening
her clear gray eyes on the consul. with
. Characteristic fash Of shrewd good
sense through her quaint humor. I'VE
never reckoned where this thing would
land us, and we found we were paying
ei00 not only for the Desboroughs, but
Ill the people they'd married and their
children and children'e children. and
there were lot Of outsiders we'd never
heard Of nor wanted TO hear of. Nav
once thought she'd got on the trail OF .
Plantaxenet, and followed Il, keen. nm
til she found she had been reading the
dreadful thing upside down. Then We
concluded we wouldn't take any more
stock in the family until Il had risen. '
During this speech the consul could
not help noticing that although her st-
titude was playfully confidential 70
him. her voice really was pitched high
enough to reach the ears Of smaller
groups around her. who were not only
following her with the intensest admi.
ration, but had shamelessly abandoned
their own conversation and had even
faced toward her. Was she really posing
IN her naivetef There was certain
mischievous, even aggressive conscious.
ness In her pretty eyelida Then she
suddenly dropped both eyes and voice
and said TO the consul in q genuine
aside, II like this sort OF thing much
better."
The consul looked pussled. What
sort Of thingf"
"why, all these swell people, don't
you see-their pictures on the walls.
this elegant room, everything that has
come down from the past all ready and
settled for you, you know-ages ago
Something you haven't TO pick up fo'
yourself and worry over"
But here the consul pointed ont that
the place itself was not ancestral" ~
regarded the present earl. and that
even the original title OF his predeces
sors had passed away from It, I'm fact
il came into the family ty one OF those
outsiders you deprecate. But. ] dare
cay you'd find the place quite rs com
Portable with Lord Deverdale for host
q you would II you had found ont hs
were cousin. he added.
Better. said the young lady frank
ly.
IL suppose your mother participates
| In these preferences,' said the consul
with smile.
"No," said Miss Desborough. with
the same franknesx IL think maw'i
rather cut up at not finding q Desbor
ough. She was invited down here. bu'
she's rather independent, you know. q
she allowed could take care Of myself
while she went on 10 stay with the ole
dowager. Lady Mistowe. who think
NAV q very proper womanly person
I made nav mad by telling her thst''
Just what old Lady Mistowe would say
Of her cook, for can't stand these peo
Piles patronage. However. shouldn' I
wonder IL was invited here ~ mos
original person
But here Lord Algernon cameup to i'm
plore her TO sing them one of"those plan
/ tation songs." and Miss Desborough
| with scarcely 4 change Of voice or man
ner. allowed herself 10 be led TO th'
piano. The consul had little chance y
speak with her again. but he saw
enough that evening to convince hin
that not only Losd Algernon was yer!
| much in love with her. but that tn
fact had been equally and complacentl.
accepted BY the family and guests
That her present visit was only an op
portunity for . formal engagement wa
clear to every woman In the house, no
excepting. fear. even the fair subjec
Of gossip herself. Yet she seemed 30 nm
concerned and self contained that tn
consul wondered II she really cared to
Lord Algernon. And having thus won
dered. he came 70 the conclusion tina
Il didn't much matter for the happines
Of 20 practically organized youn'
lady II she loved him or not.
It is highly probable that Miss Sadi
Desborough had net even gone 30 far q
10 ask herself that question. She awok
i I'm ~21