Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-10-03
"A FAMILY PARTY
By Eva williams Malone.
br HERE they go!"
(Copyrtght. lsol, By Authors syndicate.)

nTHERE they go!"
There who goes?" Mrs. LIE
Grand raised her eyes rather languidly
from her Battenburg and youchsafed
. nonchalant glance. in the direction
indicated by her friends bejeweled
digit. :.
s.Who goes? the Family Party Of
course! It's perfectly sickening to see
Alfred Ralston prancing around with
those two infants. Wonder if it's his
latest device for renewing his youth"
This from Miss Harcourt who, at
twenty-six, had just given q turning
out party" to renew hers! Ralston,
the ancient, had rushed" her during
the entire last season; and his antics
with the ''infants" proved less divert
ing to Miss Harcourt than, judging by
appearances, they were either to HIM
self or the infants.
Mrs. LIE Grand, fresh and enticing at
thirty in her widows weeds, smiled Sc
renely upon her unwedded friend and
said in that provocative way some
women affect:
"Why, Alfred Raiston is not such a
relic of antiquity as you would have us
suppose. He was barely on his prime
val legs when you gave that first with
acute emphasis on the word) debut
party Of yours! That would make
him-let me see-he can't be much over
thirty-five. A mans just in the glory of
perfected manhood at that age. A
mans always young, SO long as he isn't
married-it's different with woman,
yon know; the more she isn't married,
the older she is! It's frightful how the
momentum of a woman's years does in
crease after she passes twenty-five;
unless she writes her name with a Mrs.
prefxed. In that case. she can smile
at Time. She has demonstrated the
fact that she could, and she did, and
the rest doesn't matter"
While this edifying conversation
went on within the serene little
widows Fifth Avenue-but not New
York--home, the homogeneous party
that had provoked it, passed out of
sight. "The Family Party" as they
had come to be called, never lowered
long over the same dower-patch.
When they went abroad, they went in
search of honey; and, if one blossom
refused to yield it, there were always
plenty of others, you know-if only
one does not mind the necessary fight.
And, to "The Family Party" the flights
seemed the very best part of the fun:
They smiled upon each other in the
most freshening manner = the two
girls upon the one man, the one man
upon the two girls. He tossed pretty
verbal bouquets back and forth with
the finished grace of past grand
master in the art.
"Lucky dog is Ralston!" commented
one of his friends as the trio entered
an uptown cafe and formed a triangu-
lar group around a table-'look at him
now! Tete-a-tete with the two very
prettiest girls that have come out this
season. I'll venture he's making des-
perate love to each one of them at this
very moment-right in the hearing Of
the other, too! And, instead of resent
ing it, as women generally do divided
homage, the sweet creatures actually
seem to enjoy the play. Inever could
quite fathom that sort of game.
tried it once; and, bless me! if both
the girls didn't give me and each other,
too, the G. B. in less than week! But
Ralston! by Jove! that fellow ought
to 60 to Salt Lake City! Wouldn't he
L.
! Mormons didn't expel him from pure
jealousy"
No wonder that the men marveled
and rebelled to see one Of their num-
Der monopolize with such daring
grace so affluent shore of youthful
charms and beauty. One Of the girls,
tall and 1.-THE, was the very spirit Of will
lowy grsce-with eyes that would have
put twin pansies to shame, and com.
plexion that her dead black costume
only rendered more glowing.
The other, fair as the first, but with
the brown eyes and golden hair that
one rarely sees in harmonious union
save among the daughters of the south
Each one was beautiful in her way
and each sparkled with the dew OF
life's young May.
DO you know" said she Of the
pansy eyes, shat mother declares she
doesn't think our Family Party at all
proper? She thinks we need Z
chaperone."
>shaperone! What an aspersion
upon me!' exclaimed Ralston in mock
indignation. slave lived and suf-
Tered the pangs oibaldness and bach
elordom through all these years to
have It novs cast in my teeth that 1,
even !. an not At and proper chap.
erons for tive 4 sps