The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1901-09-06
A FAMILY PARTY
BY Eva Williams Malone.
(Oopyri9ht, 1901. BY Authors SyndicAte.l

Grand ralSeu mex - S> Aa'1eA is'A = "'"' y
from her Ba,tenburg and vouchsafed
nonchalant glance in the direction
indicated by her friends bejewcled
digit.
WHO goes? the Family Party OF
course! It's perfectly sickcning to see
Alfred Ra,ston prancing aroun'l with
these two infants. Wonder if it's his
latest device for renewing his youth!
This from Miss Harcourt Who' II
twenty-six. had just given turning
out party" to renew hers! Kalston'
the ancient. had rushed her during
the entire last season; and his antics
with the ''infants" proved less divert
ing to Miss Harco1rt 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 unwcdded friend ana
said in that provocative way some
women affect:
"Vhy, Alfred Ralston is not such
relic OF antiquity as you would have us
suppose. lie 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
1hirty-tve. A mans just in the glory OF
perfected manhood at that age. A
mans always young, so long as he ism
married-it's different with woman
yon know; the more she isn't married,
the oder she is: It's frightful how the
momentum of woman's years does in
crease after she passes twenty-five;
unless she writes her name with AIRS.
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 NATTER
While this edifying conversation
went on within the serene little
widows Fifth Avenue--but not New
York--homc, the homogeneous party
that had provoked it. passed out OF
sight. "The Family Party" as they
had come to I've called, never lowered
long over the same fower-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 nece ssary flight.
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 a past grand
master in the art.
"Lucky dog is Ralston!" CONNIE nted
one of his friends as the trio entered
an uptown cafe and formed triangu-
lar group around a tab,e-"look at lin
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 a 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. 1
tried it once; and, bless me! if both
the girls didn't give me and each other,
too, the G.. i. in less than week! But
Ralston! by Jove! that fellow ought
to go to Salt Lake City! Wouldn't he
rush things out thcrc-provided the
Mormons didn't cxpel 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 aftluent a shore of youthful
charms and beauty. One of the girls,
tall and 1.-the, was the very spirit of will
lowy grace-with eyes that would have
nut twin pansies to shame, and COM
nexion 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 uni on,
save among the daughters of the south.
Each one was beautiful in her wa,
and each sparkled with the dew Of
life's young May.
'Do you know" said she of the
pansy eyes, chat mother declares she
doesn't think our Family Party at all
proper? She thinks we need a
chaperone."
"A chaperone! What an aspersion
upon mel" exclaimed Ralston in mock
Indignation. "Have I lived and suf-
fered the pangs of badness aud bach
elordom through all these years to
have it now cast in my teeth that /,
7 even I, am not fit and proper chap
erone for two spotless, unshorn
+, lambs? Am T. Alfred Saxton Jerrold
Ralston, wolf in sleeps clothing that
. I should lie thus traduced?'
g. He was splendid specimen of ma My
. beauty, and his pretense to decrepi-
lJ ,tude was the veriest bravado. The lion
I never feels himself quite SO much the
!: king of the forest as when he poses as
{ the humblest of beasts.
'sPape said it couldn't hurt so long
Il as there were three of u.s. protested
Z Brown Eyes. 'He said you wouldn't
dare to make love to me while Lavice
was around; and You couldn't kiss
/. Lavice willie was ooking!'
% sYour father is wise and reverend