The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-02-26
ABOUT AS
FAMILY TREE
Showing How the Coomers
Came by Theirs.


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None of the Coomers of the second
generation was to blame in the least,
and Of course the third generation, con.
slsting of Edith, Annabel and Tom,
were equally innocent. On the whole,
perhaps, nobody was to blame at all
Moreover, the Coomers were pleasant
people, and 1t was only the envious
among their acquaintances who said
that they were puffed up with family
pride. We may have family pride and
not be puffed up with it, even though
we have heirlooms and family tree
illuminated on vellum and framed and
hung up In our library. 1t does not fol.
low that few dim and dark ancestors
Of the colonial period In oil, a rapier
and some embroidered waistcoats, and
irons from the old homestead hearth,
lures on ivory will inspire their pos
SCISSOR with sentiments of exaggerated
self esteem and corresponding con.
tempt for the common herd who have
been SO careless as to lose track Of
their forbearR
Coomer WIS about as unassuming a
man as could be found anywhere. He
was sure Of his position by virtue Of
the family tree and other things afore-
said, and it did not seem to him neces-
sary to try to impress society at large
with his noble birth. He had beau
tiful coat Of arms-a lion passant re-
gardant in bend gules between two
acorns azure within las many cotises
ermines-and his crest was cubit arm
erect grasping an oak branch, all prop
er, but neither crest nor coat was bla-
zoned on the panel of the family
brougham-nothing but a monogram.
Mrs. Coomer felt differently about 1t
and would have had the arms on the
baby cart If she could have had her
way. She put the crest on the coach
mans buttons and on seal ring
which she gave to Tom on his eight
eenth birthday, and If any of her visit
ors expressed any curiosity concern
ing the rapier or the dingy pictures or
the tower musket she was always will
ing to tell all she knew about them.
The two girls were proud Of their blue
blood in the same degree or even a
little more so. Tom took it as a matter
of course, Just as his father did.
One reason that Mrs. Coomer and the
girls detested Crary was that he was
always making sighting remarks
about the family pedigree and escutch-
con. He didn't mean any harm by
It, but he had reputation for jocular-
ity and had to sustain it. Noticing
that Mrs. Coomer WINGED one day
when he spoke disrespectfully Of one
of the pictures, he thereafter prodded
the tender spot on all possible occa-
sions. II anybody was in the library
for the first time and noticed the tree
and the coat Crary would get up and
look at them through his eyeglasses as
II he had never seen them before.
"What kind of beast Is that rubber
necking on the shieldT he would ask.
"Thats lion."
"Well, welll Who'd "a thought III
What has he got his Off front paw
stretched out that way for2 Looks as
II he had q cramp In 1t and was trying
to restore the circulation"
"Well, that shows his positlon-pas
SAINT. He is also regardant, having his
neck twisted In the manner you de-
SCRIBE"
"You are sure that you have got the
animal sized up right? don't see ex
actly what lion would be doing with
acorns. If they were cocoanuts, Il
might be all right, but as 1t Is there
seems to be discrepancy, as 1t were
The arm With the stick and the acorns
would suggest hog as the appropriate
geological specimen"
maybe It should be hog" Coomel
would say, with an indulgent smile
"but it's an old misprint anyway, fol
the Coomers Of Salem have always hat
It that way. That old fellow up there
pointing to the lean faced ancestor
in the wig-"had the lion on his famil,
coach, so my father told me. / neve
paid much attention to those things"
Couldn't even conjugate the coat"
"Not properly, Pm afraid. You se
those andirons there? Father brough
them from the old Coomer mansion be
fore 1t was pulled down. Quaint
aren't they? There is lot Of that oil
plunder around the house. Yes, tina
is a family picture-my grandmother
Tho one over the bookcase Is he
mother. l guess that is the real, orig
nal empire gown. Mary, where hav
you got those miniatures stowe
awayT
"Ias that old gun any historyf' ask
the guest.
"Well, hardly a history" says Coon
or. II believe that my great-great-granf
father carried that IN the Revolution
sE7 .1s ron 21T |1 a ee7|