Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1901-12-20
TheLOst Invitation
BY INA sREvooRT ROBERTS.

Lucllla and Tom stood at the out
skirts of the town looking disconso-
lately off. toward the frozen river,
where skating carnival was in prog
ress. At least, Luc!ila ,oUked at he
river, but Toms gaze stopped at her.
which was scarcely any wonder, for
Lucilla was very pretty, She was sIen
der and girlish-lool;ing, with finely
chiseled features, rOse-.eaf complex
ion and a quantity of,soft yellow hair.
1t wGs Tom who broke the silence.
"Do yor suppose" he asi:t &, in hope
less sort of tone, THAT it would do any
good if l ignored this foolish quarrel
and went to your father like a man
and asked him for you?'
Lucilla looked at him with horror
stricken eyes. THAT would be the
most foolish thing you could do" she
said, emphaticaIy. Father would or
der you out of the house, and, worse
still, he would make me promise not
to speak to you again"
"Weil, won't run any risk of that"
was Toms decision. "Do you think
there's the least chance of their max
ing 1t up!' he ADDED.
"No, l do not" Lucilla answered. ~
had hopes until Christmas drew near.
Always as long as my father can re-
member the whole Lawton family has
eaten Christmas dinner together. No
matter how much unplcasantHcss or
pickering were in the air, all hard feel
ings were put aside, and for that one
day, at least, we were united family"
Weren't they good Old times?"
sighed Tom. Zone year the dinner
took place in our house, the next in
yours. Do you. remember the long,
snowy tables, the monster turkeys,
and how impressed we used to be at the
imposing sight of all our august rela-
tivcs in their best bibs and tuckers?"
Indeed | do" and Luci!la sighed
also. 81 did think that when Christ
mas day came that silly quarrel would
be forgotten, but when mother sent in
vitations to dinner TO every me mbei of
the family but your father md mother
and you, and l learned a Few days
later that your mother had also sent
invitations, leaving us out, lost all
hope. Things will be worse than ever
after Christmas, for the people who ac-
cept your mothers invitations will be
in my mothers bad graces, and the
other way round. Oh, dear" Lucilla
ended, despairingly, "why can't rela-
tives agree any better?"
They're a jealous, back-biting
small-minded set" cried Tom, in
wrath, land after we're married, Luz
ella, say we shake the whole lot, eX.
cept our fathers and mothers. It's the
only way Wen ever be able to keep
out of hot water"
"That would never do" declared Luz
ella, gently. "We should miss them
too much. In spite of their quarrels
they think the world of one another.
Don't you remember how good they
were to Aunt Emmeline before she
died? She needed so much attention
and was so peevish and unreasonable
that she could not keep a nurse, and
yet her relatives took turns at taking
care of her"
Tom gave a short laugh. 81 guess
all families are alike" he said. "Well
] wish they had deferred this affair
ua;!. after we were married; it would
uol have mattered 50 much then"
No." agreed Luci,la. ~ wonder why
that particular invitation. of al you
sent, should have been the one to go
astray." As she spoke the girl turned
to go.
Tom turned also, and the pair start
cd in the direction of the town, whose
spires and white cupolas were visible
through the bare branches of the
trees.
"Tom," said Lucilla, turning sud-
denly to look at her lover, "are you
sure that invitation was mailed?"
"Lucilla," replied Tom, sclemnly, 81
dropped it in the post Cilice myself.
And that reminds me, I'm due at a
meeting this afternoon to discuss the
advisablity of putting up new town
hall, but / can't say that I'm wildly
enthusiastic one way or the Other. If
| had home here with you in IL | =
could take lot of interes in the town,
but as il is--if my father GisowRs me,
as 1 am afraid he will do after / tell
him mean to marry you, why, I'll have
~ go somewhere else to earn my liyi