The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-18
4 FUNGUS FEUD.
BY GEN. CHAS. KING.

Mushrooms and misunderstanding bring from next to nothing, and the Drmer die easy. It took less than a luart of them, however, fresh picked emong the woodpiles on the riverside slope of old Fort Frayne to start a family jar that outlived the season.
 Captain Blair and Lieutenant Blaine were men much alike in physique, but otherwise differed. Both were good soldiers. both honest men, both kind hearted. both high tempered and both in the same regiment. Blair was young for a captain. Blaine was old for Q lieutenant. and so far as soldiers reputation went only by these titles could they be told apart. Then Blaine got a brevet for gallantry in action against hostile Indiana which de- stroyed that one restraining clause, and then. to make confusion worse corfounded. they fell in love with and married sisters. From that time on there was fun for everybody at Payne except the households in question.
 The Blairs had invited the inspector general of the department te break fast with them the morning he was to leave the garrison. and had asked some pleasant people to meet him, and had hidden old Barry Lanigan. bibu- lous ex-soldier who lived on lis wits and what he could pick up, including mushrooms. to be sure to bring them a quantity, fresh picked, the first thing Thursday morning. Barry gathered his crop as engaged. but having a chance to go to town on q ranch wSg- on. entrusted the delivery to a festh- er-brAined compatriot who worked at the traders store, with the result that the mushrooms went in at the RIaines' kitchen door instead of the Blairs'. In Barry's writing you couldn't tell one from the other.
 New. even sisters will sometimes "spat." Mrs. Blaine was Jealous of Mrs. Blair because the formers lord was full captain. while ner ovn was Nut a captain by brevet-a widely dif- aerent thing. Mrs. Biaine thought |" be included in the list of 'uests to meet the inspector general. and really ought to have been. but Mrs. Blair's fur had been rubbed just the wrong way at just the wrong time. and she decided that her dining room could only be made to hold ten people without gquee1ing. They had to invite Colonel and Mrs. Fenton. of course, as the in- spector was their guest. and then Dr. Wayne and his wife were visiting tho Pentons so that made five from just that house alone. Then Captain Elatr's classmate. Major Towner of the quar- termaster's department, was visiting them at the moment, and that made eight. Then. of course, there were the bride and groom. Captain and Mrs. Dove. Everybody was entertaining them. and Mrs. Blair could have no better opportunity. 90 really there was no room for the Blaines. Besides, as Carrie Blair explained. if they went below the rank of captain at all, there were Lieutenant and Mrs. Foster who ranked Mir Blaine and dear Cher rife and to whom they were socially much more indebted. and indeed Cher rie ought to see that this was an oc- casion when she really couldn't make room for them.
 All the same Cherrie didn't see 1t, and was incensed against her sister. for that inspector general was a man of mark in the army and the sisters both were ambitious for their lords. Not only was Cherrie incensed, but Carrie knew she would be and had gone about her preparations with a certain degree of secrecy that in itself proved her to have but little experi- ence in garrison life-where secrecy IS out of the question.
 Cherrie knew. as a matter of course, even before the acceptances were sent, and hastened over to have her say "It's nothing but the most informal lit- tie thing in the world. Cherrie." pro- tested Mrs. Blair. "The general drops in on his way to the train, and the Fentons are driving him to the sta tion. and he happened to say he dotted