Waterbury Democrat., 1901-08-27
A FAMILY PARTY
 By Eva Williams Malone.
fOopyrisht iso.. by AuiAors syndicsts.)
HERE they eoln

Ir0m her baLIenDuT8 anu fOucuSd4cu . nonchalant glance in the direction indicated by her friends bejeweled digit.
 "Who goes? the Family Party of eourseI It's perfectly sickening to see Alfred Ralston prancing around with those two infants. Wonder if it's his latest device for renewing his youthi"
 This from Miss Harcourt who. at fwenty-six, had just given 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. Le Grand, fresh and enticing at thirty in her widows weeds, smiled se- renely upon her unwedded friend and said in that provocative way some women affect:
 "Why, Alfred Ralston 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 yoursI That would make him-let me see-he can't be much over thirty-five. 4 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 isl It's frightful how the momentum of woman's years does in- crease after she passes twenty-five; unless she writes her name with a Mrs. prehxed. 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 incongruous party that had provoked it, passed out of sight. "The Family Party" as they had come to be called, never hovered long over the same hower-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 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 Ralstoni" commented one of his friends as the trio entered an uptown cafe and formed triangu- lar group around a tabIe-"look at him nowl 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, tool And, instead of resent ing it. as women generally do divided homage, the sweet creatures actually seem to enjoy the play. never could quite fathOm that sort of a game. I tried it once; and, bless mel if both the girls didn't give me and each other, too, the G. B. in less than week. But RalstonI by JoveI that fellow ought to go to Salt Lake CityI Wouldn't he rush things out there-provided the Mormons didn't expel him from pure jealousy"
 No wonder that the men marveled and rebelled to see one of their num- ber monopolize with such daring grace so affiuent 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 put twin pansies to shame, and com piexion 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, ''that mother declares she doesn't think our Family Party at all proper2 She thinks we need a chaperone."
 GA chaperonel What an aspersion upon mel" exclaimed Ralston in mock indignation. "Have lived and suf- fered the bangs of badness and bach elordom through all these years to have it now cast in my teeth that I, even l, am not a fit and proper chap erone for two spotless, unshorn Iambs7 Am I. Alfred Saxton Jerrold Ralston. wolf in sheep's clothing that I should be thus traduced?"
 He was a splendid specimen of manly beauty. and his pretense to decrepi- fude was the veriest bravado. The lion never feels himself quite so much the king of the forest as when he poses as che huunb1azf of heasfs
 Papa said it couldn't hurt so long as there were three of us," protested Brown Eyes. "He said you wouldn't dare to make Love to me while Lavice was around; and you couldn't kiss Lavice while was lookingl"
 Your father is wise and reverend seignor; and, if he wants my vote for any office in the gift of the people, ke has only to ring me up," replied this arch-conspirator as, with one hand, he flched flower from Lavice's bouton- niere, while his left was giving Edith's just the gentlest sort of pressure be- meath the table.
 Don't forget, Dewdrops," he con- tinped, as they prepared to leave the cafe, the girls for their dancing club, -.. a I. U~.. e-- -gS