The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1901-07-04
ABOUT A@
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-
sisting 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 acquaintance who said
that they We're puffed up with family
pride. We may have family pride and
not be puffed up with it, even though
we have heirlooms and a 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, aud
irons from the old homestead hearth,
tower musket and one or two mi1iia4
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 forbears *5
COomer was about as unassuming
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 PEASANT re-
gardant in bend gules between two
acorns azure within as many cotises
ermines- and his crest was cubit arm
erect grasping an oak branch. all prop
err, but neither crest nor coat was bla-
zoned on the panel of the family
brougham nothing but monogram.
Mrs. Coomer felt differently aboutrit
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
zenith birthday. and If any Of her visit
ors expressed any curiosity concern
ing the rapier or the dingy pictures or
| the tower nusket 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 .escutch4.
con. He didn't mean any harm by
1t, but he had reputation for ocular
ity and had to sustain 1t. 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. If 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
IL he had never seen them before.
what kind of beast is that rubber
necking on the shieldY' he would ask.
"That's lion."
"Well. well! Who'd "a thought it!
What has he got his off front paw
stretched out that way for? Looks as
If he had cramp in it and was trying
to restore the circulation"
"Well, that shows his position-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? I don't see ex-
actly what lion would be doing with
acorns. If they were cocoanuts. it
might be all right, but as 1t. is there
seems to be discrepancy. as it were.
The arm with the stick and the acorns
would suggest hog as the appropriate
geological specimen"
maybe 1t should be a hog" Coomer
would say, with an indulgent smile,
shut it's an old misprint anyway, for
the Coomers of Salem have always had
it that way. That old fellow up there
pointing to the lean faced ancestor
In the wig-"had the lion on his family
coach, SO my father told me. never
paid much attention to those things"
Couldn't even conjugate the coat"
"Not properly, I'm afraid. You see
those andirons there? Father brought
them from the old Coomer mansion be-
fore it was pulled down. Quaint,
aren't they? There is lot Of that old
plumber around the house. Yes, that
Is family picture-my grandmother.
The one over the bookcase Is her
mother. l guess that is the real. origi-
nal empire gown. Mary, where have
you got those miniatures slowed
aWayY
"Has that old gun any historyY asks
the guest.
swell. hardly history" says Coon
er. 81 believe that my great-great-grand-
father carried that in the Revolution
airy war. Yes. you may take it down.
It's what they called a tower musket
You can zee the English government
stamp on the lock and barrel. It looks
odd In these days Of repeating rifles,
but those old fellows made them do
the work"
'I've got one like it at home" re-
marks Crary, "only mine has the
Springfield mark. George Washington
wanted to make my ancestor, Putnam
Crary, a major general, but he said
that he would waive his gentility and
shoulder musket in the ranks with
the rest Of the boys"
Even COomer is annoyed by this dig
and he Pushes a little angrily. but the
miniatures coming in give him an
opportunity to treat the sneer with the
silent contempt it merits.
That was the extent of Coomer's vain
glory-just little natural pride, free
from boastfulness - but at the same
time nobody ever enjoyed any degree
Of intimacy with him without learning
all about Digby Creighton Coomer, the
reputed owner Of the rapier, who was
one of the leaders of fashion in old
New York; of Mistress Betty Coomer,
his daughter, who was the toast OF her
day; of the intermarriages with the
Drivingstons and the Van Bruntslears
and other aristocratic families and all
the rest OF it. But nobody could rea-