Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1905-12-11

MS grandfather had been dead less
than a month. and society was some
what scandalized by the plain symp-
toms of disrespect he was showing. No
one had expecWd him to observe pro-
Iongea season OF mourning, but that
he should disregard the formaIities
completely was rather shocking. Some
n the older people, who had not long
~ live and who had heirs apparent,
onenly denounced his heartlessness. 1t
was not very gratifying to think of
what might be in store for them if all
memories were as short as Brewster's.
Old Mrs. Ketchell changed her will,
and two nephews were cut off entire
". A very modest and impecunious
grandson of Joseph Clarity also was
TO sustain a severe change of fortune
in the near future if the cards spoke
correctly. Judge Van Wort, who was
not expected to live through the night,
got better Immediately after hearing
some one in the sickroom whisper that
Montgomery Brewster was to give
big dinner. Naturally the heirs-to-be
condemned young Brewster in no I'M
certain terms.
Nevertheless the dinner to be given
by the grandson of old Edwin Peter
Brewster was the talk of the town, and
not one of the sixty invited guests
could have been persuaded to miss 1t.
Reports as to its magnificence, were
abroad long before the night set for
the dinner. One of them had it that it
was to cost $4,000 plate. From that
figure the legendary price receded to
a mark as low as $500. Montgomery
would have been only too glad to pay
! $4,000 or more, but some mysterious
force conveyed to his mind perfect
portrait of Swearengen Jones in the
act of putting down large black mark
against him, and he forbOre.
81 wish | knew whether l had to
abide by the New York or the Mon
tana standard of extravaganza" Brew
ster said to himself. Il wonder if he
ever sees the New York papers"
Late each night the last of the grand
old Brewster family went to his bed
room, where, after dismissing his man,
i he settled down at his desk, with a
pencil and a pad of paper. Lighting
the candles, which were more easily
managed, he found, than lamps and
much more costly, he thoughtfully and
: religiously calculated his expenses for
the day Hopper Harrison and ElOn
Gardner had the receipts for all mon
eys spent and Joe Bragdon was keep
ing an official report, but the ''chief,"
as they called him, could not go to
sleep until he was satisfied in his own
mind that he was keeping up the aver
age For the first two weeks it had
been easy-in fact, he seemed to have
quite a comfortable lead in the race.
He had spent almost 100000 in the
fortnight, but he realized that the
greater part of it had gone into the
yearly and not the daily expense &C
count. He kept a profit and loss
entry in his little private ledger, but II
|, was not like any other account OF the
, kind in the world What the ordinary
merchant would have charged to "loss'
he jotted down on the profit" side, an6
; he was continually looking for oppor
! tunltleS to swell the total.
: Rawles, who had been his grand
: fathers butler since the day after h
{ landed in New York, came over to TIT
5 grandsOns establishment, greatly t.
: the wrath and confusion of the latter
: Aunt Emmeline. The chef came from
t Paris, and his name was Detuit. Ellis
e the footman, also found much bette
: berth with Monty than he had had il
q the house on the avenue. Aunt Elm
: incline never forgave her nephew TO
s these base and disturbing acts o
!, treachery, as she called them.
V One of Monty's most extraordinar
S financial feats grew out of the pun
d chase of $4,000 automobile. II
blandly admitted to Hopper Harrison
= and the two secretaries that he intend
= ed to use it to practice with only, an
It that as soon as he learned how to ru
g an auto, as it should be run he e1
3. pected to buy good, sensible, durabl
II machine for $1,000.
e His staff officers frequently put thei
e heads together. to devise ways. an
h. means OF curling Monty's reckless e,
is trayaganee. They were worried. -
lie He's like sailor in port protes
e. ed Harrison Money is no object if b
s. wants a thing, and-hang 1.-THE seem
lg to want everything he Sees"
1T won't last long" Gardner sal
s reassuringly. Like his namesak,
Sc Monte-Christo, the world is his i1s
he now, and he wants to enjoy it,
&c He wants to get rid of it, it seem
I'd TO me"
a. Whenever they reproached Brewsts
n about the natter he disarmed thel
Id by saying Now that I've got none
er mean TO give my friends. a good tim
Y, Just what you'd do if you We're in d
er place. What's money for. any way p
" But this 5000 plate dinper
is I'm going 10 give a dozen of the
ne and even then / can't pay my ju
" debts For years I've been entertain s
ne at people'ss houses and hay bef
n taken cruising on theirsgachfs The
ic have always been bully to me, a.