Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-01-26
Continued.

nobody KNOWS tnaJ tney aTen really
ones great-grandfathers!"
May looks grim, but suddenly the
absurdlty of the situation amuses her,
and she leans back and laughs until
the whole room is filed with bright,
delicious music.
YOU you don't remember grand
father. do you, Carrie" she says,
painting and wiping her eyes. He was
such a dear, funny old man, with
red nose, which used TO shine as II 1t
had been polished with bees-wax. |
can remember him sitting In the back
parlor of an evening, drinking gin and
water and smoking long clay pipe.
Us his portrait In the hall2 Well
well! go on, dear. And this Sir Crane
no, Heron-ls he an old MANI"
"Oh--no," says Carrie. mot what
you'd call old. He's about-a about
oh. thirty That Is rather old, though,
ISN'T it?"
quite ancient" assents May smii-
ing.
Now. May, you are laughing at me!
YOU don't deserve to be told any more,
Anyway, If Sir Heron isn't old, Lady
Heron is"
Ellis wife! says May, with little
yawn. the wonderful romance, coming
upon her long journey, Is beginning TO
tell
mo, his mother" says Carrie.
ooh May, she Is such an awful old
woman! so tall and thin and upright,
and such thick eyelidsl And she looks
over your head as II she didn't see
you; and she's III proud as--as Lucr-
fer"
Another of your new ncquaint.
ances?" says May. And how does
her ladyshlp approve of papa?"
Papa OH" says Carrie, with n
laugh. Il don't know; | suppose
she's seen papa, but they haven't
called, and they never speak or look
ut us, although we sit almost in the
next pew, and the Void Grounds are
next to ours"
Charming nelghbors," says May
with an Indifference that Is more
marked than tho veriest scorn. 80
they have not called. and although
you have been almost two years I'm.
der their eyes they have not CHANGED
90 see you yet, and what does papa
say?
Papa doesn't say anything" replies
Carrie.
at Is the very wlsest thing he
could say" agrees May.
THE very wisest. Poor papa" with
A pity that Is more than half con.
tempt How blind he must be- For
you, poor child, are too young to see
Il all, but oh, how terribly plain 1t
all Is, Poor, dear old Woodblne
VILLA How happy we used to be, ex.
cepting when the butcher and the
baker called for their bills, and the
landlord wanted the remit Poor papa
mo wonder he looked uncomfortable
aud uneasy, and these people, how
they must laugh. oh, Carrie, | could
laugh If didn't feel inclined to cry;
aud to think that If | had been NJ
home might have stopped tat least
enough 20 keep 1t somewhere within
bounds have held him back from the
family portraits and the gorgeous
footmen. Oh, Carrie-Carrie. II was
bad enough to be poor but It's n thou
sands time worse to be snobs!"
"Snobs," faltered Carrie. staring at
the flushed face aghast
Yes snobs," repeated Mary;
"purseproud, ostentatious snobs; the
laughlng-stock Of every decent family
in the county. and even the toadies
who have gathered abound for the
plumber, Forget Woodbine villa? DO
you think we shan't carry It about
with us every moent of our lives? DO
you think that" Then she breaks
on, suddenly reminded b. the wide
open eyes and mouth Of the startled
listener that 1t Is to a child that she Is
pouring out her malignant scorn, and
tops with something like groan.
"1'here~-there, don't mind Carrie.
NA--we must mako the best of 1t. I'm
lred and oyerdone, and--what on
sAarth's that" For suddenly there
sounds the clang Of a great bell over
Fheif heads.
hats--the servants sup.
per.bell' falters Carrie, guilty,
Everybody has bell now, May" she
murmurs, ms May breaks out with n
peal Of laughter,
Carrie. my child ! give you my
word that a delightful thrill ran
through me. ! thought that the house
was on fire and that they were ringing
for the fire.engines"
"Oh. May you don't mean to say
Il do I'd burn 1t down from gar
net to cellar, family portraits, footmen
mo, not the footmen--and all! Moth.
ing but fire would purge us OF our
anobbery. Oh, why did you send for
me when It was too late? Too late
60 stop this display of ignorance and
vulgarity Hadn't he got one friend
in the world to tell him that he was
making fool OF himself? Was Their,