The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1905-06-08
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GGALAOh ~
ancestral home and desired to fill 1t
with the portraits of his ancestors
Furthermore, his daughter Alice being
a young lady of rare good sense, some
beauty and a refinement inherited
from her mother, Mr.. King hoped that
she might marry into some old family
either American or foreign. Europe
was the place to find ancestral heir
looms and a husband. Mr.. King went
with his family to London and took q
house there.
l. England Mr.. King met q middle
aged man, Francis Howard Cressy.
who. though he vas lot titled. claimed
to be connected with one of the oldest
families i'll England. Mr.. King intro
duced him to his daughter. but with
little hope OF a match. for Mr.. Greasy
had great pride of ancestry and de
clared that his wife must equal him In
the matter of descent. Meanwhile Alice
King had met abroad George Levan, Q
young American who had worked his
way through college. studied law and
managed to scrape together sufficient
funds to give lii a short trip abroad
before entering upon the practice of his
profession. Levan antagoniZed Mr..
King at once by admitting that his ia
ther was a farmer of little or no duca-
ton and his grandfather was an IN
known quantity.
One morning Alice King found on
the table of the drawing room an ad-
vertiSement of a curiosity vender. She
took a fancy to visit this shop. and
when George Levan called again they
went there together.
They We're received o~bseQuiously by
the vender. who limited hat he would
furnish them with an ancestry, includ-
ing heirlooms. The portrait of a
Norman baron In chain armor and one
of Il lord mayor of Londo of Queen
Elizabeth's time struck them as
cially ancient and curious. Levan took
a fancy to a pewter platter and mug
about which there was an attractive
LONELINESS and bought them. Not
wishing any ancestors. their purchases
were confined to a few trinkets, which
they afterward suspected had been
manufactured especially for the shop.
Levan and Alice went about together
a great deal visiting the sights" OF
London. One day Mr.. King warned
his daughter that since he thought
there was a chance of her allying her
self with an ancient family she must
not become otherwise ~entangled. Soon
after this warning George and Alice
came in one day and were surprised
to see the portrait of the lord mayor
they had seen at the curiosity shop
hanging on the wall
Nothing was said about the pur
oh,so or1 AIfoo roe Por fro" S11cnocf-
ing that the lord mayor was to become
one OF her ancestors until she over
heard her father. while showing the
portrait TO Mr.. Cressy. tell him that
such was the case. Alice. Who possess
ed a great deal of tact. held her
tongue and awaited developments.
Then came an invitation from Mr..
Cressy for the King family to inspect
his ancestral home near Twickenham, a
suburb of London. They found a ram
shackle old structure, with worn furni-
ture and a musty smell. Mr.. Cressy
did not live there; he preferred apart
ments In the city. He showed them
through the rooms and in a spacious
dra wing room paused before a portrait
hanging over an ope fireplace.
This is my most remote ancestor,
founder of the family" he said. Hugh
Crecy, knighted for bravery at the ia
nous battle of Crecy. His sovereign
insisted that he should TAX his name
from the struggle in which he had dis
tinguished himself. a name that has
been corrupted to Cressy."
Alice looked at the picture thunder
struck. Sir Hugh was the Norman
baron in chain armor she and George
Levan had seen in the curiosity shop.
But. as has been remarked, Alice
was not a girl to blunder into a quag-
mire or run up against a stone wall.
For the p4sent Mr.. Greasy and her
father might purchase all the ancestors
they pleased. She looked admiringly
at the portrait and, being shrewd and
! practical. wondered how the efec OF
age had been produced. Mr.. Greasy
remarked that his ancestral pile was
in need of repair, and he hoped some
day to fix 1t up and live in 1t. This
some day. Alice understood to mean
when he married her and received her
fathers settlements. Then they all re-
tarned to the city, where Alice talked
the matter over with George Levan,
and they concluded that the Greasy
mano had been hired for the occa-
sion.
One day Mr.. Cressy called and vas
closeted with Mr.. King. While they
were together George Levan called and
met Alice in the library. He had he'd
something engraved On his pew ter
service and brought the articles A
show her. Presently they heard foot.
steps
Father is coming" said Alice. Step
into the other ROOM"
Scarcely had the young man vanish,
ed when Messrs. King and Greasy en-
tered.
Alice" said her father, "Mr. Greasy
has honored us by proposing for your
hand"
"I am sorry to disappoint you. father
| and MI Cressv. but I am engaged. Mr.