Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-01-24
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ACase Of Americana Push
[orIginal.l

been sensitive about our family name
and would like me to change 1t for a
better one"
Brown is better than Skrable."
"He doesn't think so. Mrs. Peter
Brown would be but little Improvement
on Miss Alice Skrable."
The lover went away sorrowful.
One day Browns eye fell on a para
graph In newspaper that set him
thinking. He thought all day and
most of the night. When he awoke In
the morning his thoughts went right
ON ike an automobile in which the
stopping apparatus has become unman-
ageable. He thought whole week, at
the end Of which he brought his fist
down on a table and exclaimed:
"Ill do ity'
From that time Browns law partner
noticed that he was paying very little
attention to business. He seemed to
be spending all his time searching for
something. 1t was not legal matter,
for no legally drawn papers appeared
to be passing through his hands. He
received great many letters, but new
er spoke Of the contents Of any one OF
them. Indeed, whatever was his pur-
pose he kept 1t profoup J secret.
Then suddenly Brown announced
that he was going abroad. His part
nar, astonished and dissatisfied, threat
ened to dissolve the firm, complaining
that Brown would leave him to do all
the work-it was not Onerous-and was
keeping important matters from him.
Brown told him Just enough to satisfy
him, then suddenly disappeared.
Six months passed. The skrable
family. Alice excepted, had forgotten
Mr.. Brown and were greatly pleased
to have an opportunity to forget him.
His intimate friends wondered where
he was and how he obtained the means
to spend so much time away from
home. Some one said that an uncle, his
mothers brother, was furnishing him
with money. This was true. The uncle
supplied him with barely enough for
his purpose. Browns partner sat IN
his Office waiting for clients who did
not come and wished for Brown, who
was a pushing fellow and had many
ingenious methods Of securing busi'
ness. "Have you heard from Brown
everybody asked Of everybody, and
everybody replied: mo. Have your
mo. wonder where he is and what
he's up to-" "Oh, he's got some wild
scheme ON hand. But, no matter how
wild Browns schemes, he has q way
of carrying them out. He's probably
getting a contract for replacing the
street cars In some foreign city with
American flying machines. But he'll
do It. You bet, he'll work 1t through.
There was a good deal Of such talk
and the uncle who was grub stalking
Brown looked very knowing whenever
approached on the subject, but said
nothing. All this increased the curl
osity Of Browns friends and acquaint
ances.
One day a steamer arrived, and In
the passenger list published was the
name Of Sir Peter Brown. The name
In the minds Of Browns friends, had
no connection with him whatever
Some of them saw 1t, but went on wifi
their daily avocations just the same
II occasioned not the slightest ruf1t
among them, but the next morning
paragraph In a newspaper let out The
secret of Browns absence, and none Of
his friends did anything during tho
day except visit one another and Cos
sip with mouth and eyes wide oper
upon this exploit This was the para
graph referred to:
Our fellow citizen. Peter Brown, hal
tust returned from a trip 10 Engsano
where he has established his right to tn
| baronetcy granted In 1862 TO Hugh Brown
after the restoration Of Charles H., 70
LOYALTY to the house of Stuart dorman
since 17S3.
These few lines were quite enough Il
stir every one who had ever heard o.
Peter Brown. For week nothing els'
was talked Of, and every one wondered
that Brown had never been heard Il
claim any relationship whatever witt
any baronet. Meanwhile invitation
were showered upon Sir Peter, ant
cards came from the Skrable famil!
for a musicale. Sir Peter accepted. ant
! during the evening he and the smilini
Alice vanished into a corner by them
selves.
"Come, tell me all about It," she ask
ed. "How did you ever do itf"
zone morning read paragraph j
a newspaper stating that as the law o
England now stands any man can az
sumo with impunity some presumably
extinct or dormant baronetcy prior t
1888. A recent work, called 'Extinc
and Dormant Baronetcies,' says that
thousand of these titles have lapsed BIZ
tween the original creation and tn
present day OF these the majority o'
came extinct or dormant before 17o'
Armed with as much informatio
about my family as could collect,
went to England to find a dormaI
Brown baronetcy. lighted on the on
granted Hugh Brown. proved this
my ancestors came from the sam
county and before / got through mad
the discovery that am really B
Peter Brown"
Alice Skrable clapped her hands, the
threw her arms around her lover
neck.
In a few days the engagement of s
Peter Brown and Alice Skrable we
announced, and they were married
due time. Lady Brown was furnishe
with money by her father to buy II
original Brown property, and the pre-
Snt Sir Peter Brown and his family IL
IN England.
WENDELL G. MILAN.