Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-01-04
The Social Objections to
Mrs. Trip


lOriginall
Mrs. Muggledon Mason was one Of
the elite of Groveton. There were
disadvantages to be overcome in at
tanning and maintaining this position,
but Mrs. Mason possessed the especial
faculties required to overcome them.
For instance, her husband was horse
trader-a horse trader on large scale,
to be sure, but still a horse trader.
When the wife of a wholesale grocer
threw this in the face of Mrs. Mason.
that lady retorted: MY husband buys
and sells horses; your husband buys
and sells molasses. What's the differ
ence"
One evening on the train from the
city where Mrs. Mason had been shop
ping she was talking to Mrs. Edwards.
also q member Of the smart set OF
Groveton. Mrs. Edwards was not only
wealthy, but her family had been
wealthy before her for hundred
years. Mrs. Mason appreciated this
and proposed to ingratiats herself with
the highborn dame by a bit Of social
conservatism.
There are some of our set" said
Mrs. Mason-her voice was loud and
harsh-"who are constantly upholding
some one trying to get in with US who
doesn't belong with us. Several of our
best ladies are visiting with that young
Mrs. Tripp, whose efforts to appear re-
spectacle are absurd. - the Arling-
tons reception she wore a dress that
/ recognized as having once belonged
to Mrs. Chesborough. She'd SO chang
ed and improved 1t that one would
have scarcely recognized it. Not that
I would deny such people a place
among us, provided they can live as
we do, but they can't. Besides, Mrs.
Tripp doesn't give a very satisfactory
account of her husbands continued
absence. Land knows whether she's
married at all or not"
Behind the two ladies sat man in q
broad brimmed hat and a woolen shirt
under coat much the worse for wear.
but his features be-Sad his costume.
Notwithstanding an appearance Of
hard work they were intellectual.
"Moll Hogan, I believe" he said,
bending forward and looking Mrs.
Mason in the eye as she turned, with
face alternately white and scarlet.
Il don't know you,' she said, draw.
ing away with poorly assumed hauteur.
Nevertheless you have served me
with antelope steak and f1apjacks in
Grindstone. But I see you are chang
ed. 1 heard you had married Mug
Mason, that he drove lot Of horses
east just in time to fill big order for
the government before the Spanish
war and that he has been making
money in horsefesh ever SINCE"
Mrs. Mason was taken fiat aback.
She made several efforts to clear her
self from the mans imputations and
finally muttered that he had got her
mixed with some one else. Then she
turned her back on him and said to
Mrs. Edwards:
"He Is some enemy who has an OBJ
ject, but can't guess what it isl
The train was at the moment stop
ping at a station. The two ladies
alighted, each taking her carriage to
her home.
Mrs. Atwater, one Of the ladies who
had been helping Mrs. Tripp in her
efforts to keep up position to which
she had been born, gave a ball. Mrs.
Mason was there, and Mrs. Tripp was
there. Mrs. Tripp startled the assem-
bly, by entering dressed in a gown
fresh from the hands of its maker, but
this was not the most surprising fea-
ture about Mrs. Trips entrance. She
leaned on the arm Of a gentleman IN
known to the Grovetonians, whom she
introduced as her husband. AS the
couple made their way to speak to the
hostess every eye in the room was
leveled at them.
"Where did she get that dress9
Where on earth has the man been?
Wonder If it's another case Of get rich
quick?" We're some Of the questions
the guests asked of each other.
As Mr. and Mrs. Tripp walked away
from the hostess they met Mr.. and
Mrs. Mason walking up to her.
''Hello, Mason"'
Mason stared at the speaker for some
moments, then, making a virtue of ne
cessity, said:
'Hello, Mr.. Tripp! What are you do
ing hereT =.
1.-THE cut-off's finished. Civil engi-
neers are no longer wanted. You didn't
finish the dirt moving you undertook,
did your
"N-o." stammered Mason, 81 didn't"
Mrs. Mason, who by this time reco9-
nized under his evening dress the rough
looking man who had spoken to her in
the car, pulled her husband OF.
Goodness gracious, is that Mr.. Trip,
who had charge of the cut-off?"
Eyes, and. besides being engineer In
chief, he took big contract. I had
a subcontract under him to remove a
million yards of dirt. found I had
bid too low and left the territory"
There was a brief pause, at the end
Of which the wife said:
"He's the man I told you about who
knew me when I slung hash in Grind