The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-04-12

i pAOACCAS ~ LAdI part OF the Town. 1t
was there she was born, in its quaint
old parlor she was married, and all her
/ girlhood, her brief welded life and her
widowhood We're connected with it.
Mrs. Gray and Montgomery mother
had been schoolmates and playmates,
and their friendship endured When
old Edwin Peter Brewster looked about
for place to house his orphaned grand
son, Mrs. Gray begged him to let her
care for the little fellow. He was three
years older than her Margaret, and the
children grew up as brother and sis
ter. Mr.. Brewster was generous in
providing for the boy. While he was
away at college, spending money in a
manner that caused the old gentleman
to marvel at his own liberality. Mrs.
Gray was we'll paid for the unused but
we'll kept apartments, and there never
was murmur Of complaint from Ed
win Peter Brewster He was ba,vl, but
he was not niggardly.
1t had been something of a struggle
for Mrs. Gray to make both ends meet
The property in Fortieth street was
her only possession. But little money
had come to her at her husbands
DEATH. and an unfortunate speculation
of his had swept away all that had
fallen to her from her father, the late
Judge Merriweather. For years she
kept the old home unincumbered,
teaching French and English until
! Margaret was well into her teens. The
girl was sent to one of the good old
boarding schools on the Hudson and
came out we'll prepared to help her
mother in the battle to keep the wolf
down and appearances up. Margaret
was rich in friendships, and pride
| alone stood between her and the adj
vantages they offered. Good looking,
| bright and cheerful, she knew no natu-
raj privations. With heart as light
and joyous as a May morning she
| faced adversely as though it were a
pleasure, and no one would have sus-
| pected that even for q moment her
| courage wavered.
Now that Brewster had come into
his splendid fortune he could conceive
no greater delight than to share it
with them. To walk into the little
drawing room and serenely lay large
sums before them as their own seemed
such a natural proceeding that he re-
Iused to see an obstacle. But he knew
it was there. The proffer of such
gl1t to Mrs. Gray would mean
wound to the pride inherited from
naughty generations of men sufficient
INTO fhQrOco1voc
out troublesome mortgage on the
house, matter of two or three thou
sand dollars, and Brewster tried to
evolve plan by which he could as
sumo the burden without giving deem
and lasting offense. A hundred wild
designs had come to him, but thew
were quickly relegated to the growing
neap OF 'subterfuges and pretexts con-
demned by his tenderness for the pride
OF these two women who meant so
much to him.
Leaving the bank, he fastened by
electric car to Fortieth street and
broadway and then walked eagerly off
into the street of the mineral. He had
not yet come to the point where he felt
IKE scorning the cars even though
roll of bank notes was tucked snuglv
away in a pocket that seemed to swell
with sudden af1uence. Old Hendrick.
faithful servitor through two genera
ions, was sweeping the autumn leaves
from the sidewalk when Montgomery
came up to the house.
Hello, Hendrickw was the young
mans CHEEKY greeting. "Nice lot of
leaves you have there.''
Soy ebbed from Hendrick, who did
not even SO much as look up from his
work. Hendrick was a human clam.
"Mrs. Gray in?"
A grunt that signifed YES.
YOU'RE as loquacious as ever. Hen
drick."
A mere nod.
Brewster let himself in with his own
latchkey, threw his hat on chair and
unceremoniously bolted into the libra
~. Margaret was seated near win
dow, book in her lap. The first evil
dence of unbiased friendship he had
seen in days shone in her smile. She
took his hand and said simply, eve are
glad to welcome the prodigal to his
home again.
81 remind myself more of the fatted
calf.''
Her first self consciousness had gone.
II thought Of that, but I didn't dare
say it" she laughed. zone must be
respectful to rich relatives.'
Hang your rich relatives. Peggy!
If I thought that this money would
make any difference I would give it I'D
this minute
Nonsense, Montyv' she said. "How
could it make a difference? But you
must admit it is rather startling. The
friend of our youth leaves his humble
dwelling Saturday night with his sal.
airy drawn for two weeks ahead. He
returns the following Thursday a daz-
cling millionaire"
"1'm glad I've begun to dazzle any
way. 1 thought it might be hard to
look the part