The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-09


 get that you are mistress of the house, though you trust me to manage it for you"
 So the household was conducted as of old by Mrs Price. with Mary the maid-successor to Jane--and Mrs. Gates, the charwoman wife of an old employe of Mir. Crunden's, who came in every day. There was no fashionable modish upheaval or introduction of tip top society methods In honor of the highly educated, prettiiy dressed. alto gether ladylike. young mistress.
 MT. Crunden gave his daughter sub- stantial dress allowance. aud begged her to dress handsomely. On more than one occasion he reminded her that. although he was no longer a money earning man, there was no need for ex- cessive e. eJnomy. Don't grudge your self, Liz. If seem to make a poor mouth sometimes, it's just old habit but don't believe it. I'm well to do. I'm quite well to do." That was a fa- vorite expression of his when he spoke of money. He took interest in all new hats and dresses. and once or twice showed that he had scanned the shop windows by offering a suggestion.
 At Selkirk's today. Lizzie" he said thoughtfully scratching his beard. T noticed very natty. stylish, fashion able hat
 Dad" said Lizzie. smiling. "how do you come to know whether it was fash ionable or not?"
 T judge that by many signs" said MT. Crun6sn, with the utmost serious ness. " For one thing, it was put for ward in that window. and the card said, Straight from Paris. I think that hat would suit you. Lizzie"
 What was it like. father?"
 Well. my dear, should say full size quite large and handsome" and Mir. Crunden bent his grey brows as he sought for appropriate words. Orange color--the main part. And purple in the bows sand ct ceteras. There was bird, too--what I judged to be hum ming bird or paradise-with roses-and other fiowers-and some fruit. think there was couple of punches of grapes or cherries-and-
 Father" interrupted Lizzie. How much? That must be too much for any hat"
 '"roo much?" echoed Mir. Crunden, not grasping what his daughter meant. T can't say what they were asking for it. There was no ticket. But do not grudge the price, Lizzie. if you wish the hat" She did not buy the bird of paradise and its ct ceteras. but in due course and season she secured other and less generously furnished hats or toques ITOIn AdoSihdtAh6 WAhoO"o' and her father was we'll satisfied with the result of her unprompted taste. In the town. when he saw her. he looked at her crftically-and then swelled with pride. She was as much the lady as anyone from Hill Rise. While wearing his ordinary clothes he would not talk to, her or walk with her in the town; but he loved much--on receipt of suf- fcient warning-to dress his best and escort her to the Church of St. Barn. abas, the sale of work at the Town Hall, the athletic sports of the Medford Volunteer Battalion .or merely to sit by her during quiet country drive in a one-horse landau from the White Hart livery stables.
 Once at least in each year he took her away for a pleasure tour. Dr q Blake. the eminent physician of Hili' Rise, had told him that the air of Med ford was enervating for youth. T send all my young ladies for a change of air -one month out of every twelve, said Dr. Blake. Any other air.. you know; different air-that Is the point" MT. and Miss Crunden visited Cornwall, the English lake district. the seaside and inland watering places, and stayed in brief state at the very best hotels. MT. 'Crunden. wearing a black frock coat at table d'hote. was unusually solemn and silent. Like a mother, af- ter the luxurious meal, he would watch over his daughter in gaudy reading rooms, noisy hotel lounges. where q band Of music deafened and annoyed him; or in the big salon where corpu- lent conjuror produced bowls of gold fish from the wings and tails of his dress suit while 'the coniuror's wife sat DV the salon with a plate which bore one of the conjuror's real half crowns and into which the departing audience, not taking the hint, dropped sixpences. AfteN such an entertain ment MT. Crunden parted with his daughter at the foot of the grand stair case. kissed her. blessed her in a gruff whisper-"Good night, and God bless you, my dear"-and then with alacrity stamped off to the hotel smoking room, silently to smoke the pipe for which he had been craving ever since dinner.
 On these holiday trips he was at once shreWd and simple. refusing to be "diddled," as he termed it, by extortion- ate Hy-drivers, guides, and itinerant curio- dealers, but giving bravelv in largesse to hall porters, headwaiters, and railway guards who fiattered him by obseduious attention.
 He was charv of converse with fel- low travellers, although gratihed by the chattiness of undoubted ladies and gentlemen freely exchanging small 
 graceful companion. For the most part he preserved silence; but when urbane- ly forced into speech, he exhibited a natural common sense that was well accepted by polite listeners. It was only when unexpectedly he became of a sudden too much interested in discus . sion that he made less favorable im- pression.
 So 1t was, unfortunately. at the gen eral table of a west country inn, when the assembled guests talked about huilding-of all things in the world. Everyone had been to see the showplace of the neighborhood, an ancient, ruined castle; and now a visitor. full of cult ure and curious lore. was pompously condemning the errors of the penny guide book. Then MT. Crunden become too much interested. The whole fabric said the learned visitor, was of earlier date than that assigned. It was com posite construction giving plain evid- ence of varied historic epochs. The gate ana outer hall were Saron on Roman foundation; the inner court was Norman; of later date, but also clear ly Norman. was the octabonal brick tower, with the brick-faced hall.