The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-23
THE EVENING STORY
On Thin Ice


When the letter from Aunt sal,na
was received announcing that she
would arrive on a visit the next week.
mother and daughter looked at each
other for long minute. then the for
mer said:
We must keep it from her."
Yes"
IF we don't she will certainly talk
right up to the deacon and make things
worse than ever. Your Aunt salina is
not afraid of any living man. You
Just act as natural as you can, and
don't let her catch on to a thing"
And yet five or six days later, when
the guest in question arrived. she
hadn't been in the house half an hour
before she set her jaw and said to
MRS. Thompson, her widowed sister:
NOW, Ruth, while Mary is upstairs,
want to hear all about 1t. There's
some skullduggery been going on here,
and l want to get at the root of it.
It's no use to put on that innocent
deceived"
Then the widow had to fix 1t I'D. Her
daughter Mary, now 20 years old, had
been keeping company with Deacon
Bromley's son James, and the mar
rage day had once been set. Deacon
Bromley had then favored the match.
The widow had a fine farm adjoining
his, and if she took 40 acres off of
hers and he 40 off of his the young
folks would have a good start in life.
She, as We'll as he, could also contribute
considerable cash toward building the
new house and barn. Yes, 1t would be
a good match all around, and every
thing was going swimmingly when the
deacon took in a summer boarder.
He was what might be called a half
cash boarder. That is. for two weeks
he paid half the price of board and
lodging In cash and the other in infor-
nation which changed the deacon's
nature all over. The boarder had made
a study Of family trees, SO he asserted
and after scratching his head and con-
sulting the signs in the family almanac
for a fortnight, he announced that the
Bromleys were direct descendants of
Lord Bromley, of England while Lord
Bromley himself was a grand nephew
of William the ConQueror.
The deacon had always been rather
q stiff necked man toward the COM
munity, and this information added to
his pride. He did not question the
strangers information, and after
time it began to get in it's work. He
wasn't rich, but he had the blue blood
in him, and that was even better. In
four weeks he was walking as if he
had q poker down his back, and at
the end of four more he said to his
son:
James, there is nothing that hurts
family more than a mesalliance. What
hears that Bromley has married a
Thompson"
Are you talking about Mary Thomp-
son, father?" asked James.
"I am. I am seeing things a great
deal different than I did a few weeks
ago. Where did the Thompsons spring
from? Who are they? Was the first
Thompson a lord or duke or only
"COPPER""
But you know, I'm engaged to Mary
Thompson, and you know that the fam
lily is respectable. No one can say
that there has been anything against
them, from grandfather down"
"Um! Um! None of them have been
in jail as I know Of, but I ask again,
who are the Thompsons? We know
who the Brom1eys sprang from. and 1
cannot consent to any plebeian alliance.
Until I know who the first Thompson
was, I shall feel justified In opposing
this match. 1t will be no use what
ever to argue the matter with me. L
am determined to preserve the purity
of our blood as it has come down to
u.s.
James did not cease to call at the
Widows, but it was not long before
she realized that he had something on
his mind, and he was finally prevailed
11pon to state it. He held in direct OPP
position to his father, but that did not
satisfy the insulted mother or the nigh
spirited daughter. Strained relations
followed. Such was the situation when
Aunt Salina arrived. She listened to
the story with a grim look on her face.
and when it was finished she said:
"Ruth, you were never no good at
handling cases like this. and you must
leave things to me. I know all about
the Tharnpsons and the Bromleys, too,
and I've heard thing or two about
William the Conqueror since went TO
Michigan to live. You just keep out
of the fuss and let me settle 1t my
own way.
"But you won't go to the deacon and
call him an old IDIOT" protested the
widow.
generally takes hand In cases nhe
these. and I shall depend good deal
on Providence. We won't Say "ofo
Proyid ence didn't wait long before
taking a hand in. December nao
come. Instead of being married on
Christmas day. as the young coapie
had hoped for, they were as good as
estranged.
BetWeen the house and the barn
,,,os GOOSE pond of considerable
depth, and though this had peen
frozen over solid for two or tnree
far to weaken the Ice, and the hired
man had skirted the pond in going to
and fro.
On the afternoon OF the very ne1t
day after the story had been tod
Deacon Bromley came waking 10
ward a short cut across the fields,
and when he reached the pond ne
stepped boldly on the Ice. 1t began
to crack, and though direct descend
ant of Lord Bromley, ana through
him of William the Conqueror, the
deacon didn't consider it derogatory
to his dignity to make rush for the
head of barrel appearing above the
ice. He dared not go back and ne
dared not go forward, and ne snouteo
nIank out on the ice to save his blue
blood from being chilled.
'.My soul, but there's Deacon Brom-
lev standing on that barrel IN the
middle of the goose pond! ex-
cIaimad the widow as she heard the