Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1908-06-18
On Thin Ice.
BY JAMES NORTON.
Copyrighted, 1908. by the Associated
literary Press
By JAMES NORTON.


other for long minute, then the fol-
mer said
ave must keep it from her.
eyes"
"Jf we don't she will certainly talk
right up to the deacon and make things
worse than ever Your Aunt Saline Is
not afraid Of any living man. You
lust act as natural as you can, and
don't let her catch on TO thing
And yet five or six days later, when
the guest iu question arrived, she had
not been in the house half an hour be-
fore she set her jaw and said to Mrs.
Thompson. her widowed sister:
''Now. Ruth. while Mary is upstairs
| want to hear all about it. There's
some skulduddery been going on here,
| and ! want TO get at the root OF II.
It's no use to put on that Innocent
| look. for I'm woman that can't be
| deceived
Then the widow had to fix it up.
| Her daughter Mary now twenty years
Old had been keeping company with
| Deacon Bromley's SOD James. and the
marriage day had once been set Dea-
con Bromley had then favored the
match The widow had a fine farm
adjoining his. and if she took forty
| acres OF of hers and he forty off Of
| his the young folks would have a good
| start i'm life She as well as he could
also contribute considerable cash TO-
ward building the new house ana barn.
Yes. it would be a good match all
around. and. everything was going
swimmingly when the deacon took in
d simmer hJarder
He was what might be called half
cash hoardcr that is, for two weeks
II, paid half the price of board 1nd
lodging Ia cash and the other in infor-
nation which changed the deacon's
| nature all over The boarder had made
d study Of family trees, so he asserted,
| and after scratching his head and con-
sultiug the signs IN the family almanac
for n fortnight he announced that the
Bromleys were direct descendants Of
Lord Bro lgy OF England, while Lord
Bromley himself was a granddaughter
| 1T William the ConGaeror.
The deacon had always been rather
q stiff neclicd p,.n toward the com
lnuuity. and this Information added to
his pride He did not question the
strangers information. and after
time il began TO get in it's work He
wasn't rich, bu. he had the blue blood
m him, and that was even better. la
| four weeks ne vas walking as if lie
had a poker down his back. ana at the
end of four more be said to his son;
"James, there is nothing that hurts
a family more than misaIlance.
What is the world going to say when
it hears that Bromley has married 8
Thompson
Are YOU talking about Mary Thomp-
son, father asked James.
Il ana. am seeing things Il great deal
different from what did few weeks
ago Where did the Thoupsous spring
from? Who are they? Was the first
| Thompson a lord or duke OF only a
"COPPER"
But, you know, I'm engaged 10
Mary Thompson and you know that
the family is respectable No one can
say that there has been anything
against them from grandfather down"
I'm, nm, None of them las been in
jail that | know Of but ! ask again,
Who are the Thompsous? We know
who the Bromeys sprang from ana |
cannot consent to any plebeian alliance.
Until | know who the first Thompson
was | shall feel justified in opposing
this match II will be no use whatever
to argue the matter with me, I am de-
termined to preserve the purity of our
blood as it has come down to us"
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 up
on TO state it, lie held IN direct oppo-
Sition TO his father but that did not
satisfy the insulted mother or the high
| spirited daughter Strained relations
followed. Such was the situation when
| Aunt Saliua arrived She listened TO
| the story with a grim look ON her face.
! and when it was finished she said
ruth. you We're never any good at
handling cases like this ana you must
! leave things 70 me- know all about
the Thompsons and the Rromleys. 100,
ana I've heard q thing or two about
William the ConquerQr since | went to
! Michigan to live You lust keep out
81 the fuss and let me settle it my own
way"
But you won't 90 to the deacon and
/ call him mn old lliofg-t ,,p,t,-fo,1 tt,e