The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-17
THE EVENING STORY
Agatha Penryn,s query.


Aunt Penelope-Aunt Penny, for
short-waved a lean. ringed hand at
a row of ancestral portraits on the
wall. These she said, sternly, "are
the people on whom you are deter
mined to bring a public scandal.
Agatha"
1t was not the first time in my ex-
perience that Aunt Penny had
brought me before this court of the
past, that hung in the upper hall. I
had broken my engagement, one
Aunt Penny had planned and exc
outed for me. and with the wedding
day but week Off
For forty odd years Aunt Penny
had worshiped at the shrine of family
as it was pictured here. For instruc-
ton, correction or reproof, she had
always brought me to face these
shadows in their atrocious frames.
To her they reflected the glorious and
honorable past of the family of PEN
ryn. To me they seemed a quaint,
half giddy array of men and women
who. in their day and time, had be-
lieved themselves unworldly and cor
rect. Some of the women wore mon
strous hoopskirts, some of them held
up attenuated arms to display leg-o'-
mutton sleeves; others faced the world
they were all object lessons, teaching
the absurdity of some fashions that
have passed away.
Some of the men. with their great
shoe buckles, reSem Dled the pictures
of George Washington; some of them
these must have been the poet-ar-
lists of the Penryns-wore wildly long
hair, that had the appearance of be-
ing uncombed. None of the gentle-
men, in the matter of apparel, would
have passed muster in any society Of
which 1 knew, unless, perhaps, they
had chosen to foregather with the but
Ter and the coachman, or associate
with the members of a walters union.
Tav 1an mn nf
forebears were fat. placid smirking
and oatis1ed in expression. In their
eyes there was a look OF reproach for
me, with one exception. I thought
detected in the face of my great I'M
Gle, Peter Penryn, a look of sym
pathy His portrait hung lower than
the rest. at the rear of the hall-for
a reason. Tradition said that after a
long engagement, arranged for Uncle
Peter by his friends. he had been sued
for breach of promise; that he had
eagerly paid what the court thought
was sufficient balm for his act OF
treachery. and had lived and died a
bachelor, thus losing caste among the
ancient and honorable people who
looked down from the wall as 1 fol-
lowed Aunt Penny to their high trib-
unal, to explain why the engagement
| was broken-why would not be mar
ried as she and the ancestors had ex-
pected.
1t was a trying ordeal for me. I
loved Aunt Penny devotedly. and had
spent twenty years under her roof and
in her care-I was five and twenty.
The wedding trousseau was upstairs,
some of 1t in the partially packed
trunks, the bridesmaids were in readi-
ness and on tiptoe, the wedding break
fast was ordered. knew that the
breaking of my promise would give
Aunt Penny the most intense pain, as
it had done.
To save her feelings. and to keep
ed to subterfuge.
AUNT Penelope" 1 declared, cit
isn't my fault that Leon-Mr. Masters
desires to break the engagement"
"Desires? What are yo, saying yIp.
ryn, with the invitations all out, the
bishop invited to preside and with a
beautiful bride. such as you will be 2"
"He does,'' faltered. with a sud
den determination to see Leon Mas
tiers at once and make him tell Aunt
Penny 1t was his wish to be free. Why
1 had come to the decision not to mar
ry Leon-why I had sent him let
ter breaking on d the n marie ss at tine
1 felt that his being younger than L
Leon was twenty-two-all at once sep
arated US. We had played together in
childhood. we had been sweethe carts In
early youth but when the wedding day
a week of felt that was taking a
mean advantage Of a child to marry
Leon. I did not love him.
But I might have known better
than to tell this story to Aunt Penny,
born fighter that she was. Since L
could rem ember, Aunt Penny had new
er been SO happy as when she was
doing battle with some one. I loved
| her warlike spirit, but when she
changed in a minute to the soldier
she was. and declared, Agatha, this
shall be looked after immediately"
saw far consequences of my rash con-
duct She left me with her fine eyes
glowing with battle light, and 1 fed
| in the limousine that had waited for
me for an hour. to the Office of Leon
| Masters.
morning, 1 knew, IL the mails had
done their usual work. He took me to
| his inner sanctum and I hurried my
explanation:
'Leon-Mr. Masters-I've told Aunt
| Penny that you-that you are the
| one who didn't wish-she is hurt, very
| much hurt, Leon, and angry-and I
thought that perhaps you would tell
her that 1t is you who decided that
| it isn't best!''
Leon looked unutterably relieved.
''Is that all, Agatha? p he said; Il was
afraid-very much afraid-that you
! did not mean-that you might have
reconsidered your letter-that you
were not-that you wanted to go on,
| you knowi''
His blunt words. his evident salts
| faction with what 1 had done brought
the hot bushes to my face. And had
| expected to find him overwhelmed
with grief-had even pictured his eff
So I stammered. 'you really
/ dfdnsffss