Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-01-18

(lSnt tnat what we called them % that
you and l used to revile from our lofty
Andean pinnacle
TO come down to earth: Here we
are, six women and five men, includ-
ing policeman, not a servant in the
house, and no one who knows how to
do anything. They are really i'm
mensely interesting, these people:
They all know each other very well,
and it is Jimmy here, and "DaP'
there-Dallas Brown, who went to
India with me; you remember my
speaking of him-and they are good
natured, too, except at meal times.
The little hostess, Mrs. Wilson, took
over the cooking, and although lunch
con was better than breakfast, the
food still leaves much to the magma
lion.
wish you could see this Mrs. Will
son, Hal. You would change a whole
lot Of your ideas. She Is thorough
bred, sure enough, and Of course some
OF her beauty is the result of the ex-
Quisite care about which you and L
still from our Andean pinnacle-used
to rant But the fact is, she is more
than that. She has fire, and pluck, no
end. If you could have seen her this
morning, standing in front of a cold
kitchen range, determined to conquer
1t, and had seen the tilt of her chin
when l offered to take over the cook
ing-you needn't grin; can cook, and
you know it-yOu would understand
what mean. 1t was so clear that she
was paralyzed with fright at the idea
Of getting breakfast, and equally clear
that she meant to do it. BY the way,
/ have learned that her name was Nc
Nair before she married this would-be
artist, Wilson, and that she is daugh-
ter of the McNair who financed the
Callao branch!
I have not met the others so init
mately. There are two sisters named
Mercer, inclined to be noisy-they are
playing roulette in the next room
now. One is small and dark, almost
Hebraic in type, named Leila and
called Lollie. The other, larger, very
blonde and languishing, and with a
decided preference for masculine So
ciety, even saving the mark, mine!
Dallas Browns wife, good looking,
smokes cigarettes when I am not
around-they all do, except Mrs. Will
son. Then there is a maiden aunt,
who is Ill today with grippe and ex-
element, and Miss Knowles, who
came for a moment last night to see
Mrs. Wilson, was caught in the quar-
n nd q
all night in the basement, is sulking
all day in her room. Her presence
created an excitement out of all pro-
portion to the apparent cause.
From the fact that have reason to
know that my artist host and his beau
tiful wife are on bad terms, and from
the significant chances with which the
announcement of Miss Knowles pres
ence was met, the state of affairs
seems rather clear Wilson impresses
me as a spineless sort, anyhow, and
when the lady of the basement shut
herself away from the rest today and
I happened on Jimmy" as they call
him, pleading with her through the
door, very nearly kicked him down
the stairs. Oh, yes, I'll keep out,
right enough; it isn't my affair.
By the way, after quarantine and
with the policeman locked in the fur
mace room, pearl necklace and dia-
mond bracelet were stolen! Just ten
Of us to divide the suspicion! Upon
my word, Hal, it's the queerest situa-
ton l ever heard Of Which of us did
it? l make a guess that not few of
us are fools, but which is the knave?
accredited member of the household!
This is more scandal than I ever
wrote in my life. Lay it to circum-
scribed environment, and the lack
of 20 miles over the pampa before
breakfast We have all been vac
cinated, and the of1cious gentlemen
from the board Of health have taken
their grins and their formaldehyde
and gone. Ye gods, how we cough!
The Carlton order will go through
all right, 1 think. 'Phoned him this
morning If it does, Old man, I'VE will
take a month in September and ex-
plore the Mercator property.
DO you KNOW, Hal, nave Do0u
thinking lately that you and I stick
too close to the grind. Business is
right enough, but what's the use OF
spending ones best years succeeding
in everything except the things that
are worth while? I'll be thirty sooner
than I care to say, and-oh, well, you
won't understand You'll sit down
there, with the Southern Cross and
the rest of the Internal astronomical
galaxy looking down on you, and the
Indians chanting in the village, and
you will think l have grown senti-
mental. 1 have not You and J. down
there have been looking at the world
through the reverse end of the glass.
It's bully old world, Hal, and this
is Gods part of it,
Burn this letter after you read it:
I suspect it is covered with germs.
Well, happy days old man.