Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1911-02-23
DIDN'T LIKE
HIS NAME

OF dignity that one can produce on
short notice at eighteen Ia nothing
short Of appalling
Il am sure" she said on this coca
sion, that Mr.. Campayne-smith has a
perfect right to do as he chooses!"
Then she marched out OF the room.
"'Campayne-Smith!' BAH" barked
Aunt Amelia.
When a woman has so much money
that she could run coupons through a
chopper and use them for breakfast
food she can bark If she chooses, so
Hazel's mother held her peace.
Before Aunt Amelia had arrived for
q visit Hazels family had not been In
the least upset by Thomas Campayne-
Smith. 1t was merely a pleasurable
novelty to know a young man with a
hyphenated name. Just Mr.. Smith
aroused no flutter, but when you said
"Mr. Campayne-Smith" you felt that
you really had said something. How
ever, the young man was well bred
and quite harmless-the kind that you
never think about twice. Hazel her
self never took the trouble to put on
her best gown when he was coming,
so one can readily see that there was
no reason for any one to get excited
about his visits.
But at the very start Aunt Amelia
had appeared vastly irritated at his
name.
81 hate affectation!" Aunt Amelia
had declared
But that's his name!" said Hazel,
in polite surprise.
"Fiddlesticks retorted her aunt.
mo human being ever was born with
a hyphen in his name! He just stuck
1t in to try to be fashionable! It's as
bad as a mans signing himself w.
Henry Jones' instead of William H..
Jones' l don't like It, You'll do well
to drop him, Hazel, for any man can't
amount to row of pins Juggling
around name like that"
At this, of course, Hazel instantly
was converted into a most ardent
champion of the abused and despised
Campayne-S Smith and cherished him
with great tenderness. Whenever he
appeared upon the scene or was even
mentioned a battle began.
rs Mr. Smith coming this EVENING"
Aunt Amelia would inquire.
Then her niece would raise her eye
brows inquringly. "Oh," she would
say, sweetly, after having thought,
you mean Mr. COMPREHENSIVE,
aunty? Yes, he is coming"
81 mean nothing of the sort" Aunt
Amelia would declare. 81 mean that
Smith man, just as | said"
Then Hazels mother would hastily
turn the conversation into some other
channel.
Good evening, Mr.. Smith," Aunt
Amelia would say later on.
Mr. Campayne-Smith, aunty," Hazel
would say in an undertone.
81 said Smith," Aunt Amelia would
repeat loudly and coldly, whitening the
possessor of the disputed name with a
look
AS for Campayne-Smith, he appeared
to take Aunt Amelia's attitude as a
mild sort of joke. Nobody had ever
before objected violently to his name.
II don't know what | can do about
it," he said one evening TO Hazei after
Aunt Amelia had been particularly
pointed in her disapprobation. II
might chop out the hyphen with an
ak, only it's really so harmless!"
Your name is perfectly lovely!"
Hazel declared. You leave it alone!"
She felt a protecting interest in the
name which she had been defending,
and the interest spread to its owner.
| She was surprised that she had never
discovered before what a particularly
fine young man young Campayne'
Smith was despite the fact that he
didn't make great surface showing.
Aunt Amelia stayed a month and
the night before she left Campayne'
Smith happened to call.
Good evening, Mr.. Smith," she
said.
Campayne-Smith, aunty," Hazel
prompted, mechanically.
Smith, | said" repeated Aunt
Amelia as usual. 1t appeared to in
furiate her that the young man only
smiled at her blandly.
Hazel" she told her niece when
she babe her good-by, 81 always in
tended to do something handsome fol
you when you married, but if you
marry that Smith man, who has to tie
his name together with a ribbon bow
it's quite likely that I'll do otherwise
Six months later Hazel and Cam
payne-Smith got married. 1t would
not have been human nature for then
to have done otherwise. After they
returned from their wedding trip anC
were getting settled in their new fla
letter from Aunt Amelia came t
them. 1t was addressed to "Mr. anC
Mrs Thomas C. Smith" Aunt Ameli;
said, among other things:
81 suppose if people choose to max,
a crocheted tidy out of their namt
thew cant be STONED Thomas had ,