Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-07-14
BOOK 1.-THE ROOT.
CHAPTER XVIII.
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DeauIlIul nOSlSSS " hAlS No
He paused at the entrance with an
exclamation of surprise:
well, of all the wonders!
But you can't stop yeti" whispered
Nan, drawing him gently on.
Apparently on entering the banquet
hall they were stepping outdoors into
an enchanted pine forest. The walls
were completely hidden by painted
scenery representing the mountains OF
North Carolina. The room had been
transformed into forest, trees ana
shrubbery melting imperceptibly into
the scenery on the walls, and mocking
birds were singing in cages hidden
high among the boughs of the trees.
Stuart gazed at the great panorama
painting on the wall, fascinated.
why, Man," he gasped, thats a
view of the river hills at home where
YOU and I used to roam"
well, if you hadn't recognized IT, l
should never have forgiven you"
How on earth did your artists get
1t so perfectly"
II sent him there, of course. He did
II in three weeks There's something
else in that picture I thought you'd
see, too"
"Isn't II nov!" Stuart laughed, as
they reached the head of the central
table. A boy and girl sitting on
fence looking down at the river in the
valley below.
THE very spot we found that quairs
nest, you remember. You see I've be-
gun to rebuild your dream-life to-
night, Jim"
It's marvelous!" he answered slow
ly And there in the distance loom
the three ranges of our old mountains
until their dim blue peaks are lost In
the clouds. These tables seem spread
for a picnic in the woods on the hills"
Are you pleased with my fantasy""
she asked with quiet emotion.
Pleased is not the word for it" he
replied quickly. I'm overwhelmed. l
never thought you so sentimental"
Perhaps I'm not, perhaps I've only
done this to please a friend. Do you
begin to feel at home in this little spot
I've brought back by magic tonight
from our youth?"
I'm afraid I'll wake and find I'm
dreaming"
Stuart sassd -en-tAe- magniflcently
set table with increasing astonishment.
Winding in and out among the solid
silver candelabra a tiny stream OF
crystal water flowed among miniature
trees and flowers on it's banks. The
flowers were all blooming orchids OF
rarcst coloring and weirdly fantastic
shapes.
Those hideous little flowers cost a
small fortune" Nan exclaimed. I'm
ashamed to tell you how much-I don't
like them myself, I'm frank to say so
to you. But they are the rage. / pre-
fer those gorgeous bowers of American
beauty roses, the canopies to shade my
guests from the rays Of my artificial
sun shining through the trees. You
see how skilfully the artist has lighted
the place. 1t looks exactly like SUM-
set in a pine forest"
Stuart noted that the service was an
made for this occasion, silver, cut
glass and china. Each piece had
stamped or etched in 1t the coat OF
arms of his native state, Peace and
Plenty"
And you've done all this in six
weeks? It's incredible"
Money can do anything, Jim," she
cried under her breath. It's the fairy
queen of our childhood and the God of
of our ancient faith come down to
earth. You really like my banquet
hall?"
More than l can tell you."
Nan looked at him keenly.
THE world will say tomorrow morn
ing that have given this lavish enter
tainment for vulgar display. In a
sense it's true. l am trying to eclipse
in splendor anything New York has
seen. But l count the fortune 1t cost
well spent to have seen the smile on
your face when you looked at that
painting of our old hills. l would have
given five times as much at any mo-
ment the past ten years to have known
that you didn't hate me-"
You know it now"
Yes" she answered tenderly. You
have said so with your lips before, now
YOU mean it. You are your old hand
some self tonight"
Apart from the charm of Mans pres
ence Stuart found the dinner itself
stupid affair, so solemnly stupid 1t al
last became funny In all the mag
nificently dressed crowd he looked II
vain for a man or woman Of real in
tellectual distinction. He saw only
money, money, money!
There was one eXceptiOn-the titleC
degenerates from the Old World, how
ering around the richest and sillies'
women, their eyes glittering with ca
ger avarice for a chance at their mil
lions. 1t seemed a joke that any sane
American mother could conceive the
idea of selling her daughter to these
wretches in exchange for the empty
sham of a worm eaten dishOnored IT,
tie. And yet it had become so com
mon that the drain on the national re-
sources from this cause constitutes
menace to our future.
In spite of the low murmurs OF Nan:
beautifully modulated voice in his ears
he found his anger slowly rising, no
against any one in particular, bu
against the vulgar ostentation in whicf
these people moved and the vapid as
sumption of superiority with Whicf
they evidently looked out upon th'
world.
But whatever might have been lack
ing in the wit and genius of the guest:
who sat at Mans tables, there coulC
be no question about the quality of th'
dinner set before them When the Ro'
man empire was staggering to its ruiz
amid the extravagancies of its corrup
ennerors not one of them ever gave