The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1911-10-21
AN AMBITIOUS MOTHER
By DONALD ALLEN
Copyright. 1911. by Associated Literary PressO

I Not a single break in the whole chain
The genealogist begged leave to doubt
If there was another family in the
state that could go back within a hun.
dred years of Harry, and he was era.
ciously permitted to do So
Two years elapsed after the discov.
cry of this fact when the proud widow
/ informed her daughter of the need to
be still more exclusive With their
| wealth and lineage the girl could be-
come a duchess Still another auto
must be purchased, and so on. and so
on.
Meanwhile, Miss Irene, even though
almost a prisoner at the school, and
having "exclusiveness" dinged into
her ears every hour in the day, had
fallen in love. The young man was
the son Of lawyer who couldn't trace
his ancestry back over 200 years, and
didn't care a copper cent if he couldn't.
Young Bennett in time came to I'M
derstand the ambitions of the mother.
If he had been the son Of a merchant,
things might have turned out different
ly, but being the son Of a lawyer he
went at 1t to prepare his case for 4
jury. When it came time to go into
court, as one might say, there was no
weak joint to be tinkered up. What
does a girl Of eighteen in love with
a young man of twenty-one care for
ancestry? What does she care for
dukes she has never met? What does
she care for the specialized old maid
who runs the boarding school? The
elopement would only add to the ro-
nance.
And there was an elopement and
marriage. When the widowed mother
was te1egraphed to she tainted away.
The duke of Hartford had left her
house that very afternoon. For the
first time since king Harry went slosh-
ing around, a Nixon girl had eloped
to bring obloquy on the name! 1t was
just awful-terriblei
The widow Nixon first resolved that
she could never forgive her daughter,
and then that the law should be ap-
pealed to to annul the marriage. Be-
fore steps were taken, however, Mr..
and Mrs. Bennett appeared before her
In her righteous anger and mortifca-
ton she ordered them out of the
house. They didn't go. The late Miss
Irene sat with a smile on her face, and
the nervy young Bennett arose and
said he had a few remarks to make
before going.
eve will first take. up the case OF
the family tree" he began. THE ge
nealogist you employed is now in pris
on Is a swindler. You are not his only
victim by hundreds. 1 have looked
into the matter myself There was no
Il,
If there had been he would have been
a bloody old pirate and marauder-"
"But-but he assured me- replied
the widow.
Certainly. He also assured the
court, but he got three years just the
same. The name of Nixon can be
traced back about $50 years, the
same as the name Of Bennett For
the first fifty years our ancestors
were leather dealers.
Yours might have been, but the
Nixons, never!"
81 have it all written out here and
certified to as authentic, and you will
fEd that while the BENEFITS sold
leather the Nixons worked it up. That
is, Joab Nixon of a hundred years
ago was a cobbler.''
"You insult me, sirI" almost moaned
the widow
Your late husbands great-grand-
father was a green grocer. but as the
Bennett of that date patronized him
we are about even on that score"
Irene, am your mother!"
yes, mamma, but Charlie wants to
tell you about the duke"
continued the young man. There is
no such duke in England. The fellow
who has been playing that line over
here is a fraud and a swindler Didn't
you see by the papers this morning
that he had at last been arrested"
Mercy, no! Why. he-he!"
HE has borrowed money of you,
of course, and you may have to go into
court as witness against him. Mrs.
Nixon. loved your daughter and pre-
vailed upon her to eIope and marry
me- Shall we say that the Nixons are
all right, the BENEFITS are all right
and that the happy couple are to re-
ceive blessing?"
Irene" replied the mother in tears
and sobs, "you-you shouldn't have
done it,"
mo, mother"
And Ch-Charlie. you shouldn't
have done it,"
No, mother"
But being you have. IL guess
guess I'm glad!"
Accounted For.
Wife Ito returning hubby)-I see
you have an extra trunk Did you buy
a lot more clothes?
Hub-Not an article; but, you see.
Won U,ora0,+ tbero IN Daol nv d,,de