The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-11-22

as saying that II would have beer
good thing n some Hambleton haS
embarked In trade, since In that cast
they might have been saved from de
voting themselves exclusively 10 an
Illustration OF polite poverty. She
was never forgiven. and died without
being reoonciled TO the family AZ
TO the spelling OF the name, the fam
fly claimed ancestral authority as fal
back as King Fergus the First Mrs
Van Camp, a relative by marriages.
woman considered by the best Ham
bletons as far too frank and worldly
| minded-informed the family that
King Fergus was as much a myth az
/ Dido, and innocently brought forth
printed facts 20 corroborate her state
ment One OF the ladies' Hambleton
crushed Mrs. Van Camp by stating
IN a tone OF deep personal conviction,
with her cap awry. so much the
worse for Dido!"
A salient strength persisted IN the
Hambletons-a strength which re-.
tained IT'S character In spite Of cross
currents, The Hambleton tone and
the Hambleton ideas retained their
family color, and became. whether
worthily or not. a part Of the Ham
bleton pride. More than one son had
lost his health or entire fortune
which was apt not 20 be large, in at
tempts TO carry on a country place
"a Hambleton trait" they chuckled,
with as much satisfaction as they con
sldered II good form 10 exhibit. Tn
Lynn. where family pride did not
bring in large returns, this phrase be-
came almost Synonymous with genteel
foolishness.
The Van Camp fortune, which came
near but never actually into the fam
lily, was generally understood to have
been made in shoes though in reality
It was drugs.
People say shoes the minute they
hear the word Lynn. and I'm tired Of
explaining" Mrs. Van Camp put IT,
She was third IN line from the sue
cessful druggist, and could afford, n
anybody could, to be supercilious
toward trade. But she wasn't, even
after twenty years Of somewhat rest
less submission to the Hambleton
yoke. And Il was she who, during
her last visit TO the family strong
hold, help up before the young James
the advantages OF a commercial ca
reer.
You're a nice boy. Jimsy. and
can't see you turned into a poor law
yer You're not hard-headed enough
TO be a good one. As for being a min
lister, well-no. Go into business, dear
boy, something substantial, and you'll
live to thank your stars"
Jimsy received this advice at the
time with small enthusiasm, and a res
ervation Of criticism that was a credit
to his manners, at least. But the
time came when he leaned on It.
Her own child. however Mrs Van
Camp encouraged to a profession from
the first "Aleck isn't smart enough
for business, but he may do some
thing as a student" was Mrs. Van
Camps somewhat trying explanation.
and Alcck did do something as a stu
lent. Extremely impatient with any
exhibition Of laziness, the mother de
handed a good accounting Of her sons 1
ime. Aleck and jim. who were born .
n the same year. ran more or less
side by side until the end of college. /
They struggled together in sports |
md in arguments, rushed" the same /
,irl In turn or simultaneously, and .
pent their long vacations cruising .
Up and down the Maine coast in a /
sail-boat. Once they made /
more ambitious Journey all the way
o Yarmouth and the Bay of Fundy in
good-sized fishing-smack.
But when college was done. their
'ays separated. Mrs. Van Camp, in
he prime Of her unusual faculties.
aving decorated the Hambleton
icutcheon like a gay cockade stuck
irily up into the breeze. She had
o part nor lot in the family pride,
ut understood it, perhaps, better
han the Hambletons themselves. Her
rime was that she played with it.
leck, a full-hedged biologist, went
} the Little Hebrides to work out
is fresh and salad theory concern.
lg the nerve system of the clam.
James, third son of John and Edith
-ambleton Of Lynn, had his eyes
opened in the three months
Pter Commencement by a considera-
on of the family situation. It seemed
, him that from babyhood he had
cen burningly conscious Of the pinch
g and skimping necessary to main
i'm the family pride. The two older
'others were exempt from the
,orching process, the eldest being
e family darling and the second
,nius. Neither one could nationally
expected, lust at present" to
Ike up the family accounts and make
q income square up with even a
,cently generous outgo. And there
ere the girls yet to be educated .
m had no special talent to bless
mself with, either in art or science.
. was inordinately fond of the sea,
It that did not help him in choosing
career. He had good taste in books
d some little skill in music. He
Is, indeed thrall to the human voice,
pecially to the low voice in woman.
d he was that best of all critics,
good listener His greatest riches,
we'll as his greatest charm. lay in
spirit Of inyincible youth: but he |