The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-02-13
SYNOPSIS

Palmer n Boston newspaper man.
seNt TO Georgia to report social and indus
trial conditions In a series OF letters to his
paper Colonel Turpin. a southerner
thinks Palmer is a lawyer and has come
10 foreclose the Turpin plantstion's mort.
gage
Palmer ur deceives him. and the colonel.
thinking that Palmer is a kinsman. In
vites him 10 be his guest at the Pines
Palmer meets Ellen and Bud Turpin and
Is Hospitality received
you will be right over the billiard
ROOM" he said. opening a door which
led into beautifully lighted room on
the east side. standing In the center OF
which was a large, caDopied bed. III
you care for billiards." be continued.
Il will wager that Ellen can give you
ten points and beat you out. And now.
dr. we have dinner at @ o'ciock. for
Bud likes to have bis dinner when be
comes from the Geld instead of In the
middle OF the day. as he says ne feels
more like a gentleman. Until then.
DIR. ! hope you rest we'll"
! had not asked the question before.
but DOW summoned the courage to
say:
Colonel. there is one little thing I
should like to have settled. Business
= business, you know" I said. laugh.
ing. for cd not like the look Of dig
nity he suddenly assumed at the men.
don Of business. in justice to both
Of US ! ought to ask you how much
will be my board BY the week"
Had General Oglethorpe himself arts
On to confront the colonel do not
think he could have shown more sur.
prise than he did at my simple ques-
tion. He drew himself up with a dig.
nifty which was truly commanding,
and. speaking In a suppressed voice, be
asked me:
when have the Turpins adopted the
custom of taking money from their
guests, ] beg you to tell me. sirf II
you were not a kinsman of my dear
friends. the Palmers, would at once
show you the door"
] stood covered with confusion. II
humbly beg your pardon II ! have of.
Tended you. colonel. and I am greatly
mortified to have 30 deeply wounded
jon. but until this moment ! thought
you had been kind enough to receive
NE as a boarder. felt grateful enough
for that. and you should not put me
under obligat tons which ! can never re-
pay and which have no right to &C.
cept But you yourself are somewhat
to blame" added quickly. for I saw
that he was still deeply offended. "You
told me that ] might get board In one
Of the farmhouses and Immediately
offered me the hospitality Of your
roof"
The Turpins are not farmers, sir;
they are planters. and II we have TO
cook our own meals we serve them
with no less degree Of hospitality than
when a niger stood at each door at
the beck and call Of everybody in the
room"
Colonel Turpin. hope you will for
give me my stupid blunder or else let
me leave your house at once"
His face relented into q smile, and.
extending his hand. he grasped mine.
AS you say. lad. am not blameless
tn the matter But we are getting a
little sensitive down here And now
forget all about It. and. what Is more,
cont ever mention II to Ellen or to
Bud. for they would think their old
fsther had been lacking IN dignity. else
. mistake OF this kind were impos.
gibIe."
When he left me fell a prey TO re-
grets over my stupid blunder and. what
seemed worse, my apparent deception
the relationship with the
Kentucky Palmers. AS long as I
thought J was going to go TO an inn OF
ZONE kind or to pay my board I had
aot thought II worth while 10 explain
he mistake into which the colonel had
iallen. felt II to be too late now to
:onfess that In all likelihood there was
70 kinship at all or. n any. so remote
y to form no ties Of blood and GER
ainly not to earn for me any consider.
,tion on that score. Feeling like q
'ulprit. threw myself on. the bed. de-
ermined 10 leave the Pines at the nrst