The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-05-22


occupants In front OF the door with
the great black bow; with each arrival
the crowd surged forward. and names
were uttered in undertones, passing
from lip 10 lip until every one In the
street knew that Mr.. So-and-So. Mrs.
This-or-That. the What-Do-Y -You-Call-
Ems and others OF the city's most ex-
elusive but most garishly advertised
society leaders had entered the house
OF mourning. II was a great show for
the plebeian spectators. Much better
than Miss So-and-So's wedding. said
one woman who had attended the
aforesaid ceremony as n unit In tho
well-dressed mob that almost wrecked
tho carriages in the desire TO see the
terrified bride. Better than n circus,
said a man who held his little daugh-
ter above the heads OF the crowd 80
that she might see the fine lady In n
wild-beast fur. SWEETEST funeral Now
York ever had. remarked another. ex-
cepting one way back when ho was n
kid.
At the corner below stood two pa
troll wagons. also waiting
Inside the house sat tho carefully
selected guests. hushed and stiff and
gratifed. Not because they were at
tending a funeral. but because the oc.
casion served to separate them from
the chaff; they were the elect) IL
would be going too far to intimate that
they were proud Of themselves, but II
Is not stretching II very much TO say
that they counted noses with consider.
able satisfaction and were glad that
they had not been left out. The real,
high-water mark In New York society
was established at this memorable
function. Az one after the other ar
rived and was ushered into the huge
drawing-room, he or she was accorded
n congratulatory look from those al
ready assembled, n tribute returned
with equal amiability. Each one noted
who else was there, and each one said
10 himself that mt last they really had
something all TO themselves. IL was
truly n pleasure. n relief. 10 be able
TO do something without being pushed
about by people who didn't belong but
thought they did. They sat back
stinly, OF course-and III utter stiffness
confessed that there could be such n
thing as the survival OF tho nttest
Yes, there wasn't n nose there that
couldn't be counted with perfect so
renity. IL was n notable occasion.
Mrs. Wrandall, the elder had made
out the list She did not consult her
daughter-in-law In the matter. II IL
true that Sara forestalled her In way
by sending word, through Leslie. that
she would be pleased II Mrs. Wrandall
would issue invitations TO as many OF
Challis' friends as she deemed advis-
able. AS for herself. she had no wish
In the matter; she would be satisfied
with whatever arrangements the fam
lily cared TO make.
IL is not 10 be supposed, from the
foregoing, that Mrs. Wrandall, the
elder, was not stricken TO tho heart
by the lamentable death OF her idol.
He was her idol. lie was her first
born. he was her love.born. He came
TO her In the days when she loved her
husband without much thought OF re-
specting him. She was beginning TO
regard him as something more than a
lover when Leslie came, so Il was diff
ferent. When their daughter Vivian
was born, she was plainly annoyed but
wholly respectful. Mr.. Wrandall was
no longer tho lover; he was her lord
and master. The head OF the house OF
Wrandall was a person 10 be looked
up 20. 20 be respected and admired by
her for he was very great man, but
he was dear 10 her only because he
was the father OF Challis, the first.
born.
In the order OF her nature, Challis
therefore was her most dearly beloved.
Vivian the least desired and last In
her affections as well as in sequence.
Strangely enough, the three OF them
perfected a curiously significant rec
ord OF conjugal endowments. ChalliB
had always been the wild. wayward.
unrestrained one, and by far the most
loyable; Leslie, almost as good look.
ing DAL WIN btdIi'lJ uOAigfdDi'
trace OF charm that made his brother
attractive; Vivian. handsome. selfish
and as cheerless as the wind that
blows across tho icebergs in the north.
Challis had been born with a widely
enYeloping heart and an elastic con
science; Leslie with a brain and
soul and not much OF heart, az things
20; Vivian with a soul alone, which be
longed TO God, after all, and not TO
her. or course she had a heart, but II
vas only for the purpose OF pumping
blood 20 remote eItremities, and had
nothing whatever 10 do with anything
so unutterably e1traneous as love,
charity or self-aacrifce.
As for Mr. Redmond wrandaIl ne
was very proper and dlgnined gentle
man, and old for HIS ycars.
10 may be seen, or rather surmised,
that n the house OF Wrandall had not
been 20 admirably centered under It's
own vine and fg tree. It might have
become divided against itself without
much Of an effort.
Mrs. Redmond wrandall was the
vine and ng tree.
a. a.