Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-02
An Incident of
independence Day
By EUNIcE BLAKE

girl with Scotch ancestry. How many
suitors there were for Miss Mac
Gregor's hand only Miss MacGregor
fers to any one. Certain 1t is that
there were two whose attentions were
so marked as TO be especially notice
able. These were John Kershaw, an
Englishman, who had recently come to
America, and Michael O'Connor.
Miss MacGregor, being a bit Of a CO.
~quette-what girl is not?-may have
accepted the attentions of one Of these
men as a foil for the other, but If this
were true it was impossible for any
one to tell which was the foil and
which the man foiled. There were
those who declared that the lady lis
tened to both these suitOrs for the pur-
pose of worrying them.
A crisis came in this triangular love
affair on the Fourth of July. MI. O'Con-
nor wrote Miss MacGregor a note in
viting her to accept a seal In a window
above the store where be wal employ
ed to witness the Fourth of July pa
rade. Miss MacGregor replied that she
had already made a partial engage
ment for the day. She was not sure.
She would know by the evening before
the Fourth and would advise him. She
had already received al invitation from
Mr.. Kershaw to the same effect and
had written him the same answer she
had sem O'Connor.
Now, each Of the rivals knew very
xrynIl that tho martial onuoO amnnt mon
toned referred to the other. Mr.. Ker-
shaw, on the afternoon before indie
pendence day, called on Miss Mac
Gregor for n more definite reply to his
invitation. She received him kindly,
but declared that she did not think 1t
would be appropriate for an American
girl, especially one of Scotch descent,
TO celebrate Independence day with an
Englishman. There had been a he
reditary feud between the English and
Scotch races until the rowns were
united In one king. and there had been
q long fight between the English n
Americans. Why should she, a Mae
Gregor born in America, celebrate the
Fourth of July with an Englishman?
But all that has passed and gone"
protested Kershaw, failing to detect
that the young lady was chatting him.
ITS the improperly of the thing
she persisted.
Mr.. Kershaw left her without hay-
ing secured a consent, and later Mr..
O'Connor called.
81 don't think, Mr.. O'Connor," said
Miss MacGregor, that 1t would be In
order for me to view the Fourth OF
July procession in your company" :
"Why not?" asked the young man,
astonished.
Because the day celebrates the win
ming of American independence from
Great Britain"
"But I'm Irish; not British at ALL"
ireland was a part of the mother
country that oppressed the colonies.
Besides, l had a gre%at-greatuncle who
at the battle of the Boyne. Your an
cestors were on the other side"
"Hang my ancestorsl What do l
care for a fight that occurred more
than two centuries agoY
Nevertheless, the Fourth of July is
a day that is, or should be, near to the
heart of every American. 1t would be
hurtful to my feelings to celebrate 1t
in company with one whose ancestors
were on the other side in the fight for
independence"
But we're all of the same blood
English, Scotch, Irish and Americans"
Family feuds are the most bitter"
Mr.. O'Connor was obliged to depart
with no more comfort than his rival
had received.
During the evening Miss MacGregor
called up each of the rivals by tele-
phone and told him that she would oc-
cupy a seat on the stand from which
the parade would be reviewed by the
governor and she would be happy to
see him there. She regretted that for
the reasons given 1t was not appropri-
ate that she should accept his kind In
yitation, but a bit of a chat would be
In order.
At first each of the gentlemen was so
disgruntled at this disposition of his
invitation that he vowed he would not
60 near the reviewing stand. But curl
osity got the better of both. Miss Mac
Gregor would undoubtedly have an es-
cort. Who would that escort be? Not
only curiosity, but rivalry, turned the
scale.
Independence day opened bright, and
a multitude of stars and stripes fut-
tered In the sunlight. Both of thes suit
ors took positions where they could look
upon the reviewing stand, and as soon
as they saw Miss MacGregor take her
seat they started simultaneously from
different points to go to speak to her,
reaching her at the same time. Beside
her sat a gentleman with black hair
and eyes, who. seeing the others ap-
proach to speak with Miss MacGregor,
arose and lifted his hat with extreme
politeness.
Permit me to introduce to you, gen.