The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-07-31
The Social
Ladder
TWAS Successfully Climbed
by a Mother and Daughter.
BY ETHEL HOLMES

4 OulSlbt HtdI b'bllll illC hliNtl FuI ~
/ gentleman whose eminently respecta.
| ble travelling suit and his clean cut fea-
lures Indicated that lie was to the
manner born. Beside him sat young
man in the costume of the country.
/ His shirt was flannel; his hat was .
sombrero.
ON the next seat back sat lady, tie
lristocratic gentleman's wife. and be-
side her girl of nineteen, their daugh,
| ter. The man in the sombrero was
/ telling them about the mountains and
/ its people and pointing out the more
| prominent peaks, TO which the travel
ers listened with great interest.
/ The sun was hot, the pace was slow,
and the two combined tended to make
the driver drowsy. When the coach
| reached an emincnce and started down
/ an incline, instead of being wide
awake TO the dangers of mountain
| travel lie was nodding He not only
failed to put on the brake, but drop
| ped the rcins. He was awakened by
! the shouts of the passengers behind
him, who saw a terrible death staring
them in the face. The horses, un-
chccMcd, started down the slope and
were soon going Mt II breaknecli pace.
The driver basely abandoned his
post and, putting his foot on the iron
step beside him, swung himself to the
ground The young man who had
hgan nniptin,, niIt ,linrts Of fntnpnGt
let himself down over the footboard
on TO the tongue gathered up the rcins,
quickly rcmUlintCd to the box, put on
the brake and managed to reduce the
pace sufficiently to enable the coach
to turn curve without going over
precipice. Then after further short
descent he brought the horses to Il
standstill. The first sensation that
came to him after it was all over was
feeling the arms Of the aristocratic
gentleman about his neck.
One day n couple of years after this
episode Mrs. Murphy and her daugh-
ter, while bowling along Ocean avenue
ut Newport, received n terrible shock.
"Oh, heavens, mother, there's Barton
htllh. l'boh lilc bili'i way, luHhs
Miss Murphy, pretending to see some
thing to which she desired to cali her
mothers attention, pointed in the OPP
posite direction from the young man,
the carriage rolled by, and the women
began to discuss the situation.
"What In the world could have
brought him here" exclaimed the
mother. '|E
Il would as coon have expected to
see n Mississippi pilot"
Bart has been Il stage driver"
"lIe'n tell everybody here all about
our unteccdents."
"Ile won't know any one to tell"
"lt seems hard to cut him after that
affair You had with him."
"rhcre have been changes since then.
At that time father was building his
little branch railroad He hadn't got
on to the main line"
"Wcll, | don't think there's much
danger, considering that he can't have
any rntrec here. Heaven knows what
time we've had even to get in on the
outer circle. How can Bart Keith with
no money get in mt air.
"llc may be prosperous. He's well
enough dressed"
"Yes, he quite looked like one of the
swclls. wonder why he's hcret'
! That night there was n grand func-
/ tion ut one Of the Cottages" and the
next morning Mary Murphy ran to her
mother VITA n newspaper In her hand
and her eyes wide open.
For lands sake, mother, listen to
this: Among those present at Mrs.
Atherton's last night was Mr., Barton
Keith"
"You don't mean IT.
"IIow In the name of conscience do
you suppose he got In there"
II can't imagine. know we couldn't
get bid"
"lIe must have pull somewhere"
"Your father had pull, but it didn't
work. He offered Peter Jones II til
on the stock of our road II he'd get
him nm invitation to the Athertons'
/ But Pete said they were of the old
New York blue blood and rich besides
These people who have both blood and
money are the hardest OF NIL to move
"Oho! Here's the explanation" and
she read II social item:
"'Mr. Barton Keith Is visiting Mr..
and Mrs Emerson Forbes"
"Oh. my goodness gracious" ex'
claimed the mother. "lIow In the
world did he ever get in with themT
There was silence between the two,
which Mary ended by saying:
Mother, we've gone and done IT,"
$50 we have"
1--WE must find way to take IA back
track"
80 we must"
"But we're entirely ignorant of the
Key TO the position"
"Whnt do you mean by thatw
1--WE don't know what reason the
/ Forbes have for taking In Bart"
"Do .ou suppose they know what
/ he's beenT
"Of course they do. Bart couldn't
Keep 1t if' he wished That's the sin.
stlnr part of 1t, The Forbes have