The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-15
A Phase
OF Breeding
By OSCAR COX


would smell as sweet Had Mr.
Shakespeare been possessed OF my ex
perience he would not have writer
these words My mothers maiden nam
was Lilllbourne and my fathers fam
lily name Rosebury. II was decided 4
give me LAlllbourne for baptisma
name. This made me Liliibourne Rose
bury.
What possessed my parents to pref,
a family name combining that Of q
flower by one that would suggest an
other flower cannot conceive. Doubt
less, being prosy matter OF fact cou.
pie, 1t did not occur to them that they
had subjected me for life TO the mercy OF
the punster. My schoolmates called me
either Lilly or Rosie. And every one
Of them who did so grinned satisfac-
torily, supposing himself to be the orig
inator of the idea.
Now, l was born husky. There is
not nor ever has been a bit of efrem-
macy In my makeup. My frame Is
stalwart, my voice deep and resonant.
] early took to athletics. All of these
traits, being In contrast with the lily
and the rose suggested by my name,
only tended to call down upon me the
more the ridicule of the punster.
My first effort to counteract the dis
position of boys to show their wit by
the use of my name was by thrashing
every boy who thus offended. This
stopped the matter within n limited
circle, but | was constantly meeting
new boys who were not aware Of the
penalty they must pay by ironically
linking me with lilies and roses, and |
was obliged to administer punishment
to a fresh offender at least once a
week This was discouraging.
Besides, / could not thrash the girls,
and found them more prone to tres
pass upon my good nature than the
boys. The consequence was that | at
last settled down to bear the imposi-
ton without resenting 1t. 1t was sug-
gested TO me by an intimate friend that
/ change my baptismal name, but did
not like the idea of casting of what my
upon me.
A taste for arms led me to enlist In
the national guard. | was nominated
for promotion In the noncommissioned
line, but the captaia of my company
feared that the play upon my name
would deprive me Of that unapproach-
ablensss required in one who is to
command others, and | was not even
permitted to be corporal Therefore
so long as we We're state soldiers
remained a private.
But the time came when the national
guard was made part of the army of
the United States, and not long after
that my regiment was sent with others !
to the Mexican frontier for its protec-
ton and to capture General villa.
Active service put very different |
on the regiment. The colo |
mel. who had for years held his posi-
don from the fact that he was a mill
ionaire and could donate eunds to the
regiment and give dinners to the Off /
,ers, was deposed, and the lieutenant |
colonel. a born soldier, was promoted to
he command. We had no sooner ar
lived at the frontier than the first SER I
,eant of my company, being of too
Ielicate physique to stand the hard
hips of soldiers life, fell Ill, and |
vas put In his place.
While In the national guard / felt
|isgruntled at no promotion. This
move. however, gave me renewed cour-
ge and a determination to rise yet
Iigher.
Well. we had hard campaign after
Villa. and when we returned from 1t
here had been a fine shaking up ]
mong the officers. had risen from I
lilly Rose 70 be Major Rosebury. and
ot soldier or an officer dared to refer
o me, as one young miss bad done, as
TITS but a little faded flower or In l
nv other way. Nor did l have occa- !
lon to bring about this result by per- !
onal dignity. My services on a hard
ampaign had deprived my comrades J
( the privilege of treating me famil- /
lrly. {
Nevertheless socially I still continued a
, suffer, especially with my feminine | {
1t was excruciating to be o
allied Major Lilly Rose by a pretty
lr who assumed that she was the L
rst to think of a connection between $
" name and the two delicate flowers. Il
girl who thus offended, seeing look
reserve on my face, followed up her !
itticism by saying that she presumed !.
had heard that dozen times before. =
"Oh, no." l replied; mot dozen" (
"a thousand?" y
mo; not thousand-more likely ten Il
ousand." 81
Soon after my return from Mexico Ell
ct young lady with whom | was al
eatly pleased. believed that as
on as she came TO know me well a.
ough she would perpetrate some wit oi
ism on my name. But week after
eek passed, and. although we saw a y
eat deal of each other. she never Of
nded. l.
The reason for her not offending be- :,
me apparent from the fact that In N
her respects she did not offend. She
d been bred not to offend, TO think OF al
w her words TO others would affect eli
EN- and to see-though this was In hi
motive in her-whether they would VI
In or please. Those who had thrust 50
cir comments on my name upon me ca
d doubtless done it thoughtlessly.