Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-31
CHAPTER Y
In Miss FIora's Album,

TT WAS the next afternoon that Mr..
Smith inquired his way to the home
of Miss Flora Blaisdell. He found II ,I 40
be a shabby little cottage on s,ue
street Miss Flora herself answered ms
knock. peerng at him anXiously WIN
her near-sighted eyes.
Mr., Smith lifted his hat:
Good afternoon. Miss Blalsdeii; ne
began with a deferential bow. am
wondering If you could tell me some
thing Of YOUR fathers family
Miss Flora, plainly pleased. but f1us-
tered. stepped back for him to enter:
"Oh, Mr. Smith. come in. come IN m
sure I'm glad to tell you anyth,ng l
know" she beamed .ushering nm INTO the
nmistakably little-used front room.
"Rut YOU really ought to go to Maggie.
T can tell you some things. but MagEies
got the Bible Mother had it. you Know W.
and it's all among ne her thnsS ntsS as H''I long ne
as Father Duff lives. He doesn't "ano
ANYTHING touched. Poor Maggie-she
tried to get 'em for us but. mercy t .on,e Sne
things I've got pictures of lot OF
them. and most of them I know quite
lot about .,,, a..
As she spoke she picked up from the
table a big red plush photograph album
| Seating herself at his side she opened
it, and began to tell him OF the pictures'
one by one.
She did. indeed know quite lot OF
most of them. Tintypes. portrayihE SUI SUI.
ly held hands and staring eyes, gnos'lE.
reproductions of daguerreotypes or
| stern-lipped men and women. in old
time stock and kerchief; photograph
of stilted family groups atter i,a, the sran- me
shots of adorable babies with blurred
thumbs and noses--never had ME-
smith seen their like before.
Politely he listened. Busily. from
time to time, he jOtted down name
or date. Then. suddenly, as she turned
a page. he gave an involuntary start
He was looking at pictured face' EVIL
IDENTIFY cut from magazine.
why, what-who- ne stani-
That? oh. that's Mr.. Fulton; the
millionaire. you know" Miss Flora, S
hands futtered over the page a little
importantly, adjusting a corner OF the me
ture. It's been everywhere. He's our
cousin, too"
"Oh, is he?'
Yes. way back somewhere. can't
tell you just how. only ! know ne is.
His mother was a Blaisdel! That's why
I've always been so interested in him,
and read everything could-in the pa
pers and magazines, you know.
"Oh. ! see" Mr.. John Smiths voice
) had become little uncertain;
YES He amt very handsome. is
he?" Miss Flora's eyes We're musingly
fixed on the picture before her-which
was well, perhaps: Mr.. Jonn Snith
J face was a study just then.
"Er-n-no, he isn't
But he's turribly rich. I s'pose.
wonder how it feels to have SO mucr
money"
There being no reply to this, Miss
Flora went on, after a moment.
= 1T must be awful nice-to buy VIVA,
J you want I mean, without frettine
!. about how much it costs. l never did
! But I'd like to-
What would you do-if you could
} If you had the money, mean?" queriec
, Mr.. Smith. almost eagerly.
,, Miss Flora laughed.
We'll, there's three things I know Ia
: do. They're silly, of course, but they're
/ what | want. It's a phonygraph. and
to see Niagara Falls, and to go into
a Noell's restaurant and order what
> want without even looking at thu
. prices after 'em. Now you're laughing
at me-
! Laughing? Not bit of 20 There
!, was a curious elation in Mr.. Smiths
i voice. What's more, I hope you'll ge
them-some time"
Miss Flora sighed. Her face looked
q suddenly pinched and old.
:. Il shant. l couldn't. you know. Why