The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-02-13
The Old Order
Changeth
I'D
By JANE OSBORN

you may be only a poor typist,"
SNUG little Aunt Caroline had told her
niece Babette, "but don't forget that
you are a lady-or are entitled to call
yourself one so long as you don't do
any things that are unworthy of real
lady"
Aunt Caroline had never done any
of those things; in fact, she had work
ed at rather trying odds for the
last ten years in the uptown fat where
she kept house for her own four
sons and daughters and her niece
Babette.
And they had all remained ladies'
she ami her daughter and the niece,
AMI the three boys had, so far as the
mother knew, remained perfect gen.
tIemen"-in spite of the three flights
up and the dingy, bare, painted walls
of the kitchen where CarOline'S work
never seemed to be done, and in spite
of the debts there had been to pay
after the husbands long illness.
On the parlor table there was a copy
of q welI-knOwn book on so-called So
cial usage, and although the chapter
on caudle parties and the advice the
writer of the book gave on "hOw to
act when meeting the English royal
family and how to write to the
archbishop of Canterbury had been of
little real use to Caroline, she found
much of it immensely helpful to her
in her task.
The fact was that Caroline had, as
she said, seen very much better days
in the years when she and her cousin,
Babette's mother-for Babette was
not a real niece-had, for one brief
season mingled in a society that never
found its way to Caroline's poor lit
tie widows fiat
Then came the marriages of Caro-
line and Babette's mother and the
death of both Babette's parents, the
death of Caroline's husband, the bring
ing up of the five children in the ways
of gentlefOlk, and then, year ago, Ba-
bette's engagement to CarOline's eldest
sOn-whO, to be sure, was only sort
of third cousin.
The cOurtship was conducted along
lines that would have been approved
by even the author of that book on
social decOrum on CarOIine's parlOr
table. The young people, reminded
that it was not well-bred to go to the
theater unchaperOned, never went to
the movies on a Saturday night with
out Caroline in tow, though poor Caro-
line sometimes endured all kinds of
torment fearing that she was him
drance to their good time And Caro-
line remembered that when Babette's
mother and she had been engaged they
had not permitted their lovers more
than the meagerest kisses, and those
on the cheek.
Arrangements are sometimes broken
they had been told, and real lady,
would never cease regretting the fact
If she had ever allowed any more pas
siOnate salute from a man who did not
become her husband. SO Caroline
had told Babette and her son and,
though they had been engaged a year,
there was but one salute a day, and
that very decOrOusly upon the cheek
When the first Christmas of their
engagement came about Caroline had
reminded her children that "well-bred
engaged people did not give personal
presents" The young man, besides
the engagement ring, should give moth
v.
own husband had given her a copy of
TennysOn's poems on the Christmas
they were engaged, and the TennysOn
now reposed beneath the book on good
form on the parlor table.
He had given her roses on all holf-
days and candies every weekend.
There was no reason, Caroline said,
why her son should not do so much
for Babette. He could afford it, for
he was now getting a generous salary.
Babette didn't often protest, but she
was practical bit of a girl, and when
she might have been making a cOllec-
ton of useful household things given
her by her husband-tO-be-as other
girls she knew did-she took small
pleasure in the little bunch of roses
that faded on her bureau after every
holiday nor in the candles that she
shared with her cousins every week
end.
From her own slender earnings she
might have bought things that would
eventually have helped feather the
nest, too, but Caroline assured her
that would not have been in good
form The great authority especially
, cautioned young women against Civ
ing anything of a personal nature to
their fiGnces.
Books, desk accessories, accessories
of spOrt-a riding crop, or something
Of that sort-were the things suggest
ed. And as Caroline's eldest son.
Stephen, had no desk save the office
one he toiled at eight hours a day,
and knew no sports save struggling
with the crowds on his daily trip to
and from that office, Babette's choice
was limited to books.
He liked the Stevenson and the Kip
ling she had given him, but how much
sooner they could have been married
If instead of those books she could
have given him something that would
do for the little f1at-chairs and ia
bles. or a rug, perhaps!
1t was three weeks before Christ
mas and Babette and Stephen had
each secretly decided to linger after
Office hours to make the Christmas pur-
chases. Unknown to each other they
were beth part of the great throng