The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1919-10-24

she founded the Women's Tennyson
club: and her word upon art. letters
and the drama was accepted more as
law than as opinion. Naturally when
'Hazel Kirke" finally reached town.
after its long triumph In larger places,
many people waited to hear what
Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster thought
of 1t before they felt warranted In ex-
pressing any estimate Of the play. In
fact. some Of them waited in the lobby
, Of the theater as they came out and
formed IN inquiring group about her.
II didn't see the play" she In.
formed them.
"What! Why, we saw you. right In
the middle of the fourth row.
EYES," she said, smiling, ''but was
sitting just behind Isabel Anderson.
I couldn't look at anything except her
wavy brown hair and the wonderful
back of her neck"
The ineligible young men of the
town (they were all ineligible) were
| unable to content themselves with the
view that had SO charmed Mrs. Henry
Franklin Foster; they spent their time
struggling to keep Miss Ambers0n's
face turned toward them. She turned
it most often, observers said, toward
two: one excelling in the general
struggle by his sparkle. and the other
| by that winning II not winsOme old
trait. persistence. The sparkling gen.
tleman lied germans" with her. and
sent sOnnets to her with his b0u-
quets-sOnnets lacking neither music
nor wit. He was generous, poor, we'll
dressed. and his amazing persuasive
ness was one reason why he was al
ways in debt. No one doubted that
he would be able to persuade Isabel,
hut he unfortunately joined too merry
a party one night. and during Il moon
light serenade upon the lawn before
the Anderson mansion. was easily
identified from the windows as the
person who stepped through the bass
viOl and had to be assisted to wait
ing carriage. One of Miss Amberson's
brothers was among the serenaders.
and when the party had dispersed re-
manned prOpped against the front
door in state of helpless liveliness
the Major going down in dressing
gown and slippers to bring him in, and
scolding mildly. while imperfec,ly con-
cealing strong impulses to laughter
Miss Anderson also laughed at this
brother the next day, but for the
sutton it was different matter: she
refused to see him when he called to
apologize. You seem to care great
deal about bass viOls!" he wrote her
Il promise never to break another
She made no response TO the note. un'
less it was an answer, two weeks
later. when her engagement was an
nounced. She took the persistent one
Wilbur Minafer. no breaker of bass
viOls or of hearts. no serenader at all
i A few people. who always foresaw
everything. claimed that they were not
surprised. because though Wilbur Min
afer might not be an Apollo. as il
: were." he was "a steady young bust
ness man and good church goer,
and Isabel Anderson was "pretty sen
sible-for such snowy girl" Blu
the engagement astounded the yOuns
people. and most of their fathers ant
mothers too; and as topic it sup
planted literature ut the next meet
ing of the "Women's Tennyson club
"Wilhur Minafer!" member cried
her infection seeming to imply tina
Wlhur's crime was explained by hi
!. surname. "Wilbur Minafer! It's tn,
$ queerest thing 1 ever heard! To thinl
: Of her taking Wilbur Minafer. jus
I because man any woman would lik
I Il thousand times better was q littl
!. wild one night mt serenade!"
"No. that wasn't her reason." sal,
I wise Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster. II
D men only knew it-and it's a goo
thing they dOn't-a woman doesn'
4 really care much about whether
mans wild or not. II 1t doesn't aztec
I herself. and Isabel ANDERSON doesn'
" care thlng!"
9 Mrs. Foster!"
II mo. she doesn't. What she mind
II is his making q clown of himself !
Il her front yard! 1t made her think h
o didn't care much about her. She
l
y she thinks. and it's too late for he
e to think anything else now, becaus
a she's going to he married right ava
y the invitations will be out mel
Is week. It'll he a big Anderson styl
Is thing. raw oysters floating In SCOPE,
out blocks Of ice and band from o,
ii of town-champagne. snowy presents
u colossal present from the Majo
m Then Wilbur will take Isabel on IL
ct carefulest little wedding trip he ca
'g manage, and she'll be good wife {
II him, but they'll have the worst spOile
lot of children this town will ev,
see."
IS "How on earth do you make tn
D: out, Mrs. FOster7"
It "She couldn't love Wilbur. cou
- she?" Mrs. Foster demanded, with !
n challengers. "Well. It will all 20
her children. and she'll ruin 'em I"