Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-05-22
The Old Order
Changeth
o0
BY JANE OSBORN

Copyright. 1918. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)


snug little Aunt Caroline had told her
niece Babette, but don't forget that
you are a lady-or are entitled to call
yoursef n so long as you don't do
any things that are unworthy of a 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 fiat where
she kept house for her own four
sons and daughters and her niece
Babette.
And they had all remained ladies'
she and her daughter and the niece,
and the three boys had, so far as the
mother knew, remained perfect gen.
tlemen"-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
otter the husbands long illness.
On the parlor table there was a copy
of a w%ell-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 a 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 neve
found its way to Caroline's poor lit
tie widows flat.
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, a year ago, Ba-
bette's engagement to Caroline's eldest
son-who, to be sure, was only a 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 Caroline'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 vas a 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.
Engagements are sometimes broken,
they had been told, and a 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 mad been engaged a year,
there WIS but n 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 "we1l-bred
engaged people did not give personal
presents" The young man, besides
the engagement ring, should give moth.
ing but flowers, books and candy" Her
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 holi.
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, fol
he was now getting a generous salary
Babette didn't often protest, but she
WIS a practical bit Of a girl, and whe1
she might have been making a collec
ton Of useful household things give1
her by her husband-to-be-as othel
girls she knew did-she took small
pleasure in the little bunch of rose
that faded on her bureau after ever,
holiday nor in the candles that sh
shared with her cousins every week
end.
From her own slender earnings sh
might have bought things that woul,
eventually have helped feather tn
nest, too, but Caroline assured he
that would not have been in goo
form The great authority especial
cautioned young women against civ
ing anything Of a personal nature t
their fiGnces.
Books, desk accessories, accessorie
Of sport-a riding crop, OF somethin
Of that sort-were the things sugges
ed. And as Caroline's eldest sol
Stephen, had no desk save the ofic
one he toiled at eight hours a da.
and knew no sports save %strugglin
with the crowds on his daily trip I
and from that Office, Babette's choit
was limited to books.
He liked the Stevenson and the XII
ling she had given him, but how mut
sooner they could have been marie
~ instead OP those hO0ls che CON