The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-09-26
By
Booth Harrington

deal about bass viols!" he wrote her
II promise never to break another
She made no response TO the note, I'm,
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
A few people, who always fOresaw
everything. claimed that they were not
surprised. because though Wilbur Min
afer might not be an Apollo. as 1t
Were" he was "a steady young bust
ness man and a good church goer,
and Isabel Anderson was pretty SEN
sible-for such a snowy girl" But
the engagement astounded the young
people, and most Of their fathers and
mothers too; and as topic 1t sup
planted literature at the next meet
ing of the "Women's Tennyson club"
wilbur Minafer. a member cried.
her infection seeming to imply that
Wlbur's crime was explained by his
surname. wilbur Minafer! It's the
Queerest thing / ever heard! To think
of her taking Wilbur Minafer. just
because q man any woman would like
a thousand times better was little
wild one night at serenade!"
mo, that wasn't her reason" said
wise Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster. IF
men only knew it-and It's good
thing they don't-a woman doesn't
really care much about whether a
mans wild or not, If it doesn't affect
herself, and Isabel Anderson doesn't
care a thlng!"
Mrs. Foster!"
mo, she doesn't. What she minds
is his making a clown of himself in
her front yard 1t made her think he
didn't care much about her. She's
probably mistaken, but that's what
she thinks, and it's too late for her
to think anything else now, because
she's going to be married right away
the invitations will be out next
week. It'll be a big Amberson-style
thing. raw oysters floating in scooped
out blocks of ice and Il band from out
of town-champagne. snowy presents;
colossal present from the Major.
Then Wilbur will take Isabel on the
carefulest little wedding trip he can
manage, and she'll be good wife to
him, but they'll have the worst spoiled
lot of children this town will ever
see"
"How on earth do you make that
out, Mrs. Foster?"
"She couldn't love Wilbur. could
she?" Mrs. Foster demanded, with no
challengers. "Well. 1t will all go to
her children, and she'll ruin 'emr
The prophecies proved to be mis-
taken in a single detail merely: except
for that her foresight was accurate.
The wedding was of Ambersonian
magnificence, even to the floating oy
sterS; and the Majors colossal pres
ent was a set of architects designs
for house almost as elaborate and
impressive as the Mansion. the house
to be built In Anderson addition by
the Major.
At midnight the bride was still be-
ing toasted In champagne, though she
had departed upon her wedding jour
ney at ten. Four days later the pair
had returned to town. which prompt
ness seemed fairly to demonstrate
that Wilbur had indeed taken Isabel
upon the carefulest little trip he could
manage. According to every report
she was from the start "a good wife
to him." but here in final detail the
proved inaccurate. Wilbur
and Isabel did not have children; they
had only one.
"Only one" Mrs. Henry Franklin
Foster admitted. But I'd like to
know if he isn't spoiled enough for
whole carload,'
Again she found none to challenge
her.
AT the age Of nine George Amber
son Minafer, the Majors one grand
child. was a princely terror, dreaded
not only In Anderson addition but in
many other quarters through which
he galloped on his white pony. by
golly, 1 guess you think you own this
town. an embittered laborer COM
planned one day. as George rode the