The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-26

then appeared to have dropped out of
sight as completely as though old
mother Earth had opened and engulf-
ed her forever.
The Great lola indeed!
Where she got the name none of US
ever heard or knew. AS Uncle Joe
Fodder put it: Fame usually con-
sists O. long hair, nerve and more or
less idle letters of the alphabet, any
how, compressed into a reasonable
amount O. newspaper advertisin'."
And in Mibb Truman's case it did
look indeed as though Uncle Joe were
correct. For Mibb called herself The
Great lola and had a hacker and a
press agent. Her wonderful voice,
given her from birth, trained for d
few years and then exhibited
before ''the best people, did for her
all that may have been expected.
Mibb ARRIVED at last, although the
angels may have sighed at times over
the methods by which Mabel adj
vanced her career and reached her
hilltop.
When poor yonng Ferdie Ezelial
blew out his brains in an Atlantic
City MOTEL some time after, his family
gave it out that he had been a vic
tim of melancholia since boyhood.
But some of the plain-spoken folks
of our town made no bones of spread
ing it that he did it because after
backing Mibb Trumann-nee Hender-
son,--and buzzing about her as moth
buzzes about flame for a year and
a day, until she had achieved tup-
pence worth of fame in some quarters
on her talent and his money, the
woman turned him down for Quick
Rich Johnnie from the West who
subsequently went financially insol-
vent, if not mentally and morally so,
endeavoring to keep up with Mlbb's
ramifcations. Then we next heard
of her having met Dick Robinson,
the boy who had proposed to her
once IN the long ago on the way home
from singing school, and been laugh
ed at, and gone away to the city and
remained bachelor and made sever
al millions of dollars as vice-presi-
dent of some big oil company. These
things leak back to little New Eng
land town. Because of her fame,
perhaps, Dick had picked up with her
again, and Judge Farmer who spent
much of his time now in New York
declared he had met them in Del
monico's together on several occa-
sions.
But the mills Of the gods grind
slowly. One cannot sow the wind
without reaping the whirlwind.
And while Mibb Henderson was
journeying to and fro in the land and
going up and down in it singing Won
derful songs at hundreds of dollars a
night and spending on baubles what
would have kept Mary Purse and
her growing family in the necessities
: f life for year, this same Mary
Purse was back at her place in ou1
office day after day before type
case. now setting locals when the
machines were busy and we needed
extra matter, now helping with twelve
point in the Modern Bargain store
ads, assisting with the mailing OF
reading proof, earning her sixteen
dollars every week which was quick
" spent as in days Of old, for the
sustcnance of others beside herself
There were times when it did seem a.
though Mibb's philosophy had been
soundest after ALL a.
So one grand bird wore grand
plunlage and flew high and another
in softer, grayer feathers remained
close to earth and hunted food. fol
hungry little mouths, and the year:
| began to go onward faster and fas-
ter, and the Purse boys took tc
| bursting bottoms and ripping seams
more than ever and increasing Their
stature overnight after the manner o.
bows since Adam became the fathel
| of young.
Mary Purse was sitting in creak-
| ing rocker in the twilight of a rest
full Sundays afternoon when the
| muffled pummeling of an automobile
sounded out front, accompanied by
the slam of a door Automobiles
were curosities in those days, rarely
stopping before the Purse place
Mary moved across to tho window
| and peered out through the ladder
Of geraniums. IS
A high newfangled car stood out in
the road. On it's forward seat was 4
man in livery. The sinking sun glinted
on its polished surfaces and even
lighted the light lavendar interior
But Mary paid but brief attention tc
the vehicle. Awonlan was coming into
the yard and the woman was Mibb.
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