The Ordway new era., 1919-09-26

] It
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
'-Hazei Kirke- finally reached town.
after its long triumph in larger places,
many people waited to hear what
Mrs Henry Franklin Foster thought
of IL before they felt warranted In ex-
| pressing any estimate of the play. In
fact. some Of them waited In the lobby
I of the theater as they came out and
/ formed an 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.
Yes" she said. smiling. but i 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 ineligibie) were
unable to content themselves with the
view that had SO charmed Mrs Henry
Franklin Foster; they spent their time
struggling to keep Miss Amberson's
face turned toward them. She turned
II 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.
tienan 'led germans" with her, and
| sent sonnets to her with his bou-
| 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,
but he unfortunately Joined too merry
party one night, and during a 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 a wait
Ing carriage. One of Miss Amberson's
brothers was among the serenaders.
and when the party had dispersed re-
mained propped against the front
door In a state of helpless lIveiIness;
the Major going down In a dressing
gown and slippers to bring him in, and
scolding mildly. while imperfectly con-
cealing strong impulses to laughter.
Miss ANDERSON also laughed at this
brother the next day. but for the
suitor II was a different matter: she
refused to see him when he called to
apologize. You seem to care a great
deal about bass viols" he wrote her.
Il promise never to break another"
She made no response 10 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.
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 busf-
ness man and a good church goer,"
and Isabel Anderson was pretty SEN
sible-for such snowy girl" But
the engagement astounded the young
people. and most of their fathers and
mothers too; and as a topic 1t sup
planted literature at the next meet
ing Of the "Women's Tennyson club"
"Wilbur Minaferl" member cried,
her infection seeming to imply that
Wlbur's crime was explained by his
surname. "Wilbur MinaferI It's the
queerest thing ever heard! To think
Of her taking Wilbur Minafer, Just
because a man any woman would like
n thousand times better was a little
Wild one night at a serenadew
mo, that wasn't her reason" said
wise Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster. "If
men only knew it-and It's n good
thing they don't-a woman doesn't
really care much about whether a
mans Wild or not. II 1t doesn't affect
herself. and Isabel ANDERSON doesn't
| care a thing!"
Mrs. Fosterr'
"No. 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
tho invitations Will be out next
week. It'll be big Amberson-style
thing. raw oysters floating In scooped-
out blocks of ice and band from out
Of town-champagne. snowy presents !;
a 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. Fosterr
"She couldn't love Wilbur. could
ahe7" Mrs. Foster demanded, with NO