Middletown transcript., 1920-05-01

that. am disposed to include an
who believe in fairies good. or bad!
and persons who honestly believe IN
signs, omens, and lucky stones and
all who have the receipt. o. fern-seed
and walk invisible-there's Shakes;
peare for that"
II think" said Mrs. Bashford
soberly, that I have always believed
In witches; and If I keep on believ-
ing I shall see one some day. We
shall find anything in this world that
we believe in hard enough"
She was talking very gravely, as
though witches were the commonest
topic Of conversation. but finding my
eyes turned upon her in frank wonder,
she laughed at my amazement.
'Iet us be honest with you, Mr..
Singleton" Mrs. Farnsworth explained.
'and tell you that we are just testing
you. 1t may be q breach Of hospital
ity, and you are but a stranger, but
we are curious to know whether you
are Of that small company of the
favored Of heaven who can play at
being foolish without becoming fdiotic.
Alice is sometimes very near idiocy.
You admit that, Alice!"
II not only admit 1t, but l might
even boast Of it," my aunt replied.
At the mention Of witches ! had
caught Antoine crossing himself as he
turned to the sideboard. I confess
that l myself had been startled by the
drift of the talk. Mrs. Farnsworth
and my aunt treated each other as
though they we're contemporaries. and
it was Alice and Constance between
them. AS the talk ran exhaustively
through tie lore of witches and goD-
Inns had hoped that one or the other
would drop some clue as to the previ-
GUS history Of my amazing aunt. II
was as plain as day that she ana
Mrs. Farnsworth INDUCED in whims
for the joy of it, and her zest In the
discussion of witches, carried on while
Antoine served the table, lips tightly
compressed, and with an exaggeratlon
Of his stately tread, was the more
startling from the fact that my aunts
companion was q woman Of years, a
handsome woman with high-bred alr
who did not look at all like a person
who would discuss witches as elougn
they had been made the topic OF the
day by the afternoon newspapers
And when the shape Of witch's chin
became the immediate point OF dis
cussion knew it was in Antoine's
mind that such conversation was I'M
becoming, an offense to the memory OF
Raymond Bashford. Mrs. Farms
worth's brown eyes sparkled, and the
color deepened in my aunt's cheeks as
we discoursed upon witches and the
! chins thereof. l had friend IN COL
lege who used to indulge in the same
sort Of pifling, but that my uncle's
widow and her elderly companion
should delight in such absurdities be-
wildered me. / had been addressing
nv aunt as Mrs. Bashford-it
seemed ridiculous to call her Aunt
Alice-and in the heat Of our argu-
ment as to whether witches are neces-
sarily naughty and malign beings I
had lust uttered the Mrs" when she
bent toward me and said gravely and
with no hint Of archness: Cant we
make it Alice and Bob? think that
would be lot friendlier."
experienced a curious flutter Of
the heart the first time tried it, but
after that it came very easily. She
was simply the jolliest, prettiest girl
that had ever crossed my horizon. and
to be talking to her across the table
gave me thrills compared with which
sliding out of clouds in an airplane is
only rocking-chair pastime for old
men.
We had coffee on the veranda (Alice
thought 1t would be nicer there), and
as Antoine gave me my cup he edged
close to my chair to whisper:
"That party, sir. If he should
come"
Tell the troops not to attack any
visitors" I said, loud enough for the
others to hear. "Mr. Terrence will be
here shortly, and it would be annoy
| ing to have him ushered in on shut
ter"
II know why this is the land Of the
free and the home of the brave"
laughed Alice. "One has to be brave
to live here"