Middletown transcript., 1920-04-10
CHAPTER l-continued.

was sailing from france L SOI Aese0A
from Uncle Bash stating in a most
businesslike fashion that he was
about to be married to lady ne hao
met on the trip out to Japan. The
dire event was to occur at the Amer
lean embassy the following day.
From which judged that my presence
at the ceremony was neither expected
nor desired. Oddly enough. montns
afterward, 1 picked up an Englsn
paper in a French inn that contained
an announcement of the marriage IN
the usual advertisement form. The
lady was succinctly described rs Mrs.
Alice Wellington Cornford. widow OF
the late Archibald Reynolds Cornford'
Pepperharrow road, Hants. All Tor
renee knows of the subsequent pro:
ceedings is what he got in official re-
ports of Uncle Bash's death from the
consul-general at Tokyo. Whether
the widow expects to come to Amer
lea ultimately or will keep moving
through the Orient marrying husbands
and burying them Is dark mystery.
II she should turn up. the house at
Barton is hers, Of course, but with
her rowing disposition I fancy my
aunt Alice wouldn't like the place.
The Jap stuff is worth bit OF money
and IL the lady is keen for sucn
things and not mere aLventuress
she NAV take it into her head one OF
these days to come over and inspect
the loot"
81 can see the vampire" said
Searles musingly, 'landing at the
Grand Central with enough hand
luggage to fill freight-car; big,
raw-boned creature. with a horse race
and q horrible mess as to clothes.
You will be there to meet her, defer
entail, anxious to please. You Will
pilot her up to the coast Of Barton,
tin the servants heavily to keep them
from numbering her, and twiddle
YOUR thumbs in your garage as you
await her further pleasure. BY the
wov. are those ancient freaks still on
the place-those broken-down hotel
employees who were your uncle's sole
experiment in philanthropy
"Torrepce assures me they are all
very much there"
Searles yielded himself to laughter.
"An Englishwoman with lofty ideas OF
domestic service would certainly enjoy
a romp with that crew."
"Oh. they are in the same class with
me-" I explained. 'The place cant
he sold till l die, and while live
they're to be harbored-about thirty
of them-clothed and victualed."
st think there's farce in the idea
and / may try it one of these days.
he said, scribbling in his notebook
"A refuge for broken-down chamber
maids. venerable bell-hops grown gra!
in the service, and the head waiter
who amassed a fortune In tips ant
then toyed with the market once to-
often and lost his ill-gotten gains
What was the head walters nam'
who presided with such statelines
in the dining room of the Tyringham?
"rhat's Antoine, who married tn
assistant housekeeper at the Tyring
ham. He's the butler and has charg
of the place. When l get settled II
ask you up and you can study tn
bunch at leisure"
"Splendid! I'll be up In coupl
Of weeks. I'm going to Ohio tomol
row for a family reunion and loo
at the loved spots my infancy knew.
"You're lucky to have home-folk
even in Ohio" remarked enviously.
swell, there's always your distar
auntie cruising the seven seas
pursuit of husbands. Nobody wit
an amt to his credit can pretend
he alone in the world. Aunts mu!
rank Just little below mothers
the heavenly kingdom. When l WI
&. how out in Ohio there were tw
great occasions every year in n
1ife-one when I went to visit
GRAND old aunt had in the countr
the other when she visited us, arri
ing with a wagonload Of jam. jell
salt-rising bread, pound-cake, al
other unpurchasable mamma"
"Stop! or I'll call the food censor
pleaded, picking up my hat. "Sel
me your copy Of Lady Geraniur
and I'll tell you whether it's a class
or not"
"Lady Larkspur.' he correct
with shudder. "You shall have
by trusted messenger tomorrow.
I wired Antoine that would rea
Barton-on- -the-Sound the follow
day. This YES September, 1917.
AS the train rolled along