Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-14

fellow was always excited by life, so
family excited by him, and enjoyed Its
presentation in any real form.
Ninian had unerrlngly selected
dwarf rocker, and he was overlooking
II and rocking
Take this chair. do" Ina begged.
"a big chair for a big man." She
spoke as if he were about the age Of
Monona.
Nlnian refused insisted on his re-
fusal. A few years more, and human
relationships would have spread san
ity even TO Ina's estate and she would
have told him why he should exchange
chairs. AS IL was she forebore. and
kept glanclng anxiously at the over
burdcned little beast beneath him.
The child Monona entered the room.
She had been driven down by hi and
Jenny Pillow. who had vanished up
stairs and. through the ventilator,
might be heard in lift and fall Of
gigglng. Monona had also been driven
from the kitchen where Lulu was, for
some reason. hurrying through the
dishes. MonOna now ran TO Mrs. Bett.
stood beside her and stared about re-
sentfully. Mrs Bett was i'm best black
and ruches, and she seized upon Mo-
mona and patted her, as her own form
OF social expression and Monona
wriggled like puppy, as hers.
Quiet, petite" said Ina. eyebrows
up. She caught her lower lip In her
teeth.
'Well, sir" said Dwight, you
wouldn't think IL 10 look at us, but
mother had her hands pre- ry fun bring
Ing us up"
Into Dwight's face came another
look. 1t was always so when he spoke
of this foSter-mother who had taken
these two boys and seen them through
the graded schools. This woman
Dwight adored. and when he spoke OF
her he became his inner self.
1--WE must run upstate and see her
while you're here, Mn" he said.
To this Ninian gave a casual assent.
lacking his brothers really tender ar.
dor.
Little" Dwight pursued, little did
she think I'd settle down into a nice.
quiet, married dentist and magistrate
in my town. And Min into-say, Mn,
what are you, anyway"
They laughed.
That's the question" said Ninlan.
They laughed.
In ssV1,o NJ m
Ninlan will tell us something about his
travels. lie is quite a traveller. you
know" she said to the Plows. "a reg
ular CULVER"
They laughed respectfully.
"How we should love 1t, Mr.. Dea-
con-" Mrs. Plow said. "You know
we've never seen very much"
Goaded on, Ninian launched upon
his foreign countries as he had seen
them: Population, exports, imports,
soil, irrigation, business. For the pop
ulations Ninlan had no respect. Crops
could not touch ours. Soil mighty poor
pickings. And the business-say
Those fellows don't know-and. say,
the hotels Don't say foreign hotel to
Ninan.
He regarded all the alien earth as
barbarian, and he stoned it. He was
observation. His contacts were negli-
gible. Mrs. Plow was more excited by
the Deacons' party than Ninian had
been wrought upon by all his voyag-
ing.
Tell you" said Dwight "When we
ran away that time and went TO the
state fair. little did we think" He
told about running away to the state
fair. IL thought" he wound up. ir-
relevantly, "Ina and l might get over
TO the other side this year, but guess
not. l guess not"
The words give no conception of
their effect, spoken thus. For there In
Warbeton these words are not com
monplace. In Warbleton, Europe is
never so casually spoken Of Take a
trip abroad" is the phrase, or go Ia
Europe" at the very least, and both
with empressement. Dwight had some
where noted and deliberately picked
UP InuI OlntT sue tlltCls anu llls
Ina knew this. and was proud Her
covert glance about penslvely covered
her soft triumph.
Mrs Bett, her arm still circling the
child Monona, now made her first OBJ
servatiOn.
"Pity not to have went while the
going was good" she said, and said
no more.
Nobody knew quite what she meant
and everybody hoped for the best. But
Ina frowned Mamma did these things
occasionally when there was company
and she dared. She never saucet
Dwight In private. And II wasn't fair
Il wasn't fair
Abruptly Ninlan rose and left the
room.
The dishes were washed. Lulu had
washed them at breakneck spced-sh,
could not, or would not. have told why
But no sooner were they finished and
set away than Lulu had been attacked
by an unconquerable inhibition. Ant
instead OF going to the parlor, she sat
down by the kitchen window. She was
I'm her chally gown. with her cameo
min ond her firing of coral