The Neshoba Democrat., 1922-12-21

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coioring and breathing quickly. Tnw
was the first bit OF conversation OF
this sort In Lulu's life.
| After supper Ina inevitably pro-
posed crOquet, Dwight pretended to
try to escape and. with his irrepressi-
BILE mien, talked about Ina, elaborate
In his insistence on the third person
"She loves 1t. we have to humor her,
you know how 1t Is. Or no! You don't
know u But you will"-and more Of
the same sort, everybody laughing
heartily, save. Lulu, who looked un-
comfortable and wished that Dwight
| wouldn't, and Mrs. Bett, who paid no
attention to anybody that night, not
because she had not been introduced,
an omission which she had not even
noticed. but merely as another form
Of "tantrim"--a self-indulgence.
They emerged for croquet. And
there on the porch sat Jenny Plow
and Bobby, waiting for Di to keep an
old engagement, which Di pretended
to have forgotten, and to be fright
| fully annoyed to have to keep. She
met the objections of her parents with
| all the batteries Of her coQuetry, set
| for both Bobby and Cornish and, bold
in the presence of company" at last
| went laughing away. And in the mi
| mute areas of her consciousness she
said to herself that Bobby would be
more in love with her than ever be-
cause she had risked all to go with
him; and that Cornish ought to be
distinctly attracted to her because
she had not stayed. She was as primi-
tive as pollen.
Ina was vexed. She said so. pout-
| ing in a fashion which she should
have outgrown with white muslin and
| blue ribbons, and she had outgrewn
| none of these things.
"That just spoils croauet," she said.
I'm vexed. Now we can't have a
real game"
From the side door, where she must
have been lingering among the water
proofs, Lulu stepped forth.
"Tll play a game" she said.
When Cornish actually proposed to
bring some music TO the Deacons, Ina
turned toward Dwight Herbert all the
facets of her responsibility. And Ina's
sense of responsibility toward Di
was enormous, oppressive, primitive,
amounting, in fact, toward this daugh-
| ter of Dwight Herbert's late wife, to
an ability to compress the offices OF
| stepmotherhood into the functions of
the lecture platform. Ina was a foun-
tain of admonition. Her idea Of a
| daughter, step or not, was that of a
manufactured product, strictly, which
you constantly pinched and nodded.
She thought that moral preceptor
had the right to secrete precepts. Di
| got them all. But of course the crest
of Ina's responsibility was to marry
Di. This verb should be transitive
only when lovers are speaking of each
other, or the minister or magistrate
| Is speaking Of lovers. 1t should never
be transitive when predicated of par
ents or any other third party. But 1t
is. Ina was quite agitated by its
transitiveness as she took to her hus-
band her incredible responsibility.
''You know. Herbert" said Ina, ''lf
this Mr.. Cornish comes here very
much, what we may expect"
"What may we expectT demanded
Dwight Herbert, crisply.
Ina always played his games, an
swered what he expected her to an
swer, pretended to be intuitive when
she was not so, said II know" when
she didn't know at all. Dwight Her
bert, on the other hand, did not even
play her games when he knew per.
fectly what she meant. but pretended
not to understand, made her repeat,
made her explain. It was as If Ina
had to please him for, say, living
but as for that dentist, he had to
| please nobody. In the conversations
Of Dwight and Ina you saw the his
torical home forming in clots In the
| fluid wash of the community.
Hell fall In love with Dr." said
Ina.
"And what of that? Little daughter
will have many a man fall in love
| with her, should say"
Eyes. but. Dwight. what do you
think Of himf"
"What do think Of him? My
dear Ina, have other things to think
Of"
But we don't know anything about
him, Dwight--a stranger So"
"On the other hand" said Dwight
with dignity, II know q good deal
about him."
With great air Of having done the
fatherly and found out about this
stranger before bringing him into the
home, Dwight now related a number
Of stray circumstances dropped by
| Cornish in their chance talks.
'Ffe has little inheritance coming
to him shortly" Dwight wound up.
IAN Inheritance -reailyf How much.
| DwightT
snow isn't that like woman. Isn't
itf"
aT thought he was from a good