Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
v-Continued.

-
Beasley had just opened the front
door. returning at noon from his Of
flee, when Hamilton Swift, juniors,
voice came piping from the library,
where he was reclining In his wagon
Oy the window.
Cousin David Beas!ey! Cousin Da-
Vid, come a-running!" he cried. "Come
a-runnlng! The Hunchbergs are here y
OF course Cousin David Beasley
came a-running, and was Immediately
introduced to the whole Hunchberg
family, ceremony which old Bob,
VINO was with the boy, had previously
undergone with courtly grace.
'"They like Bob explained Hamil-
ton. Don't you Mr.. Hunchberg? Yes,
he says they do extremely" (He used
such words as Extremely" often; in
deed, as Dowden said, he talked "like
a child in book" which was due,
dare say, to his English mother.) "And
Tn sure" the boy went on, that all
the family will admire Cousin David.
Yes, Mr.. Hunchberg says, he thinks
they will"
z nd then Gas Bob told me) he went
Gllnost out of his head with joy when
Bcasley offered Mr.. Hunchberg cigar
and struck match for him to light it,
.'But whar" exclaimed the old
tlarky, 'whar in de name O. de good
Gawd do de chile get dem names? Hit
lax to skeer me ~
That was a subject often debated
between Dowden and me: there was
nothing in Wainwright that could have
suggested them, and it did not seem
probable he could have remembered
them from over the water. In my opin-
ion they We're the inventions of that
busy and lonely little brain.
i met the Hunchberg family, myself,
the day after their arrival, and Beas-
ley, 10y that time had become SO well
acquainted with them that he could
remember all their names, and helped
I'm the introduction. There was Mr..
Hunchberg-evidently the childs ia
vorite, for he was described as the
p0ssessor of every engaging virtue
and there was that lively matron, Mrs.
Hunchberg; there We're the Hunchberg
young gentlemen, Tom, Noble and
Grandee; and the young ladies' Miss
Queen, Miss Marble and Miss Molanna
all exceedingly gay and pretty.
There WAS also Colonel Hunchberg, an
nrcle: finally there was Aunt Cooley
Hmchberg. somewhat decrepit but
"ery umiabe old lady. Mr.. COrley
Linbridge happened to be calling at,
the same time; and, as it appeared to
be Beasley's duty to keep the conver
+Sation going and constantly to include
all of the party in its general flow, 1t
struck me that he had truly Gas Dow
den said) enough to keep him busy"
The IIunchbergs had lately moved
40 Wainwright from Constantinople, ]
learned they had decided not to live
In town, however, having purchased
fine farm ont in the country, and, on
account of the distance, We're able to
call at BeaSley's only about eight
times a day, and seldom more than
twice in the evening. Whenever n
mystic telephone announced that they
We're on the way, the child would have
himself wheeled to window; and
when they came in sight he would cry
out in wild delight, while Beasley has
tened to open the front door and ad-
NIT them.
They were so real to the child, and
Beasley treated them with such con
sistent seriousness, that between the
two of them I sometimes began to feel
that there actually We're such people,
and to have moments of half-surprise
fhht couldn't see them; particularly
II each 1f the Hunchbergs developed
~ character entirely his own to the
hist popularity, such as the aged
AUNT Cooley Hunchberg's deafness, on
(which account Bcasley never forgot to
<aise his voice when he addressed her.
Indeed, the details Of actuality in all
this appeared to bring as great de
light to the man as to the child Ger
fainly he built them up with infinite
care. On one occasion when Mr..
Hunchberg and happened to be call
ing, Hamilton remarked with surprise
that Simpledoria had come into the
room without licking his hand as he
usually did, and had crept under the
fable Mr.. Hunchherg volunteered the
Information Ohrough Beasley) that
upon his approach to the house he Had
seen Simpledoria chasing a cat. 1t
was then debated whether chastlse-
ment was in order, but finally decided
that Simpledoria's suireptitious man
ner of entrance and his hiding under
the table were sufficient indication
that he well understood his baseness,
and would never let it happen again.
And so, Beasley having coaxed him
out from under the table, the offender
-sat up" begged, and was forgiven.
could almost feel the splendid shaggy
head under my hand when, in turn,
patted Simpledoria to show that the
reconciliation was unanimous.
vi.
Autumn trailed the last leaves be-
hind her flying brown robes one night ;
we woke to skurry of snow next
morning; and 1t was winter. l,own
town, along the sidewalks, the mer-
chants set lines of poles. covered
them with evergreen, and ran stream
ers of green overhead TO encourage the
festal shopping. Salvation Army San
tn Clauses stamped their feet and rang
bells on the corners, and pink-faced
children fixed their noses immovably
80 display-windows. For them the