The Jasper news., 1922-11-16

that. ina was using her eyes, she was
arch, she was coquettish, she was mir
tatlous, and hhe believed herself
to be merely matronly, sisterly, wom-
anly
She screamed. Dwight was at the
gate. Now the meeting, exclamation,
banality, guffaw :. good will.
And Lulu, peeping through the
blind.
When "tea" had been experienced
that evening, It was found that light
rain was falling and the Deacons and
their guests, the Plows, were con-
strained to remain in the parlor. The
Plows were gentle, family lustrous
folk, sketched into life rather lightly,
as II they were, say, looking in from
some other level.
"The only thing" said Dwight
Herbert, ''that reconciles me to rain Is
that I'm let off .croquet." He rolled
his RS. a favorite device of his to In
duce hdmor. He called It "croquette,"
He had never been more irrepressible.
The advent Of his brother was partly
accountable, the need to show himself
fine family man and host In a pros
porous little home-simple and pa
thetic desire.
"Tell you what we'll dol" said
Dwight. 'Nin and I'll remlnlsce lit
tle."
dol" cried Mr.. Plow. This gentle
fellow was always excited by life, so
family excited by him, and enjoyed Its
presentation In any real form.
Nlnian had unerrlngly selected a
dwarf rocker, and he was overhowing
1t and rocking.
"rake this chair, dor 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 It was she forebore, and
kept glanclng anxiously at the over
burdened little beast beneath him.
The child MonOna entered the room.
She had been driven down by Di and
Jenny Plow, who had vanished up
stairs and, through the ventllator,
might be heard In lift and fall of
giggling. 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 In best black
and ruches, and she seized upon Mo-
mona and patted her, as her own form
OF social expression; and Monona
wriggled like a puppy, as hers.
"Quiet, petite" said Ina, eyebrows
up. She caught her lower lip In her
teeth. ---..
swell, SIR" said Dwight, "you
wouldn't think It to look at us, but
mother had her hands pretty full, 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, Nin," he said.
To this Nlnian 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, Min,
what are you, anyway"
They laughed.
"That's the question" said NinIan.
They laughed.
MAYBE" Ina ventured, maybe
Hinian will tell us something about his
travels. He 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, Nlnlan launched upon
his foreign countries as he had seen
them: Population, exports, imports,
soil, irrigation, business. For the pop
ulatlons Ninian had no respect. Crops
could not touch ours. Soil mighty poor.
picklngs. And the business-say
Those fellows don't know-and. say,
the hotelsl Don't say foreign hotel to
Ninlan.
He regarded all the allen earth ~
barbarian, and he stoned 1t. he wa
equipped for absolutely no intensive
observation. His contacts were negli-
gible. Mrs. Plow was more excited by
tho naoconO, nortv thon Afnton hoa