The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1923-10-19

never was anybody who could sing
"spiritusls" like Uncle Charles. Oh,
they were great concerts, we'll never
forget.
And what was Aunt Emily doing all
this timer You know as well as l do
what Aunt Emily was doing She was
rising like a rocket through every
plane of the management of Emery's
Emporium. She was passionately In
could use 1t TO serve her ambition:
and because she was passionately In.
terested In 1t. she mastered it, and
owned 1t. and put 1t in her pocket.
Everybody In that line of business in
that part Of the country soon knew
her; she was hail-fellow-well.met with
all the travelling men, who liked her
blum manners and sharp tongue.
feared her piercing eye, and respected
her capacity always TO get the better
of them.
She WAS detested but admirably
served by the staff of the store, who
were bewildered by her really inhu-
man capacity for endless exaetitude
of detail, angry at the everlasting high
tension of her demands, but placated
by the growing fame of the store and
by her instant recognition of business
ability in subordinate. Business
ability" How Aunt Emily adored
It What starved, wolflike appetite
she had for all that IL stood for. How
intensely she lived in her new life
Before long she had developed
new line, advertising (thls was before
the modern science of advertising was
dreamed of and while dare say It
would be an exaggeration TO claim
that she was the first to expand the
present principles of psychological adj
who think she came very near doing
80. Merchants from other cities came
TO see her window displays, and talked
with her about advertising, Aunt
Emily. who never did anything for
nothing, soon saw that she had a mar
ketable product there, and proceeded
to put II on the market. She organ
tied what I'm sure was the first adj
vertising agency. and ran II in odd mo.
ments Of her busy days.
She was up and of to work early,
reading the morning paper as she ate
breakfast. which Uncle Charles had
seen to. Then they saw her no more
till night, when she came home walk
ing strongly In the door, looking very
distinguished and chic In the beautl-
fully cut tailor suits of the best mate
rial that money could buy /
am speaking now, of course, OF the
times after that difficult beginning,
That period lasted, after all, only till
she could get her bearings In the new
world Very soon, she YVES earning
more money than Uncle Charles
had ever dreamed of making. BY
the time Uncle Charles was around
on clutches, there was a good
competent girl in the kitchen. This
left Uncle Charles more time and
strength to give to the children, more
leisure to perfect his own music, and
more energy TO plan the thousand in
genlous variations, on the theme of
domestic life which made their home
the most delightful one to visit in. you
can imagine
Aunt Emily fitted in It all very COM
fortably. She was always agreeably
tired by night. and relieved of her sur.
plus energy, she was astonishingly
good-nstured and easy 10 get along
with. There was plenty of money
these days, for competent help, which
Uncle Charles managed smoothly;
there was plenty of money for good
clothes. and good food. and nice china,
and pretty glassware, and fine linen,
all of which Aunt Emily enjoyed with
n hungry pleasure which WAS never
bluuted by ceaseless repetition. She
was happy for the first time In her
life, Aunt Emily was, and although
she was by this time, middle-aged and
gray-haired she was handsomer than
she had ever been In youth. She grew
and grew in acumen and business abil-
ity, aud rlpened with experience. TIL
our small city was not big enough for
her She scared Off to New York.
carrying the family with her to an ex-
pensive apartment, and from there to
Paris. where they lived for many
years. Aunt Emily being the Paris rep
resenta;iyc Of great New York de
partiuent store.
To the day of his death Uncle
Charles always kept the children close
to his heart, and directed their growth
Just as lovingly and wisely as ever.
Phoebe Is n professional pianist now.
well known all over America and Eu.
rope. For years she was usually com
panioned by her father, crutches and
all. Charlie is successful architect,
with n lovely French wife and two
babies II WAS beautiful to see Uncle
Charles with his grandchildren
Bobby would certainly have gone
straight to the dogs, If he had not had
the most inspired handling at his ia
Tiers hands He was n wild, tempera-
mental unreasonable, warm-hearted,
hot.tempered boy, who could not get
on an instant with his mother. But
tHfif 'fhIitS hfiu W MN lhl'hEh
everything, made man Of him AT last,
for he is noted field worker for the
New York Natural History museum.
This story sounds as though 1t were
petering out, doesn't It, and as though
this was about all there was to it, But
there is something else, something |
never told anyone but father. 1t was
the great shadow secret Of my child
hood, something father and | knew.
and nobody else. But now that Uncle
Charles and Aunt Emily are gone, I
can tell It.
This is what happened When I
was nine years old (abOut three years
after Uncle Charles Academy
CHANGED to stay at their house over
night. had a bad dream, out Of
which ! woke up with n start. and un.