Milford chronicle., 1925-03-13

she was more successful; these grew
into rows of talented comedians under
the magic of her scissors. Children
liked them. Roland spoke to his father
about Peg.
But in a general way the Peal1e house
was an unalterable fact to the younger
PealxeS. To them it had always been
the same. They knew nothing of its
graceful early years, before the days of
alterations when Grandfather Peake-
now a glum recluse in his tall brown
library-had changed it to conform with
Victoria s Hanoverian ideals. To them
the junky black-walnut, the rosewood
doors and built-in side-boards were
symbols of family pride, dating back
perhaps to the Neolithic Aage.
Only Sallie Peale's bedroom, on the
second floor overlooking the side gar
den, had escaped Grandfather itch for
Improvement. Little Flora Lee, born
with an instinct for Versailles had
loved this room since she could see it.
| Mornings before her mother was up
which was any morning in the week
the small girl would stand peering in,
refusing to be bullied away by Linda's
aWesome warnings. The room was
charged with fascination. 1t was oval
in shape, panelled in yellow brocade;
and from the candelabra dripped crys-
tails that looked like ladies' earrings.
The gilt chairs had fiuted legs, too
slender to support any but the hghtest
Of princesses. Upon the floor an en-
chanted carpet was spread, flowered
with roses and garlanded with laurel.
Then there was Mothers bed. HoratiO
Peake had brought it from Venice,
Flora Lee was to learn years later when
she owned that bed and slept in it. AS
small child she peeked at it and
thought Of the Sleeping Beauty. 4.
There were golden flowers, asphodels
perhaps, tWined all around the head
board. Upon the apices of its four
short posts perched gilded swans, their
wings spread, their heads drawn back
belligerently on serpentine necks. ..
Like lovely, graceful dragons they stood
all night and guarded dreams. ...
An Hesperian wanderer, this bed, in
land where Georgian mahogany
reached the splendor Of its polished
severity. A state barge out of some
IuYDGIDDE6du Cudunols ~ AoA hOuoCA
to the tall house in Inness Street; and
rather worn woman with bronze hair
and eyes that lost their wrinkles when
she slept lay all morning, every morn
ing, crumpled languidly between its
guardian swans. Sometimes she would
open those eyes like pansies caught fire
in the center, and beckOn to the little
spy in the door.
''Flora Lee, honey, come here an kiss
me good mawnin -
Mother, linda says must go in the
Park" tI,o child would complain,
throwing herself into arms more languid
than her own.
''Lindal"
"Yas'm." 1ne old negress would
step forward and assume the respect
fully critical pose Of one who, in bond
age, had enjoyed her privileges.
LINDA, have you lost your mind,
smugglin' my chiid away in the maWn-
in before I'm 50 much as awaken"
GOOD Ian, Miss Sallyw Linda
would exclaim, not in the least intimi-
dated by the great lady whom she had
babynursed, EFF Flo Lee Wuz to wait
in tn house envy mawnin' till you woke
up she'd grow like a mushyroOn, nevva
seein' daylight"
"Oh, hush, and straighten up the
room a little, will you, Linda? Saman-
tha's perfectly useless since she got
married"
"Yes'm. Marriage takes 'em that
away sometimes" Linda would philos-
ophize, STOPPING to sort out the litter
Of shoes, letters, lingerie, ribbons and
paper-covered novels which strewed the
rug like objects hurled before a high
wind.
Sally Peake, propped up in bed, her
favorite daughter across her knees,
would study the little girls eyes with
sort of wild gentleness, running a fine
tawny curl thoughtfully across her fore
finger. Then without any accountable
motive she would lean down and kiss
one Of the small feet; it was a foolish
act, as though Flora Lee were a bare
toed baby.
'They ought never to touch the
ground, except to dance" the mother
would exclaim, pride and pathos In her
voice.
"How could get to the Livin'stone
Place without feet-'less I had wings
like the swans?" Flora Lee was fascin-
ated by the golden guardians on her
mothers bedposts.
To BE CONTINUED)