The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-14

% new
NOVEL,
Gdo. ansl.i-
Copyright. 1926, by Upton Sinclair,
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The newspapers announced a So
cial event of the first Importance,
the engagement of Miss Alberta
Ross, only daughter of Mr.. ]. Ar
mold Ross, to Mr.. Eldon Burdick, a
scion Of one of the Oldest families
Of the city, and recently chosen
president Of the California Defense
League. A few days later came
the announcement that Mr.. Burdick
had been appointed secretary to
the American embassy at PANS;
and so the wedding vas state oc-
casion, with more flowers than were
ever seen in a church before, and
Bunny all dolled up for a grooms-
man, and Dad looking as handsome
as the ringmaster Of circus, and
Aunt Emma, who considered that
she had made this match, assuming
the mental position Of the brides
mother, with the proper uncertain
expression, half citation and half
tears. "Mrs. Emma Ross, aunt of
the bride, wore pink satin embroid-
cred in pastel colored beads and
carried pink lilies"-thus the news
papers, which set forth the impor-
lance OF the Burdick family, and
all about the Ross millions, and
never mentioned that the father Of
the bride had once been mule
driver, nor even that he had kept
a general store at Queen Center,
California!
And when the excitement was all
over and bride and groom had set
out for their post Of duty, then a
funny thing happened; Aunt EN-
ma, uphfted by her success as
matchmaker, turned her arts upon
Bunny! The occasion was the
world premier of 1.-THE Princess of
Patchouli," sort of family event.
Had not they been present at the
inception Of this sumptuous work
OF art? Had not Dad been king?
BY golly, he had, and he had told
Aunt Emma about 1t at least a
dozen times-and so, what more
natural than that he should escort
her upon. his arm, following imme-
diately behind the star of the oc-
casion and her Bunny-rabbit? And
what more natural than that Aunt
Emma should meet Wee Tracy, and
fall in love with her at first sight,
and tell her darling nephew about
her feelings?
In short, Bunny became aware
that he was being manipulated by
the proverbial tact Of woman to
Z think that Wee Tracy made a per-
feet princess ON the screen, she wal"
natural-born aristocrat in both APP
pearance and manner. It is part
of the proverbial intuitive powers OF
woman, that she will be able to say
exactly how an aristocrat will look
and act, even though she has never
been outside the state of California.
and never laid eyes upon a single
aristocrat In all her fifty years.
Bunny said, yes, Wee was all
right; she was a good-looker. With
the proverbial unresponsiveness of
the selfish male, he did not warm
up to his aunt's hints and tell about
his love affair. In fact, he was
rather shocked, because he thought
sha was too old to know about any
thing improper. So Aunt Emma
had to come right out with it,
why don't you marry her, Bunny?"
We'll, but Aunt Emma, don't
know that she'd have me-" no
Have you ever asked herr" X 3,
well, I've sort of limited around"
well, you stop limiting and ask
her plain. She's a lovely girl, and
you're getting old enough to be seri-
Gus now, and think it would make
very distinguished marriage, and
L know it would please your father
Il believe he'll propose to her him
self If you don't" Aunt Emma was
quite charmed with this naughti-.
ness, giving the younger generation
to understand that they needn't be
laying the old folks away on the
shelf quite yet!
Bunny always liked to oblige; SO
he went off and thought 1t over and
half made up his mind to talk it
over with Wee. But alas, the next
time they met they got into one of
those disputes that were making 1t
so hard for them to be happy. Wee
had Just come from Annabelle
Ames and reported that Annabelle
was in distress, because some ras-
cal journalist was writing letters
from Washington, accusing Verne
of having bought the presidency Of
the United States, denouncing the
Sunnyside lease as the greatest
steal of the century and demanding
that Verne be prosecuted for brtb-
cry. Some thoughtful friend had
cut out copy of this printed ar
ticle and marked 1t all with red
pencil and mailed it to Annabelle's
home, marked Personal" The
article was most abusive and the
mama Of tho writpr eouudad 70 u,i1iay