The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-03-30


endl Well, Saturday afternoon Bran
don telephoned me and asked me to
go to the rink. / told him / was sor-
ry, but Peter had just got back from
Richmond, and it was his first long
trip, so was anxious to see him right
away. 81.
"Of course Brandon knew all about
Peter, and that he was a rare-book
buyer for Darrow's, because l had
told him. Maybe it did sound lit
tie queer to say / was so anxious to
see him; Peters naturally always OF
on business. The truth was, when
Peter got in that morning, he had
been so mad about Malvina, my STEP
mother, that he just managed to be
civil and rush out of the house. Well,
they were married, and it couldn't be
helped, so / wanted to smooth Peter
down little bit if ! could, before
dinner. But couldn't say all that
over the telephone, and Brandon got
fearfulIy mad because I wouldn't go
to the rink.
"Then Malvina passed ME In the
hall on her way to a matinee, and
said she was going to tell father that
l talked necessarily over the tele-
phone to boys, If didn't instantly
stop. 1 said, All right, will, which
answered both her and Brandon; and
the minute she'd gone, I skipped out
and met him on Sixth avenue, and
then" Nancy gave skip then and
there, clutching my arm in excited
climax-"he asked me to elope!"
AS on a faint, distant beacon OF
hope, l fixed my eyes on Ernesto's
now Just a block down the avenue,
one of a massive row of stately gram
ite-pillared houses, built ninety years
| before as homes for group of New
Workers who had been distinguished
| for combining money with brains.
| Normandy terrace, as the long row
was still called, had been constructed
to laugh at the passage of time,
though gone were all vestiges of any
terrace, and all the graceful winding
| stoops of a bygone day. Sidewalk
and floor space were no longer to be
wasted on Manhattan island and all
| the lower floors of the terrace had
been invaded by business. I endeav-
ored to listen patiently to further de-
tails of Nancy's narrative, knowing
| that relief was imminent.
Peter. 1t seemed, had Outwardly
| borne up nobly under the shock of the
news of his fathers marriage, had
handsomely congratulated both par
| ties, in fact. Then, under pretext OF
pressing business, he had bolted out
of the living room and down the hall
| toward his own room, to find Nancy
waiting for him in the hall. He had
cheered her doleful state with prom
Use to come home early and tell her
all about Richmond, and show her the
weirdest old bookplate in book be
had picked up there. He then per-
formed the exploit Of pitching his
suitcase across his bed and two ia
bles and an armchair, to relieve Ills
feelings, and fled.
Hence Nancy's desire to soothe him
before dinner. She had then confided
to Brandon Malvina's latest threat;
whereupon he, outraged, she could
see, by so much persecution, had
stopped short under the Sixth ave-
nue. elevated with the romantic sug-
gestion:
Listen! why don't you chuck it?
Let's elope!"
Alas for Peters brotherly sacrifices!
Nancy, flattered, excited,sand eager to
leave home, fell promptly in with the
proposal to depart for Atlantic City
within an hour, where, she naively
implied, she seemed to have an i'm
preston that this attractive young
man would marry her.
Mercifully at this point we passed
between the clipped bOx-trees beside
Erneste's door, and were greeted rap
turously at the door of the restaurant
by Ernesto himself.
l had known this worthy Genoese
ever since my salary could afford
him, but had yet. to hear anyone ad-
dress him as "Mr. Sansoni," though
his gray hair, dignifed bulk, and
stately official manners rendered him
mere than impressive. Like dread
naught conveying a chaser and a
cruiser he led us down the wide blue
and-white-tiled hallway.
"Not for ten days have you been
here!" cried Ernesto to me with al
most theatrical reproach, pulling out
chaixs at table just inside the door.
"You have forgotten Ernesto's!"
81 never could do that" / averred
with simple truth, 'but we've been so
busy I've just been grabbing sand
witches at the drug stores every day."
"My God! that's fiercew cried
Ernesto in fluent idiom, truly shocked.
and he recommended frantically the
days special, which neither Nancy
nor / opposed, as 1t included duck,
chops, steak, mushrooms, peas, pota-
toes, beans and spaghetti, all in
secret-formula sauce, served on
mystical but highly important blue
plate.
"Still, lots of business is good" he
admitted. 81 wish / had it,
glanced inquiringly around the
room, where the number of obviously
cOntented patrons seemed to contra
duct Ernesto's implication that he was
facing bankruptcy.
"My third-foor tenant leave two
weeks ago. l cannotta renta the fat
he explained wOefully. Everybody
say 'Thass notta niZe place to live
way downtown. l wanta live uppin
the Bronx, / lovea the subway liza
nize place." bristled Ernesto; 'nize