Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-27

and his wife, Narcissa, joined the great
n trek then vending its way from East
~ to West across the map of the United
~ States They packed their two covered
wagons frugally No Injuries allowed. Bed
posts and feather mattresses, six chairs OF
Thomas own making blanket chest nlied
with homespuns, a table, few copper ana
iron vessels bags of corn and Hour, SIDES OF
ham, tools, clothing, crate OF cnickens were
slowed carefully away, and, since In those Gays
children were not classified as luxuries. three
fiaxen topped red-cheeked infants with ,Dflgnt
blue eyes chapped hands and Herculeian APP
petites were swung high to the front seatS ana
told briefly to be good boys.
NarcisSa sighed over HeppleWhte soia
which had once graced her fathers home.
But 1t was too big. and besides, the WILSON'S
did not expect to do much sitting out tnere
in the new country She sighed, TOO, over
other treasures china washing set painted
over with blum roses, steel engraving OF Linz
coin Cathedral, a silk patchwork quit, olo
and too frail now for the rigors Of the
frontier. So they were given to the Warrens
next door,
Thomas drove one wagon, NarciSsa the other
They had set out for Kansas, but the black
loan of Illinois made them pause. Surely this
was fruitful land. And time was neelng. Tney
explored the Fox River Valley and finally
decided. Here they would build their house.
plant their fields. Here into this fat earth
would they put their roots. This now was
home
THE wilson's survived. Young zeb, the fat
- test of, the three blond cherubs, died the
first Winter and was buried under q sapling
maple brittle with Winter ice. In the Spring
came the first girl Narcissa. And that Sum-
mer Thomas corn was full and lush, and
Narcissa made red calico curtains for the
log house.
Each season brought its hardships and its
triumphs. Thomas draught horses brought
forth stout offspring; Narcissa's arms and back
never failed. school was started only two
miles from the Wilson's house. circuit
rider came every three months for the neces-
sary rites of the faithful. And lean-to had
to be added to the house for the accommO-N
dalton of the older children since the advent
of Susan and Peter, born in 1841 and 1912,
respectively.
When the village of East Aurora was incor-
porEted In l845, Thomas the town
council When. in. 1853, East and West Aurora
were united under a city charter, Thomas
helped draft the charter
The pioneer had become a man of affairs
The covered wagon had pushed civilization
to another far outpost.
1t was of these ancestors that Miss Cissy
Wilson, of the year 1873, had come in
straight, unbroken line.
Thomas Wilson of Aurora had given way
to his sons and daughters Peter was killed
at Gettysburg Thomas and Nathan came
home unhurt to set themselves up in sound
building Susan married into a worthy family
NarcisSa the second remained to I'LL the role of
Spinster aunt that every proper family re-
uuired in those days.
And of them all now, after the turn OF
the quarter century were left only Thomas
Wilson the third and his children, Tommy
and Cissy. Nathah's only son was killed at
ST. Mihiel Susan's babies had all died at
birth until poor Susan herself finally died
with them. Narcissa and Nathan were gone
Tom Wilson used to look at himself and
his children and wonder what particular fate
had been so busy over the wilson's "A fine,
strong family shrunken to just himself and
his two children. Good pioneer stock reduced
TO one little trio, gclf-playing money making
man, prep school boy and a SApper.
And Tom, who revered with all his mans
heart that first stanch Thomas and Stancher
Narcissa, was saddened at what he felt was
the disloyalty of himself and his two chill
dren to those two old trail-beaters. He
Squrmed to think what old Thomas would
have thought of-weI, specially of OiSsy. For,
after all, he, Tom, had worked to make his
money, and young Tommy. gilded youth though
he was, rugged and active and keen
minded, was even good student In his own
careless fashion. But Cissy-what would old
Thomas say to her? Old Thomas had known
heroic women women who worked and saved
who bore children. who reared them who suf-
fered and endured and finally died, all in the
splendid mighty manner. What would he say
to a girl of % Who had never done days
work in her life, who dawled through life as
II it were a pleasure jaunt who had never
known a real hardship, had never faced a
real danger, never even been called upon to-
make real sacrifice. +ttie
Then Tom would aGll himself up In shame.
Cissy, for all her fVnm4ieth-century ways, was
Ps sweet and heafNr ~ an apple. She was
spelled, but he had ttTnc the spelling himself