Evening star., 1931-06-21

ana Cnen one Qay we heard some us
at the beach asking who family named Kirke
were. "Knke?" the other person said as If
wonde. ing why any one would mention such a
family as these KirEes. "Oh, you mean those
Western people!" The word Western" was
spoken in a way that seemed to imply that
was enough to say about the Kirkes, and as we
MaSseys happened to have heard that they
came from Altoona, Pa. Of course we perceived
that coming from Illinois, we must be a lot
worse Western then they were. 1t kind of
frightened us to imagine what would be said
If anybody happened to ask who the Masseys
were.
But, gradually, as we became acquainted
with the other ccttagers and found most of
them fairly cordial to US after q time, we
get to feeling more at home in the place,
with as much right to spend our Summers
there as anybody else had and, speaking for
myself, 1t wasn't very long before I quit be-
ing impressed by the importance other
families would show me when I first met
them. Instead, began to feel kind Of huf1ed
inside, and started in to figure how to get the
conversation around to where I could let It
be known incidentally that had . great
uncle with town name ed after him, and that
I'm president of the Logansville Light SS
Power Co., which supplies our whole county,
and director In all three of our banks And
when Mrs. Massey aid Enid and Clarissa
would get to raving. maybe, about what great
people a family they'd just met were it
usually mace me Cross ana 10 70 0ueu
their enthusiasm
Look here" I'd say, you seem to forget
that the Masseys were among the first set
tiers in part of Illinois, and that Packs
burgh, in our county, is named after George
H Pack, my own mothers uncle"
Likely as not, they would all three sit on
me and one Of 'em say, GOOD heavens! You
don't suppose anybody at Mary's Neck is go
ing TO pay attention to what we are in Logans-
ville do you?" Well, that would make me
croSser, because I couldn't see why we needed
to be deferential to people who didn't count
any more in their own home towns than we
did in ours, and probably net as much.
didn't why the Masseys needed to be
kotowing to anybody anywhere, for that mat
ter; and, by the time came back for our
third season at Mary's Neck, it seemed to me
our position there was just about as good and
established as any one else's; maybe little
more so.
We were pretty well acquainted with all
the cottagers by then. Mrs. Massey and had
been to dinners with most of them and we'd
had them to dinners with US; the ladies all
liked Mrs. Massey, of course, and I expect
most Of the men of my own age had picked
up a pretty fair idea Of my position in the
business world of Logansville. Furthermore
to the point, our cottage had become the center
of interest and gathering place, you might
say, for all the young people Of the Neck, be-
cause, you understand, there aren't any prettier.
Ivelier, more intelligent nicely dressed girls
anywhere than Clarissa and Enid. AS for
whatever went on among all the Neck'S young
people of the marriageable and semi-marriage-
able ages, there wasn't any doubt that they
pretty well had the say. No, couldn't see
that the Masseys needed to give ground to
anybody; it began to strike me that there
wasn't any reason in particular why we
shouldn't regard ourselves as just about the
leading family at the Neck.
A STRIKING thing that confirmed me in
this opinion was an honor that was paid
to me personally at this time-one that came
without any soliciting or even expectation on
my part and seemed to show how was re-
garded by the most select Of the Summer
population. It emanated, so to speak, from
the Neck's main sociable organization, the
Rocky Meadow Club, which is the general
family country club. It has swimming pool
and good-sized club house, kind of irregular
and oldish looking, and during our first season
it had seemed to us a pretty coldly impressive
monument Of exclusiveness; so we we're right
pleased, and maybe little surprised, the next
year when we received a notice that we had
been elected to q family membership. But, to
tell the truth, at that time was a little
timid about using the club, and when I did
put in an appearance there kept feeling as
If I'd got into somebody elses grounds and
better not stay long.
Even by the time when began to feel that
we were about the Necks leading family I'll
have to own up I was lind Of excited to have