The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-09-26
@ EF. VAN og WATER
w. ~. ". Service

sharply angled, eager face made
me wonder whether the vitality de-
MED her crippled legs had not flowed
upward, to invigorate the rest Of
her. She took long pull at her
glass and wiped her lips on a lacy
handkerchief.
Grove" she began, "tells me
you've been discharged"
didn't know Grove but I said:
81 have. I'm supposed to have
barred the amours of the basement
Casanova"
She gave her husky chuckle.
1t was l who barred them. Only
a remarkable man could be wrong
as often as Timothy"
She tinkled the ice in her glass,
slipped it again and then looked
straight at me.
what are you going to do?"
"When you sent for me-" I said,
81 was just going to take poke at
Higgins"
The wrinkles about her eyes deep
ened.
"You quote Kenneth Grahame ;
you want to punch Timothy. What
other recommendations have your"
I did not understand. She prompt
ed.
You've been a reporter. What
else can you do?"
I could not see where all this led,
but answered:
''I'm a fair blocking halfback and
a good fencer. I also ride, swim
and know couple of card tricks. "
college, eh?"
I wondered if this was her idea OF
amusing herself.
''B. A." told her. ''The diploma
is in Omaha. I also had Phi Beta
key but I haven't nowhere are
rules against boarding gold, you see.
can ransom my dress clothes
though, if you feel you need but
Ter. They're in the trunk my former
landlady is keeping for me. She in
sisted on it."
/ had begun to feel like labora-
tory specimen under her regard. II
bothered me. When Miss Paget
asked: would you care to work for
me?" I shook my head.
''Kind of you," told her, "but ]
think not. I've got relatives in Ne
braska if I want charity"
I think that surprised her. She
lit another cigarette.
"My boy" she said through a
smoke cloud, "I'm beginning to un-
derstand why Higgins doesn't like
you. It isn't charity. People I help
have to work for what they get. Is
| that clear?"
1t wasn't. but nodded. She went
on:
I'm working, with Mr.. Ferriter,
on genealogy of the Paget family.
! You've heard of the FACETS"
Sorry" said and hoped my de-
NAL would irk her. Instead she
grinned and for an instant it seemed
time had worn her old face so thin
that a valiant spirit shone through
the mask.
weren't you lucky" said Miss
Agatha, "to have been raised in Ne
braska? If you'll stop being suspi-
cious, I've something to tell to you"
She finished her drink. Her eyes
were bright and hooking.
''Paget, David, isn't just family
name. It's religion-a very exclu-
sive, comfortable religion. The only
reason there wasn't a Paget on the
Mayflower is that the ship had no
royal suite. There aren't any D. A.
RS or Sons of the Revolution
among the Pagets. You see, the pa
triots were rather mixed lot.
was raised in the fear of Pagetry
and I'm doing book about my fore
bears by way of reprisal. I need a
! man, preferably one who never
| heard of the Pagets, who can take
what the heliotrope Mr.. Ferriter digs
up and write it. He cantor he's
afraid to-"
"a genealogy is just catalogue, +"
I told her. you won't need writ
err"
Wrong all the way" she told me
briskly. That's just what I do
need. There's never been a genealo-
gy like this one. I'm prying the
highly polished veneer off Pagetry.
I'm going to tell the story of fam
lily that is full of towards and scoun-
drels and hypocrites and cheats and
sluggards-like your family, like all
families. I'm going to give as much
space to my ancestors frailties as
to their virtues. It'll be big book. %
Again she gave that robust chuck
lie. asked, defensively, for I felt
her sweeping me along:
Who'll dare to publish it?"
ST WILL" she said, and her teeth
bit through an invisible thread. Zone
copy for each of the Pagets. Most
of them are too far gone for the
truth to reach them, but I want my
children to know all about Pagetry
before they're much older. They
aren't really my children, though
raised them. My brother and sis
ter-in-law died when Grosvenor was
thirteen and Allegro ten.
"Grove is working in bond house
for all he's worth-which is about
half Of what he gets. Allegro is too
pretty to have brains, yet she has
them. want my book to keep them
from going Paget. Every family
should have a factual account of its
ancestors, their weaknesses and fol-
bles and misdemeanors and felonies.
The Pagets viii be the first to get it.
I don't want my youngsters to get
the family delusion that jus
Paget is all that should r
of anyone"
ITO BE "a gI