Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1910 — THE FAMILY SEARCH-LIGHT. [ARTICLE]

THE FAMILY SEARCH-LIGHT.

Oae Girl Who Didn’t Appear Well Wh«_ It Was Turned Oa. “She says Jim’s fickle,” Christine remarked, with a smile which told wtyat she thought of any one who doubted her brother Jim’s steadfastness. “And what do you say?" asked the other girl. “I know better. When he first met her at the house party he was dazzled by her prettiness. Couldn’t see a thing back of it. But as Boon as she came to flsit us, a lot of characteristics that he’d never suspected glared out, and naturally be felt differently. I don’t call that being fickle.” “I suppose, as a matter of fact, you and your mother did your part to make him see her faults.” Ms you mean we criticised her —no, we didn't. The very first night she came, when she found she was to share my room, she coolly asked me to move to the hack parlor couch, beck use she couldn’t rest unless I did. Then she 'forgot to say good morning to my grandmother, and all the time she was there she never once raised .her voice so that grandma could hear what she was saying, even when you could see perfectly that grandma-tons trying to listen. And you know are all feel that grandma is a regular queen In our house.” “Of course I know. Especially Jim.” ‘Yes, that’s It Well, the seoond evening we had Bob Richards over, and the foOr of us played cards. Mother was awfully tired. She’d had a hard day, tiut she went and fixed a spread for us on the dining room table—hot chocolate with whipped cream, and cake, and Ice cream In the tall-stemmefl glasses, and everything as dainty as could be, with candles lighted, and all. Jim and I could see from where we were sitting that she.was getting It ready, and when she stepped to the door and asked us to come out, of course we laid downs** cards end started. That

waa the time Gertrude finished herself. She said: \ “ ‘Oh, please not Just yet, Mrs. Bassler! I have a peach of a hand, and I can’t wait to see what 1 can do to them with It!’ V „ ‘You ought to have seen Jim’s face when he settled back Into his chair, and pretty soon saw mother taking the chocolate back to the fire and the melting Ice cream to the refrigerator —but Gertrude never felt a thing.” “What did Jim say* about It afterward?” ’ > "We never mentioned It to him. If you think for one minute that mother and I turned Jim against Gertrude by talking about her— There, I see that’s exactly what you have been thinking. No, sir! All we did was to shed the light of our sweetest, politest, most considerate behavior on her—and let her display herself In it. Mother calls that turning the family search-light on her. She says if-Gertrude had been the girl for Jim, she would have shone out all the more lovely under the test.' And I know one thing; I may lose all my common sense when I fhll in love —most people do, I believe —hut if I don’t, I’ll never take any man for a husband who doesn’t look well under that kind of a family searchlight.”—Youth* s Companion. ~