Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 278, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 November 1916 — Unde Truefitt [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Unde Truefitt

By GEORGE MUNSON

v wwc. . . in» m i»u »»»»,it* (Copyright. 1916. by W. G. Chapman.) The scandal rang all through the Tillage. Although there was no reason why it should bo a scandal, except that nobody had ever expected such a thing of Cousin Letty. Cousin Letty was married —married at thirty-eight to heaven knew whom ! v To explain the sensation which this event created in town it is necessary to go back a little. Cousin Letty was a Bradley. The Bradleys, the Forsters, the Truefltts and the Slows had ruled the town for generations. Unde Eph Truefitt was the heaJLO± the clans. He was sixty-nine and had been a widower for fifteen years. He -had not got along well with his wife. She had died after three years of married life, and it was said that it had been a marriage of propinquity. In other words, they had met, known each other, and some unaccountable whim impelled Uncle Truefitt to ask her to marry him. As she was not of the clan, no more need be said about her. After his renewed bachelorhood. Uncle Truefitt developed a streak of eccentricity. He was strongly against matrimony, except in the case of certain people. That is to say, he tolerated the married Bradleys, Forsters, Truefltts and Slows, but it was understood that Uncle Truefitt’s widowerhood had altered the aspect of the universe. There was to be no more mar-

rying on pain of being cut out of Uncle Truefitt’s will. As Uncle Truefitt was worth a cool hundred thousand, it will be seen that the younger generation was literally up against it. Cousin Letty Bradley was a poor member of the family. She was a stenographer for Stone, the hardware merchant. The other Bradleys looked down on her, and the Slows, Forsters and Truefitts despised her utterly. All the same, it was supposed that she would come in for a share of Uncle Truefitt’s money. The old man seemed a little taken with her, perhaps be—cause she never ran to him with tittle tattle about the family. This is how the scandal arose. Dating Uncle Truefitt’s absence in town upon business Letty asked for three days’ holiday, a thing, as Matty Truefitt caustically remarked, she would never have dared to do if there had been anyone to inquire into the family’s actions. To go away for three days without obtaining Uncle Truefitt’s permission was something-un-heard of. Even James Slow, who would some day become head of the clan, never took any momentous step without consulting Uncle Truefitt. Letty came back smiling, and Cousin Anne Bradley, who boarded her, wondered. Some extraordinary transformation had taken place in Letty. When she was doing up Cousin Anne’s room, a thing which Cousin Anne graciously permitted, she was heard to be singing. Cousin Anne watched her narrowly throughout the day and L detected her making curious gestures with her fingers when she thought she was not observed. Cousin Anne had followed her surreptitiously into her bedroom and suddenly pulled her hand from behind her back. Letty was wearing a wedding ring. At first, as Cousin Anne said, she was-minded to put the girl out of .the house. But after all, if she was married her offense was pot great enough to justify her in losing her paying boarder. She taxed Letty, w’ho began to cry. “Who is the man?” she demanded. Letty wouldn’t tell. She positively refused to tell, saying that her husband had made her promise that the announcement should come from him. And Cousin Anne, persisting, found to her amazement that some wicked spirit had got into Letty. Letty actually ordered her out of the room. Cousin Anne resolved to be much less kind to Letty in future. She told the whole family the next morning, going from one house t<< another. Everybody came to reason with

Letty. Matty Truefitt tried, and Jane Slow, and Kate Forster. By reasoning they meant asking questions, but they got nothing out of Letty. “We’ll have to wait till Uncle Truefltt comes back,” said MattyJ “It’ll mean eight thousand more to split among us if Uncle Truefitt cuts her out of the will,” observed James Slow, rubbing his hands together. “James,” said his wife, “don’t be vulgar. It's the deceiving of Uncle Truefitt that Is so ungrateful,” They waited, while Letty, supremely unconscious of the blow that was about to fall, went about with, singing lips and a heart that was lifted up above the common things of life, or, rather, transfigured them. Uncle Truefitt came back nearly a week later. He was met at the station by all his relatives. He was struck at once by the singular expression of their faces. “What Is it?” he demanded gruffly. . Jane Slow, who had been deputed to break the news, answered. “I’ll tell you when you get home, Uncle Truefitt. Prepare yourself for a great shock." “What Is It? Somebody lost money?* he asked. “No. Uncle Truefitt. It Is ingratitude on the part of one you loved and trusted.” “Hum! I guess I don’t want no preparing for that!” sneered Uncle Truefitt, pursing his lips as he stepped into his carriage. When they were all assembled In the parlor Jane Slow spoke up. “Cousin Letty has taken advantaga of your absence to deceive you,” she said. “She has got married!” “Eh?” shouted Uncle. Truefitt. “Married? Without my leave?” “To a scamp, Uncle Truefitt. She is ashamed to let his name be known. That proves what sort of man he is.” “How do you know he’s a scamp?” demanded Uncle Truefitt. _ “Because she’s ashamed of. him. Uncle Truefitt, we think you ought to cast her out of your life, after her repayment of all your kindness to her.” “All think that?” asked Uncle Truefitt. James Slow bowed his head. “I think,” he said, “that the young woman who has set her face against your wishes has forfeited all right to your consideration.” "Or that of hny of us,” added Kate Forster. - - “’Phone for her,” said Uncle Truefitt. “Eh?” remarked James Slow. “I said ’’phone for her.’ We’ll thrash this thing right out now,” said Uncle Truefitt. Letty was telephoned for and duly appeared, while her accusers, in sullen pride, withdrew to the other side of the room and ostentatiously disregarded her. “Come here, James,” said Uncle Truefitt. “What have you got against Letty?” shocking disregard for your expressed wishes, uncle." “Come here, Letty," said Uncle Truefitt. “Is it true you’re married?” “It is,” said Letty brazenly. “Tell ’em who it is, Letty,” said Uncle Truefitt. "You, Alfred,” said Letty, smiling. Uncle Truefitt pointed toward the door. “Get out, all of you,” he said bluntly— And they went. And that was the second scandal in town.

Everybody Came to Reason With Letty.