Newspapers / Oxford Public Ledger (Oxford, … / Sept. 27, 1913, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of Oxford Public Ledger (Oxford, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
PUBLIC LEDGER SEPT. 27TH :i913 " I 1 i .1 . i . ; AUNT MARY WAS ODD Strange Way in Which She Aid ed Her Favorite, Hot-Head-ed Nephew By FRANK FILSON. "A present from Aunt Mary!" said young Mrs. Strang as the oddly-wrapped parcel was handed to her by the nostman. "I just know that it's some thing odd. George." It must be odd, because Aunt Mary was odd. She was a queer little old spinster, with the kindest heart and the crankiest manners that ever went into a combination. But though she had quarreled with almost all her relatives and then made up with them, and alternately cut them out of her will and then put their names back into multitudinous codicils, she had always kept the warmest spot in her heart for George Strang, her hand some artist nephew. She had, indeed, supported him dur ing that period which comes to every artist, when he was struggling for fame and existence in a large city against the wishes and despite the dis gust of his own family. And now that he had married pretty Lucy Bent wick and was in comfortable, if not af fluent chcumstances, she had sent him a wedding gift. "A china vase!" exclaimed George Strang in disgust as he eyed the queer-looking object in his hand. It was. indeed, the most repulsive looking vase that he had ever seen. It was rotund and highly decorated with painted pink roses, and upon it was printed in small, black letters: "You may break, you may shatter the vse If you will, "But the scent of the roses will cling to it still." "Blank!" said George. It was not "blank," that he said, but it sounded like that, because Lucy promptly closed his mouth with her hand. "She might have sent me some thing that we could keep on our man tel," said George Strang ruefully, look ing upon the object with a shudder. "Fancy a thing like that in our liv- "A China Vase." ing room, Lucy! Why, it will spoil the entire aspect of the place. And I bet," he added, "that she sent the thing on purpose to get up a quarrel with me and then accuse me of quar reling with her. . She'll drop in on us unexpectedly and see that the thing isn't on view." "But it must be on view, George, dear," said Mary. "You know how quarrelsome the old dear is. If she does drop in and doesn't see it she'll cut you out of her will and then O, George, be a little prudent!" But George refused point-blank to have the thing in their living room. "She knows It's horrible, Lucy," he said, "and if she wants to quarrel with me let her have her way." Which was precisely what she did have. For a few days later Aunt Mary did come up to town from Bay ard's Bridge and did drop in unexpect edly, and the mantel was bare save for two antique Pompeiian vases. "Well, my dear," said the old lady, taking in the situation instantly, "I must say that I admire those orna ments upon your mantel greatly. I fear my own poor efforts to please you and George must have been singularly unsuccessful" And then she stopped. For Lucy had run into her bedroom when the old lady was announced to got the china vase; but she had not had time to place it upon the mantel and stood guiltily hiding it beneath her apron. "You may tell George," she contin ued, "that since he has seen fit to quarr?4 with me, who always supposed that he cared for me since my en deawrs to make his home happy and beautiful are so unappreciated, I shall waste no further time on him. And, incidentally, I shall bestow my money where it will be likely to promote greater service." And with these words she stalked out of the apartment, leaving Lucy in tears. She told George of the happening when he returned from his studio. "Give me that infernal vase," he shouted. "I'm t going to break it to pieces and send her the fragments by parcel post. Old tyrant! Does she tliink she is going to doom us to a life of. artistic misery?" But Lucy hid the vase from him. "You know, dear," she ssi? "Aunt Mary will take back ;&to favor again if only you give her time to for get. She is very fond of you really." "She wanted to see how far she could go," said George Strang gloom ily. "It was a test. She couldnt real ly have liked that vase. Well, let her do her worst." And Aunt Mary did her worst speed ily, for she took it into her crabbed old mind to have a sudden seizure a week later and die. But she had had time to carry her threat into effect. "To my nephew George," the will read, "I had intended to leave the bulk of my property. But inasmuch as his love for me could not survive a little trial that I made of it, I bequeath to him instead the china vase which is now in his wife's possession." Yet, after all, t seemed that Aunt Mary had had singularly little to leave. For what she did leave to her dozen nephews and nieces amounted to ex actly ninety-seven dollars and eighteen cents apiece. "George," said Lucy in tears, when they got home from the funeral, "if Aunt Mary has any knowledge of what is happening now, don't you think it would please her if we kept the vase on our mantel after all ?" "I tell you what we'll do," said George. "We'll put it on the mantel each anniversary of her death as a peace offering. The rest of the year please keep it out of my sight." "Yes, dear," said Lucy. "Suppose we keep it there just for today, to show we have no hard feeling." She brought it out of its place of concealment and deposited it beside the Pompeiian jars. George looked at it then suddenly, overcome by pas sion, he dashed It to the floor. The vase broke into a thousand pieces. "George!" exclaimed his wife wretchedly. "How could you have the heart to do that? Dear Aunt Mary! Why there's paper inside!" There was indeed, for the vase was hollow, and on the floor lay a long, thin, folded package. "Bills!" shouted George Strang, as he unfolded it. And he shook out, one after another, nine bills of the value of a thousand dollars apiece. "Look! There's a letter!" said Lucy Strang, picking up a piece of paper covered with Aunt Mary's queer, crab bed hieroglyphics. "My dear, hot-headed nephew," George read aloud. "Forgive a cranky old woman who loves you with all her heart, I know how you will hate this vase. If you are hypocrite enough to keep it, or unkind enough to give it away, you will never read this note. But if you are honest enough to fol low your impulse and shatter it you will be glad and forgive your loving old aunt." "Dear old Aunt Mary!" said George Strang. "Lucy, dear, I'm going to have the old thing glued together and keer it in memory of her." "Not not " began Lucy. "Yes, dear, upon the living room mantel." (Copyright, 1913, by W. G. Chapman.) FOR THOSE IN HIGH PLACES Immense Cost of Imperial Porphyry Put It Beyond Reach of All But the Very Rich. All students of the sculpture and architecture of the Imperial Roman age are familiar with the magnificent purple stone known as imperial por phyry, but it is probable that but few of the students know of the im mense difficulties that were encounter ed in the procuring of the stone so much esteemed in that age of luxury. Weigall, who personally visited the region whence this stone emanated, reached the conclusion that the great distances between the quarries and the places where the stone was used must have given the price a "boost," so that the porphyry was beyond all except the rulers of the earth. It appears that the quarries from which this porphyry was obtained are situated in the eastern Egyptian des ert, that region known as Gebel Duk ban, "The Hills of Smoke." The desert is about 27 miles from the Red seo, opposite the southern end of the pen insula of Sinai. The quarries extended here and there into the hillside without any re semblance of regularity. The blocks of porphyry were pried from out of the rock wherever the work could be most easily done. They were trans ported down the Nile, and, in fact to Rome, in the rough. This purple porphyry was not known to the an cient Egyptians. Some Roman pros pectors must have scoured the desert to find it. The barren coast of that re gion was harborless. Each block of porphyry must, therefore, have been carried across the desert to Kench, on the Nile, and thence shipped by river barge to the sea. Then it became necessary to transship it to the great Mediterranean galleys, and thus con veyed across the treacherous waters to the port of Rome. There is no other place in the woricT where this porphyry is to be found, and. when the quarries ceased to be worked, some time previous to the seventh century, the use of that stone had to cease also, nor has it since been procurable. Perils of the Bystander. Novel legal decisions? Oh, yes, they're still being made no end to 'em, in fact. Why, just the other day two women appeared before a Chicago Judge laying claim to a bulldog. The judge was kindhearted. He didn't want to give each woman half of the dog, having some consideration, you see, for the feelings of the dog. So he gave, the entire animal to a third woman, who was merely an innocent bystander. This instance servts to emphasize the extreme peril in which the innocent bystander always stands. Yet others will persist in pis-ing ths L B. role. n ma Wfyus i Puto ffc! I The Factory has Shipped a Solid Car Load of NISSEN WAGONS for the large tobacco farms in Porto Rico. In that heat climate where oth er wagons have failed to stand, Nissen Wagons have WON OUT And Are Rapidly Replacing : !! Other Wagons These Were the Geo. B. Nissen, BooBlft ft Wagons. Bfleou ftltaeirs IFai There are Nissen Wagons in Granville County which have stood Hard Use for 20 Years. Where Can You Beat This? Nissen Wagons Cost Mors to Buy Than Some oner Wagon, But Cost Less to Run man Any Wagon. if You Want a Good Wagon buy a Nissen. Good Stock on Hand. IHIdDraeir OraftBueirs (CemrapaoWo 1 II r HI il i I Hlili m M-Jfxmr -ii.ii nam 1 1 ii 1. 1 iiiumhii. ... ., . ., , ,. . II PERKINSON-GREEN COMPANY Our (Buyers are all Back From the Northern Markets and Our (Goods are Coming in Daily. Coat Suits and Long Coats. If yon are contemplating buying a coat suit or long coat this season let us urge you to look through pur line carefully before you buy. As we feel safe in saying it is by far stronger than it has ever been be fore during the history of our business. Silks and Woolen Dress Patterns. Remember when you buy a nice dress or suit from us you buy the only one like it, as we do not buy two patterns alike. Come early and select your patterns. They are real beauties and we know you will be pleased with them. Shoes! Shoes!! Shoes!!! Owing to the fact that we are overstocked in shoes we are offering the best assortment of Ladies, Misses and Children's Shoes ever shown in the town of Ox ford, and at a price to move. We can furnish you any style, size or last from A to EE, we also have a large and good assortment of men's and boys shoes which are as good as the best and prices right. ffl m 0 m m m m m D m w n Clothing! Clothing!! Clothing!!! You have no doubt heard a great deal about the Styleplus Clothes, $17.00, during the past year, we have them, and we are the only store in town that carries this celebrated line. They are the greatest values we have ever seen. Come in and investigate before you buy your fall suit. You can spend from $3 to $8 more in actual cash elsewhere without get ting so much real worth in style fabric and every quality that makes good clothes. Millinery! Millinery!! We are fortunate in having our same polite and accomplished force in our millinery department this season that we have had for several seasous, and we specially invite you to look at our line before you buy To the Ladies of Granville County. Knowing that you often come to town alone, we want to invite you to drive to our stores and let us take charge of your horse, we will be glad to attend to any outside business we can for you, whether you do any shopping in our line or not. it Two Big
Oxford Public Ledger (Oxford, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 27, 1913, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75