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Show B THE SMART SET IN B A SMALL TOWN B In the August American Magazine, HBpJ George Fitch, the Peoria humorist, BBB writes nn amusing piece entitled HBkt "Homeburg's Two Four-Hundredths." BBB1 It Is the first of a new scries of Homo BBB' burg's sketches. Following Is nn ex- BBJi -fi BBBji For a good many years, Mrs. Wert HflK Payley, wlfo or tho First Nntlonnl BBB Hank, was our smnrt set all by her-BBBji her-BBBji self. Thero whs never any question HBpJ of It. ,flho admitted It nnd we didn't BBB tnke the trouble to deny it. In n way, BBBj sho was regarded ns n public bono-BBW bono-BBW factor. Nobody else cared to spend BBBj, the money necessary to bo a Smart HBBJi Set, and since Mrs. Phyley was will-BBS will-BBS ing to fight nnd bo bled, so to speak, flflBY to give our town tono and Inject Tl HBflJ little excitement into our prairie lives BBBJ now and then we felt the least we BBBJ could do was to regard her as a social BBBJ BBJ The Payloys wero tho only pcoplo BBBJ In Homeburg who hhd lunch at noon BBBJ and as early as 1900 they ate It from BBBJ the bare tnblo. Sho was tho only wo- BBBJ man In Homeburg who could 'look in' BBBJ on an afternoon gabblo of any kind BBBJ for a few minutes and get away with- HBLC out Insulting tho hostess. When sho i flflLV shook hands with you you - always I BBBJ grabbed In tho wrong place, no mat- , HflLfl ter how much thought you put Into HBpB tho mntto- nnd whllo you were read- HflLfl justing your Bights and clawing for HBflK her fingers and perspiring with mortl- HHLflJ f lent Inn she whs getting ft start on HHLflJ you which kept you bnshfully humble HHLflj as long as sho was In sight. Stio BBBJ was real goods, Mrs. Payloy wns not BBBJ O'rognnt, but just naturally superior. BBBl She ran the town, and everybody wns BBBJ comfortable, nnd content about It tin- BBB til tho Singers arrived. BBb Tho Singers enmo form Cincinnati BBBJ to eash'er in tho Farmers Stato bank; BBflB Mrs. Singer was city bred and city BBB heeled and when sho mot Mrs. Wrirt BBB Phyley she didn't oven blink. Sho put BBBB out her hand a life nor'-nor-.enst of BBBBs her chatolalno watin, when Mrs. Pay- BBBE ley put out her hand somo four Inches BBB southwest by south, nnd waited calm- BBpBY ly for Mrs. Payley to correct hcrsulf. Thero was an awful moment of su- BBpBM penso, tind when it becanio ovldout BBB tho only way to get Mrs Singer's BBBBJ hand down to tho lowo - lc BBBBJ bo to excavate beuea'h h r and chango her foundations, Mrs. Payley gavo in and reached. War was declared that tulnuto and I shudder now when 1 think of tho mouths which followed. |
