Show The Fiction ARTISTIC ANCESTORS Richard HV By Corner I T WISH said Aime Butterworth II wistfully I only wish there had been some one in our family who really did something something worth while something something- she smiled as she said it it I I could brag about Fred Butterworth laid aside the morning paper gulped down the thelast thelast thelast last of his coffee shoved back his chair and said What Aime overlooked his rudeness The bridge club meets here this afternoon she said and I M in u Ie d dread rea d it I 3 Minute 3 Fiction d dread r rea e a d it because because because be be- cause A Aggie g g i e eS S Spencer pen c e rand and and Gertrude Wilcox will monopolize monopolize monopolize lize the conversation with stories of their ancestors Fred scratched his chin and contemplated contemplated contemplated con con- the wistful look in his wife's e eyes s. s Suddenly he banged the table By George Id I'd almost forgotten forgotten for for- gotten Darned if I hadn't You sit here a minute sweet till I rummage rummage rummage rum rum- mage around in the attic Ill I'll give you something to brag about Later he returned with a book But what is it asked Aime i Its a book of poetry that's what it is Written by my mother and published 20 years ago Theres There's talent talent talent tal tal- tal- tal ent in my family Ill I'll have you know Aimes Aime's eyes lighted then glowed with sudden joy Fred You dear Is it really Was your mother really a poet Oh why didn't you tell me before Its It's just too exciting Fred grinned delightedly En- En route to the station he began to smile And by the time he had boarded the 8 15 the smile had developed developed developed de de- de- de I into an occasional chuckle Tom Cooke who usually sat with Fred during the short run to the city became curious Say what's eating you this morning Let a man in on it H itt t U youve you've got something that'll fetch fetcha a laugh these dull days Fred laughed outright Ill tell you Tom Its It's too good to keep But dont don't on your life lite breathe a word It would kill Aime Aimee T TOM pOM OM MADE SOLEMN promises and cocked his ear Well said Fred Ai Aime me was upset this morning because she didn't have anything to brag about at her bridge club The other members it seems have artistic ancestors I It t made Aime feel bad to think she married into such an uninteresting tam family y so O I dug Into an old trunk and Y produced produced pro pro- a book of poems that mother published published 20 years ago an and d told he her r to brag about that Tom looked puzzled What wrong with that Id I'd say a st moth mother mothr r- r law In-law poet was OK But heres here's the rub Fred grinned That book of poems is an old manuscript that belonged belonged be be- belonged longed to my grandmother After grandmother g ran d mot her died mother found the script thought the p poems o 0 e ems m s were worthy of publication added Ii a afew afew few of ot her own choice verses and submitted the retyped copy to a publisher Mr Publisher Publisher Publisher Pub Pub- lisher ate the stuff up Mother was thrilled S She h e thought she must have real talent and went down to the library to study up and read the masters While perusing a volume of Walt Whitman she discovered sc anthe tc an the very poems that her mo mott mor supposedly written r Of course mother iaia wired the publisher advis I C cease manufacturing the b mother mote ll r c chave explaining that her he her 8 have copied some of Whitman poems in order fa t them But Mr Publisher b tz ready printed about 2000 c which were ready for di disc dif isI f Mother bought up the ed eia eds destroyed destroyed all but one iU aid kept for sentimental rea f one is the book I gave A morning t I t |