This tribute of Milt to his grandsire was loyal but inaccurate. Judge
Daggett, who wasn't a judge at all, but a J. P., had seen General Grant
only once, and at the time the judge had been in company with all the
other privates in the Fourteenth Maine.
"Dad was a pioneer. He was a doctor. He had to give up all this
easy-going stuff in order to help open up the West to civilization, but
I guess it was worth it. He used to do the hardest kind of operations,
on kitchen tables, with his driver giving the chloroform. I'm mighty
proud of him. As you say, it's kind of what you might call inspiring to
belong to the old Pilgrim aristocracy."
Never before had Milt claimed relation to a group regarding which his
only knowledge was the information derived from the red school-history
to the effect that they all carried blunderbusses, put people in the
stocks for whistling, and frequently said, "Why don't you speak for
yourself, John?" But he had made his boast with a clear eye and a
pleasant, superior, calm smile.
"Oh! Very interesting," grunted Saxton.
"Would you like to see grandfather's daguerreotype?"
"Oh, yes, yes, uh, thanks, that would be very interesting---- Do let me
see it, when---- Uh, as I was saying, Claire doubtless has a tremendous
social career before her. So many people expecting her to marry well. Of
course she has a rather unusual combination of charm and intelligence
and---- In fact I think we may both be glad that----"
"Yes. That's right. And the best thing about her is the way she can
shake off all the social stuff and go camping and be a regular human
being," Milt caressed.
"Um, uh, no doubt, no doubt, though---- Of course, though, that isn't an
inherent part of her. I fancy she's been rather tired by this long trip,
poor child. Of course she isn't very strong."
"That's right. Real pluck. And of course she'll get stronger by hiking.
You've never seen her bucking a dangerous hill--I kind of feel that a
person who hasn't seen her in the wilds doesn't know her."
"I don't want to be contradictory, old man, but I feel on the other hand
that no one who has failed to see her at the Junior League Dances, in a
Poiret frock, can know her! Come, come! Don't know how we drifted into
this chorus of praise of Claire! What I wanted to ask was your opinion
of the Pierce-Arrow. I'm thinking of buying one. Do you think that----"
All the way home Milt exulted, "I put it all over him. I wasn't scared
by the 'Don't butt into the aristocracy, my young friend' stuff. I lied
handsome. But---- Darn it, now I'll have to live up to my New England
aristocracy.... Wonder if my grand-dad's dad was a hired man or a
wood-sawyer?... Ne' mine; I'm Daggett of Daggett from now on." He
bounded up to his room vaingloriously remarking, "I'm there with the
ancestors. I was brought up in the handsome city of Schoenstrom, which
was founded by a colony of Vermont Yankees, headed by Herman Skumautz. I
was never allowed to play with the Dutch kids, and----" He opened the
door. "--the Schoenstrom minister taught me Greek and was my bosom
frien'----"