Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-05-02
MISS CLARE.
By MARIA L POOL.
CHAP |.

CHAPTER l.
did not believe anybody lived there.
A ruined caste had never looked more
deserted than did that square cid house
when / came in sight of it Its bare
brown sides stool out against the fall
without 4 vino clambcring near
At a little distance from its southern end
there rose q tree, dying sycamore that
drew itself together and refuse, to droop
over blackened and messy well curb
that stood at its roots. That was all one
saw in looking from the hill on whose
brow stopped my horse to rest him and
myself and to survey the country.
Hills rose all round the house. and the
narrow. grassy road on which ! was
travelling was the only sign any one had
approached the building since it was
erected.
So thought, till, descending the slope
and trotting slowly down the road by
the house, startled hen with brood
OF little peeping chickens from buckle.
trrry bush close by i.le way. Impelled
by strange impulse which l did not
understand nor try to resist. refined in
my horse and dismounted. The chick
ems ran screaming TO their mother as ]
walked 10y them to the door. Poor
thingsl" said to myself. chow will they
ever get through the winter felt
like saying that to everything l saw
about the place. 1t WAS quito long
walk from the highway to the door, and
my feet more than once got entangled
among the faded remains of the tall
eeds that had flourished there all sum-
mer Close by the door was astonished
to sec a plot Of heliotrope set out in the
sun for an hour at midday. l supposed.
The air was unusually warm for the late
fall, and the sunlight fell revivingly on
the sweet purple flowers.
Igave q resounding rap ON the door
with my riding whip that made the
house echo like n great hollow shell.
Then. before anybody should come, !
tried to think what l should say when
some one did appear. A middle aged,
ordinary looking woman came from
somewhere far back, l should think, for
I heard her walking a long time before
she opened the door.
"Can you accommodate myself and
horse till tomorrow" asked. II am
tired. and would rather stop here than
ride on to the hotel at the next village"
After moments thought and scru-
tiny Of my face and dress she replied:
Eyes. guess so; il you'll take care Of
your horse yourself"
! agreed to the condition, and she
called child to show me the stable. A
little. toddling 4-year-old girl came and
went before me. down behind q knoll,
where found dilapidated barn. into
which introduced my horse.
The presence of the child surprised me.
I had not thought there had been a
child on tho premises for years. tried
70 mako her talk, but she would not. or
could not, 20 l walked back to the house.
Il was somewhat past their dinner
hour. and said wanted nothing to cat
til supper. saw no one but the woman
and child. and began to think l had
courleL q fit Of ennui in yielding to my
impulse and coming to this quiet place.
Thought Of the heliotrope at the door.
and wondered il 1t belonged to this wo-
man Studied her face, and decided
that u she wished to cultivate flowers
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where ons expects to see lightning play.
M. buf L. IA net LOOK mn. and I ~
no jiehtninr.
~lwunt 70 away from here till have
found you out and made you talk"
eaid to myself. when she rose from thl
esbae and LETT the room without havina
aEttculatsd . single word.
50 On the impulse Of the moment. be
eanss this woman had wounded my van.
ity. made that resolve whose execution
changed my life as completely as live
can b changed.
] devoted myself to my hostess, and
finally retired to my room, with the
agreeable conviction that ! had made q
good impression upon that lady, and
that she would beard me as long
. I wanted to stay. was to nav