New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-29
KATHARINE NORTH.
VII.
ROXY'S SISTER.

had been young tnat dav Wheh ohc had euihcu
Nor back on the place in fury of anger and re-
.ontment. Now, as she returned, she was no
,orcer Young, but she asked herself with con-
FINALLY increasing surprise why she couIu not
believe she was not young
When she looked in the glass, the matter Of
wrinkles and increasing grayness of hair con-
t,optcd her with unimpeachable testimony. Then
ebe shrugged her shoulders in French fashion
hs had and smiled in sad fashion that was not
., all French Once turned from the mirror, how
.ver she had most satisfactory way of for
Getting all about the wrinkles and the gray
hair =.
Il will leave il to Others to remember them, y
sh. said airily TO herself. IF 1 forget them, it
;s the same to ne as if they did not exist
During the tine that had passed since she had
seen Feeding Hills she had thought little of the
neople there The passion of wrath which had
once filed he- heart whenever she recalled her
Gather had utterly subsidized. Her father had
hem a hard nan, an unyielding man; and he had
never understood her lie had wanted her to
marry a man whom she thought she hated-and
she had run away. She had heard only indi-
rectly from her home since that day. She had
never sent word to them there, why should
she ?-she had asked herself. Her mother was
dead before she could remember. Her sister
Roxy was 20 much like her father that there
certainly was no call to keep up any communica-
ton with her She had prospered so that she
maintained herself respectfully. Then she had
prospered greatly.
Finally the hamlet that her birthplace
seemed almost to pass out of her memory, out Of
her thoughts.
AS she leaned back in the car that was taking
ber there Mrs. LANDAU suddenly asked herself
seriously what she meant by this sudden action.
1T was that girl in the horrible cafe at the
shore. she said in explanation. And what am
7 70 do when I get TO the place, should like to
know. This is one of the results Of yielding to
impulse
The outline Of the hills began TO be familiar.
and TO her great surprise the familiarity gave an
unaccustomed beat to her pulses and strange
feeling to her throat.
And vet hated the place." she was think
Ing
When she had left there was railroad.
Now the station near immense hotel built
for the accommodation of summer boarders. 1t
had beer discovered that the locality was pict-
uresque.
Mrs. Landau walked up the broad panking
TO the hotel entrance. Wherever she appeared.
even if she came in her present unpretentious
manner, people always sprang to attend upon
her
They did so now with even more than the
usual obsequiousness Of the summer hotel oi1clal.
She said she would have lunch Immediately
then she wanted horse and carriage for several
hours No. she did not require driver. She
was used to driving.
She pit her name down on the register, and
every ole who saw her come went and looked
at the words which they found in tall, slant
ing Eligibility which very few could deciphcr.
In hss than half an hour from her arrival
Mrs LANDAU was sitting alone in a buggy and
driving off along a road which had not been laid
out. ,r thought of. when she was last here.
TWAS four miles to the old Hillard place, and
she lid not find the place at ALL new house
wa< on the ancient foundation. In the yard a
yong woman was digging among some rose
buhes She rose and came eagerly forward as
81. saw that woman in the carriage. She leaned
o. the wheel and was glad to answer the ques-
tons put TO her.
The billiards? Why. old Cap'n Hillard had
,een dead almost before she could remember.
He had left one daughter she did believe there
had been two. She had heard her mother say
something about one who had gone away when
she was young. But she didn't remember very
we'll. It was such an awful while ago"
And things so much more interesting have
kent happening since7 remarked Mrs. LANDAU
smiling and looking at baby who had crept to
the screen-door Of the entry, and who now flung
himself forcbly upon it.
The young woman laughed She understood;
and she liked the stranger who spoke and looked
like that.
Il suppose Roxy Hiard married somebody
went on Mrs LANDAU. "Does she live round
here anywhere? %
"Oh. yes: she lives bout half a mile away
Take the first left-hand turn. You can't miss it,
Two-story house with ycller trimmins, N green
blinds"
Mrs. LANDAU drove On. Her face was rather
grave, and yet there was a smile in her eyes
"Of course Roxy would be thrifty. ! wonder
IL her husband submits gracefully or whether
he takes his bondage kinder hard; j shouldn't
like TO be Roxy's husband; I'm sure OF that
There's the house. and can that be Roxy herself
Walking across the yard from the orchard was
large woman with sunbonnet on her head She
had her apron full of rhubarb stalks.
When she saw the carriage she paused. She
pulled her bonnet forward so that the sun should
not shine in her eyes.
The yard was large and the horse was driven
into il and up TO the woman standing there
Mrs. LANDAU saying to herself;
Can that be my sister? Have i changed as
much as that? Yes, certainly, that's her very
way of shutting her mouth Only her mouth
and checks have grown heavy and iiabby
For her part Mrs. North was thinking that here
was some one who wanted TO inquire the way; OF
who wished TO see Colburn about taxes, or some
thing. She nodded and then stood waiting.
But as she stood she began 10 be conscious OF
q vague sensation which she could not in the least
understand.
The woman in the carriage looked intently az
her. studying her face and thinking,
"Sbe is lust as she was when we were girls
only more so"
Mrs North moved uneasily.
"P'raps you're somebody / ought to reco'nlze, "
she said at last