The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-16

lemon pie had not been forgotten, and
the spicy cinnamon rolls filed the
pantry with fragrance. Then there
were the iellies. and the Jug of tea.
and the bottle of milk for the baby.
Jump into the wagon. and Wen all
take ride" sang Mr.. Brown merrily,
as he stood, necktie in hand. waiting
for Martha to tie it on for him. at las.
they were all ready and Sam had driv-
en- the wagon around to the front gate.
Martha had forgotten, in the hurry and
hustle OF getting them all ready, to set
out the hired mans dinner, and that
must be done, as every farmers wife
knows. At last she lifted up baby.
heavy child of eighteen months.
climbed up after him. and the Brown
family We're off for their holiday.
1t was lovely morning. and the ride
would have been delightful to anyone
less tired and WORKOUT than Martha
was. 1t was not very easy wagon,
and 1T ratified noisily over the stony
road. Martha wondered vaguely how
it would seem to bowl along at the
same rate of speed in Judge Peake's
! phaeton, as that worthy and his fine
wife passed them on the road. But
then. she thought. the phaeton would
not hold all the babies. who were chat
tering and laughing SO gleefuliy in the
back of the wagon, and poor faithful
Martha would not have given Up her
babies for oil the grandeur in tho
world. She had always felt sort of
pity for the judges wife, who lived in
the big lonely house with no children's
voices in it.
Tho long ride came to an end at last,
and they drew up in the beautiful grove
which surrounded the lake. Long ta-
bles were already being covered with
| snowy cloths, and decorated with flow
ers and evergreen branches. Busy
matrons and happy maids were fitting
everywhere, opening hampers, starting
fires and hanging gypsy kettles. 1t all
seemed like fairy land to the little
Browns. and they fairly dubbed over
with excitement. Martha was afraid
to have them out of her sight at first,
with the lake so near, the merry-go-
round, and the roller coaster, to say
hCoiAiAS VI tbC OcSC Ud4A &IOuuOS duQ
running matches
So she kept them all near her while
she visited with neighbours, and helped
here and there about the tables. But
after dinner was over and the frag-
ments cleared away and packed in
their respective baskets, Martha felt
that she must get away by herself and
Emily and Sadie, with many admoni-
tions in regard to their safety, while
Mr.. Brown agreed to look after baby,
and walked away with him to see the
bears and monkeys.
1t was very pleasant seat that Mar
tina found at the foot of big maple on
the highest bank of the lake. She
could see its silvery surface dimpling
in the sunshine, dotted with boats,
while the steamer plowed it's way back
and forth with its merry load of pleas
ure seekers. Across the lake, and on
every side. the white tents of the camp
ers were cleaning from leafy bowers,
and the blue smoke from their camp
fires curled lazily upward in the dis
odhSC. hoW 1CoOIol ~ oil w <&S, dAu
how kind of Robert to make her come.
She felt that she could sit there forever
and watch the silvery waves and the
feecy clouds scudding across the blue
sky. Martha noticed that the little
rowboats always found their way to
the tangle of water lilies on the OPP
posite side, and she remembered half
regretfully, similar scene in which
she had participated. How long ago it
seemed when she was young and care
free. She was bit of firt in those
days, this staid Martha Brown, and
quite the belle of her rural neigh bor-
hood. To-day she remem bered Ross
Harding and the little boat-just be-
cause she was here amid similar scenes,
she told herself He had rowed her
among the lilies and had fastened some
of the buds in her hair. and she had
pinned one on his coat. Martha was
surprised to find how wildly his words
came back to her to-day across all the
years: "You are like them, Matte. l
shall soon gather you from the parent
stem and wear you always next my
heart, my pure, white lily" She had
laughed at him for his fanclful conceit,
and had thrown the lilies into the lake
A white lily, indeed Martha looked
down on her skinny brown hands,
calloused and hard with drudgery. and
gave a pitiful little smile at the
thought that twenty years ago she had
been called white lily. Robert had
never called her nything but Marthy.
Even as lover he had always been
matter-of-fact and sensible, SO much so
that her parents had preferred him for
a sop-in-law instead of the Gifted
Ross Harding She hardly knew how
it had come about She did not have
time to think about it very often-how
the gulf had widened between her and
Ross. OF course it was better as it
was. Robert had always been kind,
though perhaps he had not understood
her just as Ross
A shrill scream startled her from her
dangerous meditations, and Sadie
came rushing up the bank. They are
in the water. both of them, and Emily
can't get thsm outi'
Martha arose, weak and trem bling,
for moment then rushed wildly
down the path, then through wet,
marshy bog she sped after Sadie in a
short cut to the boat landing. On one
side the water was shallow, and
dozen or more children OF al ages were
padding in the water. The twins had
slipped off their shoes while the girls
were watching the long string OF pas
sengers coming up from the steamer.
and were now knee deep in the water.