Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-07-06

a last lingering look at the rather dis
NAL home, and locking Of the front
door, brief walk to the depot and the
journey was almost accomplished and
twenty-four hours later they were
seated In Aunt Calista Jones' pleasant
parlor, receiving her last instructions
before she set out upon her trip, for
which somehow she seemed to have no
very definite plans, which was sadly
unlike her usual bustling business
habits. But whatever her plans were
If plans she had, they were carefully
guarded as she assumed tantalizing
ignorance of what her future move
ments might be.
"It's wild goose chase I'm going
on" she remarked to Jennie as she
tied up her stiff rustling bonnet strings
under her chin. "Im going in search
of adventure, female Don Quixote if
you please, and shall probably come
home with the rheumatism and tenn
per like a saw. But take care of
things and allow this lonely old lady
to have her whirl and see bit of life
from different point of view than the
back kitchen windows six days in the
week and the front porch on the sew
enth." And Aunt Calista was driven
to Jones's station by the hired man,
who remarked on his return. II swan,
what'll happening next?"
The next thing that did happen that
was greatly out of the usual was the
arrival of letter from Aunt Calista-
the first that had come in the six weeks
Of her absence. 1t was brief and not
In the least satisfactory, and Jim and
Jennie declared that Aunt Calista was
growing unwholesomely mysterious.
TWAS dated from the city inwhich Jim
and Jennie lived, and simply said that
she had grown weary of meandering
around in an aimless, miscellaneous
way, and had finally fetched up at
their home, where she proposed to stay
spell if they would come back and
entertain her. She wanted to rest up
from her recuperating and would they
pack up and return Immediately. The
hired man could keep house alone for
week. 1t lacked an hour till the
western bound train arrived, but when
1t came, Mr. and Mrs. James Hanly
were among the handful of passengers
who "moved on" like little Joe.
Jim had grown stout and well with
his six weeks of country life, free from
care, and Jennie's cheeks were plump
and roster than they had been for many
q year. Aunt Calista was at the
crowded railway station to meet them,
and, snatching their luggage from
them, hurried them into a stylish cab
and threw in the valise and followed
after 1t. 1t was the first time in all
their lives they had had the luxury OF
such ride, with springy velvet cush-
ions, driver with brass buttons and
an uncomfortable hat, and they sal
back amid this luxury vaguely won.
dering what would next happen. They
were driven directly to their home and
landed in front of it, as bright lang
on new post by new gate showed
A new fence fianked the gate on either
side and a neat gravel walk bordered
with flowers led up to the house.
The house! What a change. The
old one transformed into a perfect pic
ture of cottage "a veritab BILE, tangible
dream of modern, modest architecture
Aunt Calista opened the door ant
touched mysterious button and the
house was food of light, and if il
was picture outside 1t was poem
within. Such pretty carpet, such pref
ty curtains, such pretty walls and sucl
pretty pictures upon them, and sucf
pretty furnitureI
1t all seemed like dream to jim
and Jennie, and as Aunt Calista pulled
aside the curtain to lay her coat anC
bonnet on the bed she handed them
bit of paper, which, standing arm il
arm under the pretty chandelier, the,
read And this Is what they read
with foolish tears dimming the page
DEAR JENNIE AND JIM: Please accept tn
home you worked so hard for and loved S
well, but lost, from me, your eccentric bu
loving old sister, Calista. You will find tn
deed In the drawer OF the table you are stand
ing by. SIX weeks of living here for some on
else, besides my lonely self, has made m
wish to live here always and you, Jim, Sha
begin my house on the lot adjoining as 500
as you can sharpen your tools and wits enoug
to make me as pretty home as yours. thin
we shall always be neighbors. My pen is poo
my ink is pale, and when you have figured OF
this come into the dining-room on the lef
Supper is ready. SISTER CALIsTA
am one of Aunt Calista's numerou
nephews; not by birth or blood, bu
because she allows me, as she doe
many others, to call her that, becaus
she is our ideal of dear, loving, kin
old woman. She is always dom
strange, good things, and there is n
way of doing kindly acts so perfect q
Aunt Calista's ways. b. McManu,
in Rams Horn.