The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-09-09
HIS COUNTRY HOME.

| "Oh, yes, said the old lady. step right
in and I'll get it for YOU"
A large cat made friendly advances, and
was settled in his lap by the time the old
lady came back. She sank ponderously into
her chair and looked at the young man with
kindly scrutiny.
"Are you Mr.. John Arnold, the new
owner of Mr.. Ames' house?"
eyes. The unhappy owner, should have
| said few days ago, but now have changed
my mind"
"1ndeed?" said she. Il wonder why you
changed your mind"
"Well, III tell you about it" he said,
leaning back comfortably in his chair and
stroking the purrng cat.
II took the mortgage on the place with
out having the slightest idea that it would
| ever come into my possession. That was
| five years ago. For some time Ames has
been getting behind on his interest, and l
did not look after him as l ought, so was
rather surprised and not little disgusted
when found last week that / was the owner
of the place, and that Ames had moved
away. | did not remember much about it
except that there was small house on
half an acre of land, and that it was very
far from salable. So there l was with
white elephant on my hands and no earth.
ly use for him."
The old lady smiled.
"Well, in day or two had brilliant
idea. / was sick in the winter, don't feel
real good now, and the doctor, every time
see him, tells me / must get out of doors
more. My boarding place is only five
minutes from the law office where ]
feel like walking, or even riding the
| hiavola ncf for tha So II oaourrad
to me to come out here to live. Get my
own supper and breakfast, you know, and
putter around in q garden. | can go into
town on the electric cars till the roads get
settled enough to ride my wheel"
| At noon he went to his old boarding
| place, where he was to continue to take his
| dinners. He had lived with Mr.. and Mrs.
| Austin for number of years, and Mrs.
| Austin felt motherly solicitude for him.
| She almost overwhelmed him with questions
as to whether he slept well, and if he had
breakfast enough, and wasn't he very tired,
and didn't he think he had better stay in
| town that night, and was the house properly
aired before he went into it.
For the first week Arnold himself was
| a little doubtful about his experiment, and
! Mrs. Austin's fears and questions rather
annoyed him, but at the end of that time
he began to get used to MS new hte, and ne
became more cheerful than ne had been Tor
months.
By the time the grass began to turn
green he could not have been persuaded to
return to his old way OF living His house
| seemed more attractive as time went on.
He tidied the yard, trimmed the rose bushes
and grape vines, and by the middle OF April
he began, with great enthusiasm, to spade
| up garden patch;
Mrs; Austin sighed and shook her mead
until June came men, as she saw no pros
pect OF getting nm pack' and as she was
lonesome evenings she TOOK school teach'
er to 6oard. She was very pretty girl,
Grace HOWARD py name, ana she was quite
talkative; Mrs. Austin alnner table was
very pleasant meeting place.
Arnold was not used to girls, but it seemed
to him that Grace Howard must be different
from most girls, he felt so friendly toward
her, and she seemed such congenlal spirit.
lie told her all about his house, his garden,
and OF the long rambies ne TOOK on sundays
She listened with interest to all he told her
OF his rural experiences.
Ihe summer went by, and Arnold became
more and more enamored OF his country
home. The Llttlehelds were constant
source OF pleasure 70 nm ana the TWO mousse
holas were very neignooriy'
Then one night, just on the edge OF win
ter, new idea came to him. "How much
pleasanter it would be Il Grace were here,
he thought, and ne sat in revere for
long time. After that he Kept thinking OF
her being there, and OF how well she would
become the house. ESPECIALLY dld ne thihK
OF it when he sat opposite to her at dinner.
In March he began housekeeping. He
tore the paper from the walls, bought paint
and brushes and began energetirally to ap-
ply the former with the latter to the inside
woodwork. Then be got large books OF
wallpaper samples and asked Mrs. Austin's
and Grace's- advice about the choice of the
designs. When he ordered the paper it
was in every instance the kind that Grace
had liked.
All this time he was getting deeper in
love with his house and with Grace. but he
told himself he must wait till everything
looked at its best before he would ask her an
important question.
1t was in May, one Sunday after church,
that Mrs. Austin and Grace took the elec-
trio cars and went to see Arnold's house.
He met them at the corner of the street,
and the three went along together, chat
ting gayly.
Mrs. Austin admired everything along the
way. and when she came to see the interior
of the house she was loud in her praises.
Grace agreed to everything. but did not say
much.
They had lunch together and at length
Arnold went and saw them on their car,
then stood watching until il was lost to