The representative., 1899-12-07
AT THE STONE HOUSE
BY IONA GALE.

Mics Rachel put the matter ~ deaicately
as she could and waited. Her brother. who
was DIR. Merryvale and of extreme decislon,
broke his toast In heavy silence. Miss
Rachel watched his prognosticating NOUS
tache from the angle Of her eye. and
sweetened his coffee three times.
Ehave promised to address the town
mass meeting Friday week." he said alb
ruptly.
His sister caught the flying end Of the
inobvious connection. The coming Of their
niece. which the morning mail announced,
to spend week in the big. quiet house.
was doubtful innovation Miss Rachel
welcomed it with a pathetic eagerness as
break in her gray life; DR.. Merryvale
liked his evenings to himself.
Barbara and l would understand that
you were to have the library every night"
Miss Rachel ventured
How old is she?" demanded DR.. Merry
vale, with more apparent irrelevancy. Miss
hachel caught the connection again, and
reared for her worst card She played it
palpitatingly
Twenty-Five" she said.
10 Miss Rachel and her brother % was
synonymous of turbulence, which meant
noise, which meant confusion, which was
abominable. Neither DR.. Merryvale to whom
the connection was strongest, nor Miss
Rachel in whom it was reflected, was quite
clear as to the exact nature of the con-
fusion incident to the presence of youth;
1t was phantom disturbance akin to that
OF sweeping day and partakfng of vaguely
remembered games of blindman's buff.
PROBABLY neither one had exactly formu-
lated fear of pom pom pullaway done in
the drawing room, or Of house version of
hockey, but it meant to both certain
'fnori JoIP
IN the great house alone, however, had
reduced Miss Rachel, as it had every win
ter for 10 years, to glad acceptance of any
contradiction of routine.
barbara's picture looks real quiet and
ladylike." Miss Rachel ventured again
boldly. Not that wish to dictate" she
added apologetically
Dr. Merryvale smiled.
Fancy your ever debating" he said
lightly as he rose. why yes Let Alice's
adopted daughter come IL she wants to-"
he added.
Miss Rachel's prim little face nearly
looked delighted All she did, however, was
to ring the bell.
Sarah. have the guest room aired and
set in ORDER she dictated evenly Good
bye. brother"
Barbara Merryvale was really coming
Miss Rachel told herself as she selected the
hne hem stitched sheets from their laven-
der. She had not seen the girl since she
was three, in red shoes, and with an in
ordinate fOndness for doughnuts with sugar
on them She made mental note to have
'Tilda fry pan of doughnuts the next
morning. Barbara would arrive in the
afternoon. When she came downstairsr
again she reread the scrap of note that
had brought the news. 1t ran:
Dear Cousin Rachel-It If will not in
convenience you l should like to have Bar
bara come to you to spend all January. !
The arrangement would, l feel sure, prove |
very pleasant to her, and would at the !!
same time relieve of all anxiety The |
truth is that the child fancies herself in |
love-most undesirably in love-her father !
and l have seen. l need say no more. |
Cousin Rachel. Her adoption was a more !
responsible thing than ever dreamed Her
father and l have decided that a month |
of Marvel. with whatever distractions will |
be offered, will be the best thing in the I
world for her. Will you let me know by |
return post? My love to Cousin Richard |
Yours affectionately. ALICE"
''Distractions' Miss Rachel had not |
noticed that phrase. The bi-monthly mis-
sionary conference the quarterly library
meeting. church and an exchange OF calls +
with dozen her own age in Marvel. made I
up Miss Rachel's social life. Still, she
had just bought tickets for the cat show
next week, she reflected; and church
social had been announced the previous
Sunday to be held Friday evening at the
manse. She recalled these hopefully and
posted the letter and began unconsciously
to plan dinners for the next month
AS matter OF fact the coming of Bar
bara to Miss Rachel's life was most oppor-
tune. 1t was holiday week; that is, holi-
day week in Marvel and to all the world
except the stone house. The stone house
was what Marvel called Dr. Merryvale's
old fashioned hill house, where he and Miss
Rachel had been born, and where there
had been no holiday time, and not SO much
as mention OF Christmas or New Years had
been noticed for Is years. Sixteen years
before Richard Merryvale, at 30, had
brought home a fair little wife with brown
curls and the softest voice in the world
Miss Rachel was abroad, and the little wife
was installed as mistress of the stone house
She ruled royalty, filling the great house
with girl guests, giving dinners to people
who came up from town, and winning the |
heart of Marvel in a fortnight besides For
year she the center of such social
life as the conservatism of Marvel had
never dreamed. DR.. Merryvale whose Aeld
OF practice was the undisputed town, had
ocoH pOpuidI all ulS lIIe NOW he |
mated to the legislature, and finally elected.
mated to the legislature, and finally elected.
In fact, though Marvel did not know this
his dream of a consulship was in a fair
way to formulate.
Then it all ended. Christmas week X
years before, party of IL was at the stone I
house. They were to give a children's =
party, all the guests having undertaken q
to come dressed in .knickerbockers or short O
frocks and pig-tais. There was q great y
Christmas tree towering to the ceiling of y
the ball room, and ablaze with gilt and ,
tinsel and lighted candles. When the Z
gayety was at it's height. little Mrs. Merrv- n
vale, looking like a seraph, they said after v
ward and did not doubt at any time. in her +
short WASTED gown of nlmy white. broke -
from the rest and ran to the end of room G
in jest. pursued by a Baby Bunting and r
Little Boy Blue. BY the Christmas tree she h
turned sharply, flushed and laughing and q
stood at bay for one remembered moment. v
Then a tongue Of yellow candle flame leaped h
out' and caught her white sash and her 81
ong skirt and her sweeping sleeves and h
she was swathed in the flames, shriekfne. II
She fell before they could reach her. To- A
ward morning she died. For Is years there
had been no mention Of holiday time in M
he stone house. N