The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-01-06

and remembered the old gentleman
we'll He WAS Il little strange. YOU
know. Oh. he was that. But there;
he WAS as kind and quiet Il body as
anyone coul wish to do wi and often
mot thcrd say how he'd come to her.
when she were at her work. with a
great bunch of flowers in his hands,
and his face all hrcary. i wish could
understand he'd say: Il want to I'M
lcrStand: can't YOU help me! And
then she'd say, quite loud (for she
never conld remember he wasn't deaf,
he seemed so strange and straining)
you've cot some beautiful flowers, sir.
| hope YOU re better And he'd say.
Just the same rs all the others.
Nothing. Nothing. Oh. mother'd Il
often say. now he's dead and gone,
well. she did hope he was happier. poor
soul: with his Il want to understand,
and his Nothing. Nothing. But
he WAS most particular queer. Why.
he would walk about with his pockets
iul Of stones, Anl he always said the
roses laughed SO.
Nv hat was his name." | asked.
We were in the horse-chcstnut ave
nue.. where the road long ago hard and
smooth. was messing over, and slippery
beneath the tread. The light. tiltering
green and cool through the immense
leaves. seemed to have left its warmth
behind it. There was Il moist. dank
smell of weeds in the air
Ills name was Tredennis, Jacob
Trcdennis, and I've heard as he were 4
doctor once. But folk didn't use his
name much. He was just called The
Old Gentleman at the House. and so
mother used to speak of hiw."
Then we came upon the house, stand
inc full in the sunlight \ lawn had
been round it once, on which box trees
he'd been clipped and tended, but the
lawn was a field now. and the box
bushes punched the sides of the house,
like huge. distorted rosettes. on either
hand \ honeysuckle and rose,
growing imperiously V towards the upper
windows, half obliteratcd the broken
treIlis that had reared their infancy.
A splendid family of dandelions lived
in the crack of the threshold.
The house was square and Of yellow
stucco, with eight windows to the front.
1t lad stone porch on pillars, and,
IN the square of cubblc-stoncs hcfore
the doorway. every chink was stuffed
with grass.
One Of the windows, dim and yellow,
was open, showing the bare room with
in. The checrless yellow stucco and
thin sash windows denied it the dignity
of antiquity. and the mingled life and
radiance of the warm spring day but
intensified its lean emptiness.
The sense Of desertion in the place
was intense 1t was like looking on a
face after the soul has left the body,
and I realized how much human dwell
ines share and reflect the life of those
within.
As the wind came and went. shoot
of rose laden with lrafand flower tapped
the closed window above the porch rs
if to sound the emptiness.
How lone has the place been de-
scrted!'' | asked, and WAS sorry to
hear my own voice.
a matter of forty Years or SO; and
it seems to belong to nobody. In old
days there would come some people to
see the old gcntIeman-onc lady in
particular. his sister. Miss Trc,ennis
But it upset him terribly. Mother
stayed in the passage one day when
they W. re talking. and sh" said they
W, re a long time in there. And she
heard crying Then the old gentle
mans voice said. For Gods sake, 90
away. Jane! for Coils sake. 90 away. =
And Miss Trr,lcnnis cam. out wi very
red eyes. And she didn't com. any
more
We il:,,l reached the iron gate to the
right of the house, through which 4
small patch led round to the garden
1t was rust-eatcn and padlocked, but
the woman offered to let me into the
garden through the house.
But that's where he'd walk mostly"
she said. He'd 90 tipping along, for
all the world like the cat over the
courtyard when it, all pudd'ly after
rain. For he thought, poor soul, ii
hurt he sfoa s IN trcud on Mem.'
She opened the door. and we went
Inside the house 1t smtlt of mice and
,hwebs. The damp had stained the
wall paper of the narrow passage that
We entered. \ room opened out of it
on either sale. and thin. insignificant
staircase ironted us As We stood. \
remnant of oilcl 9TH hang i'll irayed
patches on the narrow stairs. \ irag-
mant OF 4 broken plate lay upon the
landing.
Everything was ordinary-more
than ordinary. And wondere had
, ever thoneht the place had charm
Bat, when til" women opened the door
beneath til" stairs. eau rht my breath
F,r h for me lay II wild rnr>s of gar.
Il n. u brilliant. dazzling sea of bloom
Tn paths, with p"hh!y patches here