The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-11-23

there into the "spare bedroom which
had been unoccupied since her boy had
slept there.
81 wasn't a-lookin for you," she said
then, ungraciously enough, 'but
reckon you can stay few days till
you git rested up"
"Oh, thank you" cried Dorothy
sweetly. This Is lovely old place
Aunt Polly! How you must love it"
She was looking out of the window
rs she spoke. Inside the house every
| thing was bare and unattractive, but
when she glanced around her only
thought was, How pretty it might be
nader
She began making It that very day
Even Miss Polly's stern face relaxed
when she looked in upon it that even
Ing. Pretty pictures and tiny shelves
with dainty silken hangings brighten
ed up the walls, and all about the room
were charming nothings that pleased
the eyes Of the old woman. And yet
she did not acknowledge it. No, in
deed! She said something sharp in
stead about '.all that fiummery" and
intimated that it was nothing more
than "a trap to catch the dust"
"Oh, I'll never let the dust get into
themw said that strange girl brightly.
"And it is so easy to make q home
pretty!'
And then pretty things began to
bloom out all over the house, even In
Miss Polly's room, that stiff room with
it's hard bed and it's straight backed
chairs. Somehow the stiffness and the
angularity melted away as if by magic.
Bits of bright ribbons looped back the
curtains. In one corner suddenly ap-
peared a little shelf with the daintiest
pink vase upon it and rose in the
vase.
Oh, she was wonderful girl, this
Dorothy! One day she went up and
laid her fresh young cheek against the
old woman's shoulder.
"Aunt Polly" she said, II miss my
piano very much. left it boxed up
ready to ship. Suppose we send for IT."
Polly, who had always considered mu-
sic of every kind an invention of satan.
When the piano came and the people
saw it carried into that house, they
crowded around the gate and stood on
tiptoe and peeped over the fence. Sew
eral were heard to declare that Miss
Polly was undoubtedly crazy. She came
out then and shook her fist at them,
and that was so much like her old self
that they concluded her mind was all
right after all. But, If not crazy, then
what?
And Dorothy's music! She liked best
to play when the twilight was in the
house, and the old woman would sit
over by the dim window and look at
the sunset sky and listen. Dorothy
knew little about classic music or bril-
liant effects, but she could play many
of the old time pieces and sing them,
too, in a voice sweet and tender.
AT last something happened that
showed the lonely old woman that this
was not quite so bad a world as she
had thought it and that she had even
misunderstood herself. Dorothy was
taken i'll. 1t had seemed nothing but
a slight cold at first, but by the next
evening it was so much worse that
Miss Polly herself put on her bonnet
and ran for physician. And so for
many days they battled with the dis
ease that had laid it's hold upon the
young girl and would not give her up.
Then Miss Polly began to learn. Peo-
pie that she had not spoken to in years
came to the door and asked If they
might help take care Of Miss Dorothy.
An old woman that had been Miss Pol
ly's mortal enemy and whom she had
passed in the street a hundred times
with her head turned contemptuously
away now haunted the house with
dainty dishes which she hoped might
tempt the invalid.
Even the boys Of the neighborhood,
between whom and Miss Polly there
had been bitter warfare, hung about
the gate now, and when their ancient
enemy appeared they asked her If they
couldn't 'tbe sent on an errand or some
thin"
81 didn't think she knew one O. these
people," said the ,bewildered Miss Pol
ly. II didn't suppose she knew any.
body but me-"
And so It came to pass that when the
doctor came out Of that quiet room
one day and told Miss Polly that the
crisis was past and that Dorothy would
get we'll the old woman sat and looked
down at the two tears that had faller
upon her wrinkled hands and said tt
herself:
"Well, I don't s'pose anybody evel
saw the likes O. thatv'
One day, when the invalid had grown
strong enough to sit up and was in thu
great armchair all wrapped up II
blankets, Miss Polly said in her owl
abrupt way:
"I'm goin to keep Thanksgivin, Doro
thy"
Dorothy's eyes flashed with surpris'
and pleasure.
Don't you-haven't you always KEEP
| itr' she asked.
"No, I've never kept it. though
the day was nothin to me, and SO
shut myself up and worked harde
than ever and hated other people 70
| maxim SO much Of it. But now this