The Philipsburg mail., 1899-03-10
HELIOTROPE.

tNVH\\\%N\\ N\\\\\\\N~~~N~S
With satisfied smile on her sweet
old face, Thankful Delight Penrose
looked about her sunshiny room. 1t
was a pretty, dainty room, with plenty
Of photographs on the walls and
two or three quaint and precise
landscapes done in Oil by Thank
ful Delights own hands more than
forty years ago. The white COW
cred bed with it's pretty ruftled
"shams" and the gay ''crazy quilt OF
BLK, satin and velvet, which law across
the foot in all its visiting day" splen-
dor, spoke of Thankfuls order-loving
soul and artistic tendencies. Bunches
Of paper morning glories hung from
the electric burner beside the bureau
and pretty bits of fancy work here and
there spoke OF busy fingers.
Thankful Delights happy face beam
ed approvingly upon the room and its
furnishings.
"It's all complete" said she, except
a vase of heliotrope on the table. I'll
just go down in the garden and get
some"
Slowly and carefully she went down
the long flight Of winding stairs with
the handsome stained-glass windows
at the halfway landing, which was
one of the charming features OF The
Old Ladies' Home-slowly, because
she was in no hurry this lovely morn
Ing, and carefully, because her rheu-
matism had been troubling her some
what OF late.
On the stairs she met her friend Of
No. 40, two doors from her own room,
and stopped to chat moment. "A
lovely morning, my dear" she said,
I'm so glad it's Tuesday, aren't
you?"
Isabel Bemis hesitatcd. "Well,
suppose I ought to be glad, but | cant
say I enjoy Tuesday very much. No
body ever comes to see me. There's
Mrs. Abby Star, her little grandchil-
dren come up every Tuesday and al
ways bring her something nice, and
there's Mrs. Delforth. she has more
visitors than she's got chairs to put
'em in think it's too bad, Thank
full, that you and | can never have
company like the rest. I declare Tues
day does make me real lonesome and
homesick.'
Thankful Delight smiled at her
friends doleful face. Come, come
my dear" she said, "chcer up. Let's
take comfort in seeing the others have
company. I'm going down now to
pick some helotrope I want it to
make my room sweet"
Isabel proceeded slowly up the
stairs. "Well, my neuralgia bothers
me some this morning." she said, Il
hate to leave my door open all day be-
cause I'd a sight rather slip on my
old wrapper an lie down but that's
III have to do it,"
I'll bring you up some heliotrope
when l come" said Thankful, as she
daintily lifted her best black alpaca
skirt and descended the wide stairs,
making sweet picture in her soft old
laces and waved slvery hair.
Several old ladies were sitting in
the wide, breezy hall, all dressed in
their Sunday best. Good morning.
Miss Penrose," said one, looking ad-
miringly through her glasses, going
after same flowers?"
Thankful nodded cheerily to them
all with pleasant word to each, and
passed out through the great arched
doorway into the garden,
The soft air tempted her TO SIT a
while on one OF the rustic seats before
she picked her heliotrope, and as She
sat silent in the morning sunshine She
thought of lsabel's words. "She smoke
truly, indeed" said Thankful to her.
self musingly, there is not one SON
TO come to see us two. Let me see
I'm sixty-one and she's sixty, Poo,
girl! she's never got over that earl,
loss of hers, and | don't wonder She,
lonely at times. If all had gone wei
and Robert had come home from th.
war Isabel would be a happy grand
mother now instead of a lonely nj,
maid she calls herself. And"
Here Miss Penrose paused while ;
faint color showed itself in her sof
wrinkled cheeks, ''if he had know,
that the foolish girl who let him u
without a word after that first quar-
rel-if he had guessed that her hear
went with him and has been with hir
all these years-if David had know
how sorry l was and how proud l va
too proud to call him back-why.
E2uld be a dear old grandmother M