The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1899-11-29

II WASH q iO0KIn lot you, Sho SalC,
then, Ungrac:ous:T enough, "but' l
reckon you can stay few days till
you git rested up
"Oh, thank YOU cried Dorothy
sweetly. This is q lovely old place,
Aunt Polly! How YOU must love it,
She was looking out of the window
as she spoke. Inside the house every
thing was bare and unattractivc, but
when she glanced around her only
thought was, How pretty it might be
madew
She began making it th1t very day.
Even Miss Polly's stern iace relaxed
when she looked in upon it that even
ing. Pretty pictures and tiny shelves
with dainty silkcn hansings brighten
ed I'D 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 i'll
stead about "all that fummery' and
intimated that it was nothing more
than "a trap to catch the dust
"Oh, I'll never let the dust get into
them!" said that strange girl brightly.
And it Is so easy to make a home
pretty!'
And then pretty things began to
bloom cut all over the house, even in
Miss Polly's room, that stiff room with
it's hard bed and its straight backed
Schairs. Somehow the stiffness and the
ahsularity melted away as if by magic.
Bits\ef bright ribbons looped back the
curtains In one corner suddenly ap-
peared little shelf with the daintiest
pink vase upos- it and rose in the
vase.
Oh, she was a 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, 81 miss my
piano very much. I left it boxed up
ready to ship. Suppose we send for it."
And Miss Polly sent-grim old Miss
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. Sev-
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 o!d 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 4 voice sweet and tender.
At last something happened that
showed the lonely old woman that this
was not quite so bad world as she
had thought it and that she had even
misunderstood herself. Dorothy was
taken ill. 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 its 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 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 ''be sent on an errand or some
thin
1 ulull tlllllh Sic hIG" oNS " t1icSS
people," said The bewildered Miss Pol
ly. Il 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 N-.cc:-.-l sat and looked