Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1901-03-14
THE door of Miss Matilda's parlt

III MISS MarthaS parlOr, which was
llso part way open. Miss Martha,
like her cousin, was waiting for news
Of Towser. At any moment Jimmy
Jones might bring such news, when
che ladies would appear in the sepa-
ate doorways to hear the report,
ahen to recede to their individual Sc
clusions-Miss Matilda to her room,
which Miss Martha never entered, and
Miss Martha to hers, to which Miss
Matilda was stranger; for beyond
the necessary words in the manage
1nent of the estate they held in COM
mon they never spoke. And while
the cause of the estrangement was
conjectural with their friends, 4 letter
in the drawer of the hall table could
have satisfied any existing doubt-a
letter addressed to miss Matte Grad
dock" which Miss Martha had insist
ed was meant for her, while Miss Ma
tilda contended it was for her alone,
she having elected "Mattie" as her
pro-nomen when she had first entered
her uncle's family, and found that her
Cousin Martha's name had been soft
ened into that admired diminutive.
1t was a letter which had come to
the house years ago, and which each
knew was a formal declaration of
love from Tom Gordon. But while
Martha claimed it Matilda would not
open it, and until Matilda ackrowl-
edged that it was not for her Martha
refused to make herself acquainted
with it's contents, and the hot, in
eliminating words that followed it's
reception had been forgotten by
neither. Nor had they asked to be
set Alright by the inditer of the let
ter-if the wrong one should ask he
would know that some such declara-
ton had been expected by her. A
week after it had been dropped into
the table drawer by Miss Matilda,
who declared it might rot there be-
fore she opened it while Martha
claimed it, Gordon went west, with
out having seen them. Three months
later came a card addressed to "The
Misses Craddock," announcing his
marriage to one Mary Fenton, whom
they had never so much as heard him
mention.
After that something had to be
done. The house belonged to them
mutually, and the vacating of it by
the one would be a tacit confession of
her defeat to the other. Lawyer
Gray, who had drawn up Martha's
fathers will, and held that instru-
ment accountable for the unfriendli-
ness, advised that each should take
half of the house, the center hall to be
the line of demarcation. And thus it
was. Their friends would call on one
side of the hall, then cross ceremo-
niously over to the other, as though
it were round the corner or in the
next village but one, and call there.
It was only when Tom Gordon's son
hunted them up year ago that they
met in the hall to receive mutual
guest.
Young Tom said he had often heard
his father speak of them, and chanc-
ing to be in the neighborhood he had
come to see them. He remained but
few minutes. But he had a setter
with him which he had purchased
from a man in the cars coming east.
The dog seemed to take to them, and
Oh leaving, young Tom, perhaps dis
crediting the pedigree of the animal,
asked them if they cared to own
Towser. Miss Matilda and Miss
Martha with one voice answered,
"Yes." So Towser stayed; for could
Miss Martha decline to own him if
Miss Matilda desired proprietorship in
him, or could Miss Matilda turn from
him and thus give Miss Martha a
probable advantage?
And Towser was lost, and Jimmy
Jones had been told from the windows
of the two parlors to find him. His
first report was to the effect that
Towser had been seen going in the di-
Tection of the river. Miss Martha
gave the boy dime. Miss Matilda
told him to look again and so possess
himself of a second dime. This was
the beginning of Jimmy Jones' COM
ing back and forth, his sympathetic
friends showing at his heels certain
dogs which they had apprehended for
the purpose, none of which proved to
be the right animal.
So it was all day. Toward evening
Miss Matilda told Jimmy Jones she
hoped that he did not bring in strange
dogs for the mere sake of earning
dimes; whereupon Miss Martha in
formed him that he knew Towser by
sight as well as she did, and that
thereafter reports and not dogs would
do. After which he would come and
stand in the hall and say: miss
Craddock;" and if it were Miss Martha
who answered him, only to learn that
Towser remained undiscovered, then
a voice would call from Miss Matilda 8
parlor, and he would go there and re-
peat his report, and afterward leave
the house two dimes richer than when
he had entered it.
That night Miss Martha's mind
harked back and back. Old thoughts
required to her, old memories, words
that had faded into silence years ago.
Suddenly came the thought, what