News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-06-19
THE CARVED INITIALS
BY ZOE ANDERSON NORRIS.
Copyright, 1900, b

JA4C GNCtDllpll VI Nllb0G bGhiuh W hlCll
were buried the Americans occupying
the long divan stretched beneath the
great ground glass window out of
which it was impossible to see.
There were small tables scattered
about. At them other Americans sat
writing home. All accompanied the
scratching Of pens with much writing
of lips On the features of a few was
implanted an expression of homesick-
ness, increased by the constant pitpat
of the rain against the window pane.
We had gone in out of the rain. We
had no umbrella. We sat disconsoIate-
ly watching the absorbed readers and
vaguely wondering if we worked our
mouths when we wrote after the Won
derful manner of those who labored so
earnestly over their letters bone.
"Im hungry" said Cts by and by.
She still suffers from her boarding
school hunger, undated by an exist
ence in a French pension where the
courses consist principally Of plates,
''If it ever quits raining, shall we get
some of those little cakes at the delica-
lessen on the way home"
Maybe" said |.
81 wish" she unused, that we could
buy a great big chunk Of ginger cake
like we used to get back home
After a moment of deep thought:
"You may talk all you like about your
French chefs, but they can't begin to
come up to our black mammies for
cooking" said she
chats true enough" acQuiesced the
man next to us. Il haven't had any
thing fit to eat since | left Kentucky"
This was the first time he had spo-
ken. We had therefore exchanged no
condolences as to the place of our BIRTH
but somehow we Kentuckians instinc-
lively know each other. We talk like
the negroes, for one thing, and no mat
ter how far we wander we never get
quite veaned from home, for another.
He faced about and regarded us with
brothcrly eyes.
81 wonder" he said in the soft brogue
from which they never recover, IF you
know of little old town in Kentucky
called Harrodsburg"
well rather" laughed Cis, with q
little draWl she learned in London.
dts the town we hail from"
at was my home, too he sighed,
and was quiet awhile. InvOluntarily |
sighed too. Infinite pathos lurked in
that little word was"
Then. as if fearful of the inability of
Cts to bark back far enough, he APP
peaied to me. DO YOU remember the
old asylum grounds. with the pond in
the center? DO you remember how they
used TO skate on that pond? And the
town pump down on the corner, where
Main street runs off into Lexington
street and on. Do you remember thatY
Its gone now" told him, that Old
pump"
Cone From his tone YOU might
have imagined that pump to have beer
a personal friend.
He sighed again, his eyes on the floor
his homesick soul voyaging straight
back to that corner where the rpmem.
bered pump had been and was no more
THE little old store on the corner OF
Main and Childs street." he questioned
presently. rs it there YETI
He hung upon my answer | was
lo0th to give it.
1T hasn't been there for years"
said at last. 1T was burned to the
ground back in the seventies, way
back"
! gave him time to erase that land
mark before went on explaining. "Fol
awhile somebody made a bonfire of the
town about every six months or so. l.
was something dreadful. You know The
sort of thing in a little country town.
sudden and awful cry of Fire" in thu
dead Of the night, then everybody rush
ing forth in heterogeneous attire, eacl
screaming at the top of his lungs. Fire
fire" until, what with the spread o
flames lighting up myriads of brighten
ed faces framed by the dark and di
sheveled hair and the roar of voices
Doubtless you remember the fire engin
they had there in the year /? The,
have never improved on it. They still
have the same old machine, in fact. A
q certain stage of the fire they are nat
urally obliged to discard It and take L
pumping the water from that pump yo1
were speakiNs of-no longer a pun
now, but a splendid faucet arrange
ment Of which the village is proud
and passing bucketfuls slowly and me
thodically from hand TO hand in a NOR
or less long line from the faucet to tn
location of the fire. Imagine that, i
you can. They never move in these lii
tie old towns. They remain perfect!
stationary. But you find it the same i
other countries"
''Truew He nodded and waited.
''Now, no wonder" went on, "tha
when the fire gets a good start it neve
knows when to stop. 1t ticks up every
thing in sight. SO that was how 1t hal
pened The little old building wa
burned down ages ago. How long sine
you have been there, anyway"
he appeared to be n trihe deaf in th
ear on my side. At any rate he faile
to reply. repeated the question.
"a long time" he answered, with re
iceDt indCfniteness.
you wouldn't know the town, the1
that's ALL assured him. ut ha
I