Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-30
The Grave on
The Hillside.

outspread before her and then return J
I'd again and again to rest on one OBJ
aoNious spot.
Look in another direction" suggest
ed her husband. He was grave, mid
Ole aged professor of chemistry, gen
orally much amused by the whims and
vagaries Of the pretty young wife he
had lately taken to himself. but this
Jared upon him. 1t seemed to imply
a shallowness OF nature, lack of deli
cate, womanly sympathy.
Cynthia pouted II can't" she said.
It's my favorite bit of all. the view
across the valley under those two
great trees to the hills beyond. want
10 go over and sit there every day
With my books and the guitar. We
could put up hammock. The sun
sets would be enhancing from that
point, and on moonlight nights-oh,
Rohert.''
She slipped her hand into his arm
caressingly. Lennord smiled down at
her. After all, she was nothing but n |
spoiled child, q butterfly whose joyous
existence had been passed in the sun
shiny gardens of life. Why should
he expect her to divine instinctively,
as he did, that some sad story must be
connected with the lonely grave on the
minder of unpleasant things to spoll
her enjoyment of the summer? He mad
been strongly impressed by the hint OF
n tragedy, and when he was negotiat.
ing with the agents for the purchase OF
the deserted farm he tried to find out
something of the history of the family
to whom 1t had once belonged. But
their dealings with the owner had
been confined strictly to business, and
they could throw no light upon the
past. The professor meant to pursue
his inquiries when the proper time
should come and they should have
made the acquaintance Of some OF their
neighbors.
Meantime an army OF workmen had
transformed the old red farmhouse IN
10 n luxurious country home, and Mrs.
Leonard, arriving the day, before to
take possession, was charmed and de-
lighted at the taste and thoughtfulness
her husband had displayed. Only,
whether she passed the wide Neranda
on the front of the house or sat at the
window in her own dainty morning
room up stairs or lowered over the
boxes of flowers on the balcony, her
eyes were drawn as If by spell to a
grassy knoll few yards distant topped
10y two tall twin elms. Below, 1T the
land fell away to rich, fertile valley
and then far off in the distant west
swelled upward again to dim, purple
heights. No other point on the large
estate commanded just such ravish-
ing prospect as that framed by the
dropping branches of the old elms, and
her first feeling of disagreeabe sur
prise at finding silent occupant al
ready in possession was presently sue
ceeded by a lively resentment.
What a capital place 1t would be to
assemble her future house parties for
afternoon tea! What delicious out
of door parlor could be made there!
But, no; the presence of the garden
mound with the weather stained slat
of marble at its head put all plans OF
that sort out of the question. The
more she reflected upon 1t the greater
grew her annoyance until she coule
think or speak of little else, to her hus
bands bewilderment and chagrin.
When he had smiled at her 30 indul
gently after her wistful "Oh, Robert!'
an idea darted into her mind, at whicl
She took new heart
Surely something can be done abou
/ it!' she murmured, appealing to him
"Well, what, my dear? To be sure
we can have the house turned to fac
another way"
THAT would be lodging the Difficult
ty, and we should be not much bette
oft. Why can't you have the grave re
moved? / have read OF such things be
ing done, and there was a pretty littl
cemetery we passed on the way fror
the station. / have no doubt the res
OF his people are buried in 1t"
Leonard looked wonderingly at tn
sweet, fair face upturned to him an
. listened more wonderingly still to TIL
hard matter of factness of her voic'
!. Were all women such mysteries? TIL
= /. intricacies of organic chemistry wer
8 as nothing to tho complex structure I
/ one feminine mind as 1T had alread
4 been revaeled in his brief matrimoni:
! experience.
Suppose we walk over to the knoll
y was all the answer he vouchsafe
!, "Remember. you have not seen it e'
/. cept from distance and perhaps IL
ii morbid constituencies you feel about
I may disappear when you find what
: peaceful. pleasant spot 1T is"
i mo, moi" cried Cynthia, shrinkir
r back. But he caught her and swept h
e after him, half laughing, half seriou
II down the steps and across the SUM
e sward.
n Peaceful and pleasant it certain
" was in the cool shadows of the gre
# trees, where the liquid note of Woo
II thrush drifting downward through u
i boughs was the only sound that brol
the stiffness. The professor dropp'
on,his knees before the headstone par
ing the grasses that had grown up al
- hidden the name cut upon 1T.
- ABNER PETT1S,
20 Died May l6, 1862.
=. Aged 20.
-. 70 he read, then added quietly as II
l. himself, "a soldier, maybe.
T. Wait. There's something more
RS said Cynthia, who was poking the
d Of her little shoe deep down among t
y. clover blooms.
40 Leonard pushed aside the thick tut
ii. of green and, standing out in lare
letters, saw the one significant word
an epitaph:
"COwARD!"
III The hot blood rushed singing to
e. checks as he released the mercil
T. leaves and blossoms that sprang ba
he into place, shutting out the dead ma
he shame.
y. What does that mean?" asked Cy
he thia in a hushed tone. awed not
~. much by the inscription as by her h,
a. bands emotion. He moved away fir
en- the grave a step or two and. seat
at himself in the long grass, drew
cs down to his side.
"a ut means that we can't be blind
,ul the sorrows and sadness of other liv
little one. They rise up and confr'
us wherever we go. Very likely
shall never know anything more abb
Abner Pettis than we know now,
In. this glimpse of his history is enou
an to convince me there must have b.
v a reason why they laid him in t
Ct lovely spot. And 1 am sure 1T was
re- his own desire. Dear, you can't grut
~ IL to him"
in II don't know" returned Mrs. l.
A nard slowly 1T seems to me &C
ID ard is q pretty poor specimen of
lin lnanity. And to have 1t on his tor
HI stone, too!