The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-28
A May Day Memory.
BY ELEANOR HOLLAND.

The Brandeths always began cleaning house at tho top, coming down from pe garrct and so on through the front chambers. In any one of which a eorpss noticcdown stairs, through the, parIer with It's hair-cioth furniture-snd ngnt on ont at tine back door-thcn. as inc grand finale. the cfllar. ,,,. .raar .s procedure and rise in t1e west ara sft in the cast--5ut the Brandefhs-nefef changed.
 So. Miss Myra began as her foremot5er before her. at the top. l nope .no moths have gotten in she said to hsr- self as she pulled oEt from under me rsfters a horse-hair trunk of diminunve dimensions. On the cover. put m ~n1 B.--Zarab Brandethher great, great srsndfather. She began to unpack the contents She had unpacked and packed this trunk every spring and fa,i TOT ;sh,1 iwen- and always put the things back in the same order in which her mother had packed them the spring before she d,ed.
 First came her own christening dress. then box containing Brother siias baby shoes. then. carefully wrapped tbs China crepe shawl sailor uncle nao brought to her mother SO many years ago. then box irrevercntly labeled "Myra's Trash"
 That label, placed there by her mother so many years before. always had the effect of keeping Myra from opening the box. Trash" terribly uncompromis- ing. word that. and she felt as she read It for the fortieth time-two houseclean- fnEs year for twenty years make forty that no doubt she had been a great trial to her sainted mother: frivolous and gid dy probably, but-"it was 8 happy tirne she said to herself as her thoughts ran back over. those few years to girlhood usually allowed when, as the poet said New England airs had given her cheeks,
 Their faint sweet tint of rose.
 New England skies. and hills, and trees.
 Bound all the world she knows"
 She had been a pretty girl. a very pretty one. but time and a starved heart had not helped to preserve her pretti- ness-thsy are not the best preservatives
 She united the box labeled "Myra's s Trash for at thirty-eight one is able to look calmly upon the evidences of youthful levity and for the first time in twenty wears its contents saw the light of day. Nothing very alarming or sinful "a few letters. the first story. book she ever possessed. pair of bright plaid sirIhood' and. last of aI. a basket where in were stiII some withered flowers
 ~sShe did not recognize this last as any thing that had ever belonged to her. It was so long since she had st either CT. hhnS hn S almost forgotten there was such thing. This evidently had been very pretty one for the sides were ornamcnted with ribbon woven in and out. now so faded that you could oniv guess at the color. but it had been pale blue. the lover own color. and the flowers that crumbled and gave out shostly fragrance when she disturbed them looked like withered forget-me-nots. What prompted Miss Myra to stir them up and poke among them--these entoers of an almost forgot ten past? She. could never have told why but she did so. half expecting to find something there-and she did. Yes. there at the bottom. tucked in where no one could possibly find 1t till the basket had been emptied of it's fragrant con- tents, lay a little note. With fingers all trembling and her breath coming fast, she unfolded the little yellow paper. and. leaning toward the window for light to help her suddenly dimmed eyes. her heart strings so frightened that she felt they must surely snap she read Dear Myra, when I hang this on your door to. night hang with 1t all ny hopes Of Of earthly happiness. I am going away to he a sailor. If you love me. hang a May basket or even single flower at my