Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-07-31
How Grandmother Came Home
001HEN the railroad came to

00$1HEN the railroad came 10
WW CrestOn Grandmother Wheel
0S er's heart almost broke. Not
that the dear old lady was opposed TO
progress--thOugh perhaps her dehni-
ton of the term differed tride from
that accepted by younger and more
matter-of- fact generation; but what
ever her private opinion as to the COM
parative merits Of the stage coach ana
the modern Pullman as means or
travel, it was not the mere advent or
the railroad that stirred her wonder
and resentment. These emotions were
due to the fact that the big, powerful
company wanted the ground on which
her home had stood for over forty
years, and that the cleaning rails
which she could not help thinking had
an uncanny and almost evil look. were
actually to run through her Hover gar
den. AS for the lilacs and the currant
bushes. and the big naples which shad-
ed the house. she could not trust her
self to think of their fate.
So Grandmother Wheeler wept ana
wrung her hands. and her heart was
near breaking.
Her son. Wellington Wheeler, who
lived in the big city, fifty miles from
Creston, was not sorry for the innova-
ton. 1t had long been a real trial to
him that his mother insisted on re-
naming in the little house where her
husband had died. instead of enjoying
h., nf l.; Il
at breakfast one morning he read her
pathetic letter, telling him what SEEM
ed likely to occur. and asking if moth
ing could be done to prevent it, he
smiled like a man we'll pleased.
THE dear old lady will have to come
to us now" he said, land be made COM
Portable in spite OF herself"
But his daughter Florence looked
grave. She understood better than her
father did the pain in that fond cling
ing heart.
When it had been cOnclusively proved
that the railway company was not to
be induced to alter its mind, Grand
mother Wheeler bravely submitted to
the inevitable, as she had done scores
of times before in her long life. And
now that her change of abode was
only few weeks in the future, Flor
ence's face took on an expression OF
great thoughtfulness
Did you ever notice." she asked her
brother Carlton, one evening, that my
room is almost the shape Of grandma's
sitting room, only it's little larger
and higher posted, and has more win
dows"
Carlton reflected. IL hadn't thought
about it before, but l guess you're
right"
IF there We're only door leading to
the small north chamber" Florence
continued the two would have just
the same position as her sitting room
and the little downstairs bedroom"
Il don't see quite what you're getting
at, sis" said Carlton, humbly. He was
we'll trained brother. Though fire.
quently he was unable to grasp his sis
ter's plans until they were explained to
him in detail, he never failed to admire
and approve. Nor was this instance
any exception to the general rule,
though he did say doubtfully once:
1T seems Il pity for you to give up
a room you like so we'll"
And Florence made haste to reply:
"You don't suppose that Ill mind that,
do you, if only we can make her hap
py?"
When Mr.. Wheeler was asked to
have a door cut from Florence's room
into the north chamber. he opened his
eyes rather widely: and when she ex-
planned further he said that she had
too many notions in her head for a sen
sible girl. And then Florence eagerly
proceeded to convince him that she was
right. and Mr.. Wheeler listened slipping
his coffee and feeling on the whole
rather proud of daughter who in
stead of crying or sulking over not get
ting her own way. sweetly set to work
to reason him into her own way of
thinking. The result of her conference
was that Florence was not only given
permission to have the door cut
through, but to make any alteration she
thought advisable.
The most important Of these was the
modification of the gas CRATE Grand
mother Wheeler had told Florence in
confidence that it made her feel creepy
to see fire blazing away and never
burning anything but itself. So in place
of the convenient and modern CRATE
was substituted a fair imitation Of the
one beside which grandmother's rookie,
had swayed and creaked for forty
years. The chandelier came down, too
because grandmother could not under
stand how people preferred to turn q
button and have the room suddenly
illuminated. for all the world like tn,
work of witches. rather than to scratch
a match and light lamp in the goot
old-fashioned way. Moreover, she knew
that the much-praised electric light,
were own cousins to the lightning, anC
rho fo1t c1ro that SOOnpr Or later Tho,