The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-09-15

6 ~ s silence and isolation like
4 Il the relic of a long dead
Ro~ past. Not the abandoned
relic, however, for the hand of pains
taking florist and gardener was in evil
dence in the little yard on which the
house fronted.
In spite of tie flowers, however,
there was such an atmosphere Of sa-
cred quiet about the house that except
for the presence of tabby cat on the
step, it would have seemed to be unin-
habited. But any urchin along the
street could have told you who lived
there; it was Miss Phoebe" while the
question, "How long has she lived
there?'' would invariably have brought
the answer, "She's always lived there"
Just across the road from Miss Phoe-
be's residence stood a plain, grim, old
two-story building, whose front door
step abutted on the pavement. As Of
the other house across the way, any
one in the neighborhood could have
told you who the occupant was, and
Of him, too, would have said that he
had always lived there.
Certainly every morning for more
than twenty-five years Mr.. Lorton had
been seen to issue from his front door
punctually at Z o'clock, in order to
ride to the station in the old bus
which passed at that hour. And from
her window Miss Phoebe had watched
his departure each morning, and not
ed his return at evening, by the faint
glow of a light through the chinks of
the ever-cloSed blinds.
Thus had passed twenty-five years.
when one morning there occurred an
unprecedented break in the chain
forged by long habit; the old bus
passed down on its Z O'clock trip, and
Mr.. Lorton failed to make his appear
ance. Naturally, Miss Phoebe was
moved from her wonted placidity, as
one planet in system is disturbed by
the least erratic movement Of another
In its orbit.
All through the long hours Of the
morning she watched the door of the
house across the street for the appear
ance Of its owner, but at last she was
forced to conclude that some import
ant engagement must have called him
forth before the fixed hour Of his ris-
Ing.
Late in the afternoon she went about
the garden attending the flowers with
her usual care. There was small
square hole in the side of one of the
gateposts, where pair Of the prettiest
of the biue-coated songsters had nest
ed every year, feeling secure from mo-
lestation under Miss Phoebe'S kind
" protection.
From time to time Miss Phoebe
glanced at the closed house over the
way. It was. silent and still. 1t was
not yet time 70: the return Of Mr..
Loring, If he had gone away that
morning.
While Miss Phoebe was leaning
against the little gate, her spirit drift
ingswith the gentle current Of happy
memories, she was suddenly startled
from her dreamland voyage by a
strange noise in the post at her side.
Quickly she glanced around, just in
time to see a rat leap from the little
square hole in the post, dragging with
it to the ground the debris of a blue
birds nest of the season past. The
agile rodent scampered away among
the ground Clinging vines, and Miss
Phoebe stopped down to pick up the
nest. It seemed the first time that the
little square hole had ever been emp
.ty; and as she rose she stopped to
peer into the long-inhabited shelter of
the nesting birds. now cleared of its
little specimen Of bird architecture.
AS she glanced into the cavity, her eye
caught sight of some wlite object far
back in its depths. After trying in vain
to make out what it was, she picked
up a little stick, and thrusting it into
the hole, encountered-what? 1t
seemed only a piece of waste paper.
yet at the .sight of it Miss Phoebe
Strengthened up and leaned forward
with one elbow placed on top of the
old fence post, while her breath came
and went in little quick gasps.
With an effort she reused herself,
and this time dragged the little paper
from the hole. Perhaps the bluebirds
had carried it in. and, finding it un-
available for their use. had pushed it
to the rear out of their way. At any
rate, it had evidently lain there for
many years, as the curves of the wa"
ter marks were brown with age. Half
eagerly. half fearfully. she unfolded
the little sheet, and, although the twi-
light was deepening, and Miss Phoe-
be's eyes were not as strong as they
once were. she read on til, the last