Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-11-10
HER PIN X
WRAPPER
NJ STELLA BELDING

r HERE Is a place where the leaves
grow more profoundly green IN
Summer, redder and more golden IN
autumn, and where the brilliant eterni-
ty of sky is OF deeper sapphire hue
Thus is slumbrous Greenton Valley.
Here tiny cottage stood, white and
rose empowered, idyllic, poetic, anu
charged with the gentle Virginian grace
of ancient Italy. 1t was set In garden
laid off with academic primness. yell
low dwarf roses reared their idle
creamy heads beside such lurid enects
Of nature as red and white chrySantne-
NUNS; sisterhood Of passionate red
dahlias Haunted away in the sunshine
opposite nunlike lilies; and an intinlty
of little ox-eyed pansies made for Dor
ders. 1t was most delectable garuen
indeed.
Sweet Ernestine Tebbs looked up
from her gardening, prettily perple1eo'
as Col. Sam Raphael Bell shut the aD-
surd toy Of a white gate with an an
nouncing click. Everything was on a
doll-like. miniature scale.
Ernestine's fingers were buried In the
rich, clean loan. BY her side huge
pair of shears lay, the only thing OF
consequential size about the place. She
raised her hand and pushed back her
hair from her forehead, and settled the
Tapping proportions Of her garden hat
on the crown Of her head. The colonel
thought gardening such a pretty, pretty
pastime.
81 see you've had your shutters
painted" remarked the colonel, with
originality.
"Um-um, yes" faltered Ernestine,
with streak of the same element.
Then she added, softly: 81 did It,"
The colonel laughed his hearty, regi-
mental laugh, and flushed rather under
the healthy tan of his skin.
81 must confess you made striking
success Of It," he said, letting his eyes
wander over the six gingerbread win
dows of this doll house. Everything
was so delightfully."-, ridiculously, alb
surdly neat and tidy and clean and
prim. And the girl before him was re-
markably pretty, with her fresh morn
ing face, her silky fawn-brown hair, and
her long, fiowerlike hands that now lay
loosely clasped over her dimpled knees.
The morning wrapper she wore was
worthy of being called an invention
and it was a product Of her own
Imagination. 1t was crisp and very
pink and clean, with an infnfty Of loops
and bows and ruffles, and last, but not
least, a honeycomb yoke and peekaboo
sleeves. Ernestine was also the author
of her hat.
This delicious precision and tldiness
about the doll house was balm upon the
cleanly, order-loving soul Of Col. Bell
I'm really Just curious enough to
want to know how you managed, Miss
Ernestine," he said, expanding his mill
tary chest with the clean, fresh air Of
Greenton Valley, as he seated himself
beside Ernestine.
She bit in her under lip There was
an almost dangerous sweetness lurking
about the corners Of her round mouth.
Suddenly she laughed outright, and
dropped her head, burying her charm.
ing, dimplIng face In her rosy hands.
"oh! I'm almost ashamed to tell you,
she said. hardly audible. ITS so RI
diculous, but then It seems TO me that
everything that happens during thest
summers here is ridiculous"
Miss Ernestlne," said the colonel
with JUNCTION. 81 promise to keep per
fectly sober"
p well. then. I'll tell you"
She sighed delectable little dirlinI
Sigh that thrilled straight through thu
colonel and finally lodged in his heart
The yellow. impslpable sunshine bea
down upon them, and over them brood
ed the eternity Of lustrous sapphire sky
"You see it's Just this way" begar
Ernestine ~there are only two Of Us
Of course. and my lister. being pas
mistress Of e1pedients and strategy
suggested that we make q SteplRdder o
eur household goods, So we pile,
chairs and tables up from the Frounr
and down from the windows. and I stoo,
/ a, fhnaa ara kaiA a. fha frsr,a whna