The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1904-12-31
BY MILDRED M'NEAL

six wears previous to this new year to-
DAY. IL didn't matter if it were nHe or
six,-or seven or eighL--sO long as you
subtracted four CT the years. The sig
nal code" was in the back of all the rest.
Desire turned the PAGES to ii with trem-
ulous fingers. She read il aloud as if 10
Roxy:
"Red-trouble. Come over.
"White-all's well.
"Blue-nothing but rheumatism. VIII
come over as soon as it clears on.
"Green-come TO tea. Have made pork
cake"
The little code" ran on through one
or two more cOlors. But Desires eyes
went back TO the first and third signals.
''Red-trouble. Come over" and then
the third with its quaint ending-Desire
smiled over that She and Delight had
always spoken OF their rheumatism as
clearing on" instead of getting well.
| She and Delight had always had rheuma-
tism; il had been strong connecting
! link between them always. Delight ha.
! inherited hers from her mother.-Desire
hers from her father. They used TO
| laugh and say they couldn't see that
there was much choice between the FEM
| mime kind and the masculine, Both Of
/ EN- hurt,
How often they used to laugh, That
was another connecting link. When they
were little bits. they had cried together
over their names and made long lists Of
he hoo fTr1
longed for on the walls of Delights shed
-Isobel.-Ethelind.- Jeanette
Mathilde,-how they had pored over the
lovely names and chosen" again and
again! But when they grew older, they
had laughed over the quaint old names
their mothers had put their heads to-
gether and given them. For they had
been named on the same day, when they
lay, little red-faced. squirming morsels
In the same big cradle. The mothers
had waited until they were a month old
and then met together for mutual coun-
sci.
"Red,-trouble Come over" Desire
shut up the diary sharply. but the words
kept saying themselves over and over to
her. She could not forget them. OF
course it was a spot in the red table
cloth. drying in the sun. but il kept on
saying: Trouble. Come over, ""Trou-
| BILE. Come overall the morning. II
! took the pleasure out of the sunshine and
/ clear. sweet air.-the soft. new-fallen
snow and the CHEEKY calls Of the chicka
| Gees.-out OF the whole bright New
Years day. Even Roxy could not settle
down to her alternate maps and placid
meditations in the sunny window. She
/ followed her uneasy mistress about.
uneasy. too. and full of wistful sympathy.
But Roxy was wise and said nothing
Some things tbs better not even to purr
to one another.
Four years ago a trivial misunder-
standing had separated these two lonely
women. 1t had not amounted to much in
the beginning.-a little grievance only.
but with true New England pertinacity
they had chung each to her own hurt.
nursing il into vigorous life. II was
four years old now. The narrow width
of a country roadway that ran between
the two little brown houses might have
Dee0 the DTedOIn OF Ine sea
In the early afternoon. Desire and
Roxy had New Years callers. The min
lister came first and prayed with them in
his simple. heartfelt way. He thanked
the Lord for peace and goodwill on
earth.-for the pleasant old year and
the beautiful beginning of the new one
It was a grateful. comforting prayer;
there was nothing in il about misunder-
standings and trouble and rheumatism
Then the doctors wife came in with
her baby, and stayed long enough &c
patch a pair of little stockings. Their
Mrs. Deacon Blinn came.-then Hosy
Todd's two little girls.-last of all, laugh
ing Jeffy Rand.
Merry Chris mean Happy New
Year" laughed Jeffy. Thought II
come an wish il. I've been to all the
his-side-o'-the-street houses up to here
an I'm comm back on the other side
'xceptin' shan't so to FOLLY Wallacei
house"
why net to Tolly's. Jeffy?"
! Jefy lauRhed.-he always laughed.
cause we've fell cut. IS he said, cheer
: lily. You 6on't so to folks houses you'v,
fell out with an wish EN- Happy New
: Years. do yorT"