Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-08-12

As he laid aside the batch Of letters,
Grandfather Hilditch sighed.
Here, jamie, don't you want to read
1hem2" he asked the young girl, who
sat at his feet reading her own mail.
'SThe weekly budget from the uncles
and aunts7 We are a methedical fam
: ely, aren't WEI Your children are faith
9ul about these Monday letters, aren't
they, grandpa7 I know that every Sun
day father reminds mother to write.
He isn't much Of a hand at letters,
but he certainly wants you to hear
from US, and mother has so much
time"
"Yes, the children are all good about
writing. It is a habit they learned
when they were away at school," re-
piled grandfather, and again he sighed
almost imperceptlbly. Janet locked at
him curIously, and then began with the
letters.
She read them through, and then
read them again. There was one from
her own mother, hoping that Father
Hilditch was quite well, and that
Janet's visit of week would not prove
troublesome to him. She concluded
with the information that all were
well, that the weather was unsettled
b Atlanta, and that there Yves no news
OF interest
There was a six-line note from Uncle
Sam, stating that 1t was rainy In Jack
sonville, and the mosquitoes still bad,
but that all were well. No other news
Of interest.
Aunt Isabel wrote briefly that she
was suffering from a cold, that they
were having lovely weather in Ashe-
Vile, and that nothing worth mention
had transplred since her last
Uncle Toms letter was comprised
within a very few typewriter sen
fences, hoping that his father was well
and comfortable, and requesting to be
notified at once should there be any
thing to the contrary. He added that
his family was well, and taking advan-
tRge OF the fine autumn weather to
make a little cruise with some friends
III LuC4A NQNnAs 4ICIC was uOtA1uA C40S
worth telling, except what father had
already seen in the newspapers.
Grandfather Janet sat up very
straight, after a few moments Of deep
consideration. al wonder what people
8hink they mean when they say, No
news OF interestP"
"Eh?" He laid down the paper and
regarded her over his glasses. "News,
you say, honey?"
Yes, news. These letters seem to
have so little in them"
"Oh, yes, yes. Except for the dates,
they are pretty much the same every
week, but 1 am so thankful to hear
from the children, and to know that
they think enough Of me not to neglect
to write on the appointed day. have
good children-and good grandchildren,
TOO" He smiled at her. II tell you, it
pleased me nightly that my young
lady granddaughter should come to the
old place In the country in her round
Of visits, when the other places are all
DO gay and lively for young folks"
ct think 1t Is lovely here" replied
Janet, absently; and then, returning
10 the subject OF the letters, do you
write every week to the others, as you
90 to us at homer"
"Oh, yes, indeed" said grandfather;
and then he proceeded to look over
The death notices in his paper.
Janet sat with folded hands, trying to
remember just what was in those thin
letters that came weekly to her home,
tn their ready-stamped envelopes. 1t
had been a good while since she had
even taken the trouble to glance over
enc Of them, and she knew how careless
the others Of her family were. On
Tuesdays her father would ask at din
ner, Hear from father this mornlng?"
Yes, he is quite WELL" her mother
would answer. There was nothing
else OF any Importance" And yet
Janet recalled that the homely epistles
told Of the thriving and garnering Of
crops on the old farm, OF neighborhood
happenings, OF the hOusekeeper's trlb-
ulatiOns with her feathered fiocks, and
Of the outlook for the cattle and swine
little things, that made up so much
or life to the lonely old man, who pre-
ferred the independence OF his own
vine and fig-treo to a place in his chill
dren's homes.
rAnd these didn't tell him a single