The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-12-05
THE STONE FIREPLACE.

THE STONE FIREPLACE.
AS far as the eye could see, stretch
ed the limitless expanse of snow.
Miss Frazier, pacing from window to
window of her little cottage, felt i'm
prisoned.
"Oh, pussy cat, pussy cat," she
said to the cat curled up on the win
dow seat, 81 shall die of loneliness.
The cat gave sleepy attention, and
Miss Frazier shook her gently. "Of
course you don't care," she said,
"but who could have believed that
snow and cold weather would have
come so early. And all the other
cottagers have gone back to town.
But I can't. My rent is paid for six
months and I can't afford to lose it."
Once more she began her excited
walk across the floor, while the cat
went to sleep, and deadly quiet reign
ed. At last Miss Frazier could stand
it no longer. She put on her hat and
coat and a pair of rubbers. Pausing
on the threshold as she went out, she
addressed the cat theatrically:
"Sleep on" she said, 81 go to seek
my fortune,' and she houndered
through the snow to the gate.
The road, deep with drifts, offered
new discouragements. Miss Frazier's
long skirts dragged and grew heavy,
and at last she stopped and sobbed
aloud, 81 can't go on.
Help came in the person of little
man in high boots, who appeared from
the other side of the drift.
"Got stuck, did yer" he asked,
cheerily. "Well, you ought ter stay
ed at home. 'Taint weather for VIM
men to be out"
Miss Frazier looked at him haugh-
tily. In her code there was no place
for bad grammar, and, besides as a
spinster of spirit, his reproof grated
on her.
"Women can't stay in and die of
loneliness" she told him stif1y.
The little man looked at her with
sympathetic grey eyes. Lonesome,
was YEP" he said. "Well, now,
that's too bad.'
His sympathy warmed the cookies
of Miss Frazier's heart. 1t was so
long since anyone had cared. The
last of her family, she had taught
school in a big city until i'll health
had forced her to resign. Then she
rented the little cottage at the un-
fashionable resort, and had prepared
to live there for six months, hoping
for the benefits of the fresh air and a
free life. There nad been other cot
tagers near, but they had their own
interests, so that even in the warmer
months Miss Frazier had been lonely,
and now that snow had come, her
situation seemed unbearable.
There were tears in her eyes as she
stood there, forlorn and cold in the
drift, and the little man said again,
"Well, now, that's too bad. You d
better get into the house. You will
ketch cold"
81 hate the house," said Miss Fra
zier fercely. "There isn't soul
there but the pussy cat"
''I live up at the farm" he inform
ed her. "I'm the new manager, and
there amt anybody there but lot of
men and colored woman to cook for
us. There's a great deal of work,
you know
Miss Frazier didn't know, but she
found herself listening eagerly to his
talk of Guernsey cattle, and Of blue
ribbon horses, with all the rest of the
homely farm details.
The little man helped her up the
path and landed her on her own door
step safely. In spite of the biting air
he jerked off his cap as he bade her
goodbye"
"Come in" she urged. "Oh,
please come in. I don't think I can
stand it to face thepussy cat all alone"
His kindly blue eyes smiled at her.
"Id like to come in" he said 'Taint
very sociable up at the farm"
Th e little room was cherries
enough.
Miss Frazier's ginger jars and Mexi-
can hats had been artistic summer
accessories, but in the gray light of
the snowy day they merely served to
emphasize the bleakness. In the
stone fireplace was bunch of gold
en-rod gone to seed. The only warmth
came feebly from rickety old stove
in the summer kitchen.
"Why amt you got fire in the
fireplace 7" the little man demanded
as he surveyed the cavernous struc-
ture.
"I haven't any wood" shivcred
Miss Frazier. "I-I couldn't get
any,"
Perhaps he read in her hesitation
a confession of poverty, but he did
not ask any more questions.
"I'll be back in minute,' he said
pre- sently, and he went out, and when
he returned he was bending Atlas
like under the weight of great log
that had lain for days by the road
side.
"There," he said, as he deposited
it in the fireplace, ''if you will take
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