The Democratic advocate., 1909-08-13

clave to send Hilda to the country
for the summer.
Hilda was not In decline. Her ap-
petite was good. What troubled her
father and mother was to find that
Hilda was In love.
John Wayne. her father, was law
yer of note, and when the ease" was
put into his hands by the mother he
handled 1t like lawyer. In this In
stance he constituted himself counsel.
judge and jury, and the verdict was
that Miss Hilda was to be packed or
to the home Of a maiden aunt In the
country for three months.
The mother doubted. but the father
was confident Hilda had only reach
ed the childish age Of nineteen. This
affair was only triHe. Aunt Judith
was an old maid and had no sympathy
with such nonsense and would give
the girl sage advice. That conclave.
consisting mostly Of the father. set
tied things In half an hour. There Is
popular complaint about the laws de-
lay, but there are times when 1t moves
very swiftly.
Hilda was not told in so many words
why she was packed or to summer
with the geese and bumblebees and
milkweeds. but she had her suspicious
She knew nothing whatever of law.
but she at once set TO work to beat
the lawyer Aunt Judith was grim
and watchful and unsympathetic and
held Cupid In contempt. and that was
where her case was weak. Within
week Of Hilda's arrival, by means of
the towheaded boy on the next farm.
the girl was receiving and sending let.
ters
The aunt had figured it out to her
self that her niece would sulk for
about four weeks and that she would
have to read her at least a dozen lee.
lures. She was thus ngreeabIy dis.
appointed when Hllda did not sulk
Out In thu orchard. under an apple
tree. rested an old soap box. Twice =
week the towheaded boy came skulk
ing across The fields TO leave letters
under that box and take away those
he found there. He was receiving 10
cents letter. sind he had career be.
fore him. The soap box was not quite
as romantic as a silver chest would
have been. but II was n fairly safe
postoffice.
BY and by letter told that Walter
Allen would have his two weeks vaca-
ton beginning at certain date and
that certain event might be expected
to happen. This letter was worth an
extra dime TO HIlda, and she conscien.
tiously left the same under the box
when she replied. She also sang 30
often and was so cheerful In and out
Of the house that Aunt Judith held
conclave with herself and amusingly
announced to the audience that wasn't
there:
II have delivered only three lectures
on the foolishness of calf love and the
duty OF children to their parents. but
they have been sufficient TO open the
dear girls eyes and make a different
being OF her"
An hour before dark one summer even.
Ing Hilda was asked if she wanted 20
carry berry pie to a poor old woman
living in cottage half mile down the
road. HlIda did, and she was hum
ming to herself as she set out II was
by this very road that within day or
two she might expect - But she
had to carry that berry pie very care
fully and not expect too much.
Between her aunt's home and the old
woman's was deserted farmhous,
standing close to the highway. Win.
dows and doors were gone, the roof
falling In and the yard grown up 10
weeds. The towheaded boy could have
told Hilda that It was haunted house
and that ghosts had been seen troop
ing In and out.
One can't simply hand in berry pie
to a poor old woman and then rush
away. She must be questioned about
her rheumatism and other ailments
and cheered up to live another twenty
years. BY the time the good Samaritan
was ready TO say goodby it was dark
She hadn't paid any attention to the
sunset and the gathering clouds, and
she had hardly gone ten rods when n
big raindrop struck her cheek. She be
gan to run, but the drops came faste-
and faster. and by the time she had
reached the deserted house she was
drenched and thought only Of finding
shelter until the worst Of the storm
was passed.
Hilda thought OF ghosts as soon as
she was under shelter. but, owing to
the leaks In the roof. she had TO move
back until she was against the wall Of
what had once been the large front
room Of the house. There she covered
and trembled and shook and wept. II
she was heroine she didn't know IL.
Ten-twenty-thIrty minutes passed
and then ghost walked. Despite th2
noise Of the downpour, Hilda heard
that ghost plow its way through the
tangled and sodden weeds before the
door and enter It shook itself like y
wet dog. II muttered. The water
from its soaked garments dripped on
the floor The girl had mover divided
the ghost family into wet and dry. but
now she needed no outsiders assur-
ance that she was in the presence Of
wet ghost. She was speechless with
terror until she heard the ghost softly
moving iu her direction to get away
from the leaks. Then she suddenly
screamed out:
"Are you n ghost?"
mo. Are you?" came the reply.
''Theu who are youp'
"And who are your"
"Oh. Walter, II must be g1dF
1t was not a ghost that reached out