The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-09-23


slow establishment. They were as blue
as the cornfowers of her fatherland.
"Why, there isn't any one to write"
she said.
"Thinkv' insisted Lottie. "Some rel
alive, some
A sudden light broke over Tildy's
face, dimpling it and making it almost
pretty for a moment. 1--WE got one
relative" she ventured softly. Hes
a young brother. But he's in Ger
many, and 1 never saw him. He doesn't
write to me-"
Lottie ceased questioning and hand
ed her the letter. 81 guess you have
heard from him." she surmised Per
haps he is coming to see you"
Her last conjecture proved to be a
true one. Tildy's brother was on the
ocean even then. In a few days the
ship that was bringing him would ar
rive.
Tidy occupied peculiar position in
the Wilton home. She was not exact
ly servant and certainly not mem
Der Of the family. When the children
were robbed of both parents in one
short year it had been her presence,
like a stanch sail, that had borne
them through the troubled waters.
Another letter came to Tidy in a
few days, but this one was addressed
by another hand, and not German
one. It was written by the superin-
tendent Of a great hospital in New
York Karl Schneider, Tldy's broth
er. had arrived in America very Ill.
The note gave no particulars, but re-
quested that Tidy come to her broth
er as quickly as possible.
She read the letter in the linen
closet, where Lottie found her a few
moments later sitting on the floor with
her face buried in her hands. The
sight of her forlorn, motionless figure
was shock to the girl. Tildy's face
when she raised it looked pitifully
strange. The Wiltons had seen it
bright with smiles many times, but
never tear stained. All through that
afternoon, when the girls helped to get
together the few possessions which
Tidy needed for the journey to her
brother, she seemed to their startled
fancy another person They were all
conscious Of a grave respect for her
that they had not known before.
A farmer who lived up the road had
offered to drive Tidy to the station.
All the Wiltons hurried down the
driveway with her and stood beside
the stone wall when she went away.
Not until the farmer, In his high bug
gy, had taken her from view did re-
grets occur to mar the peace Of those
left behind
"You might have driven her down
yourself, jack" Lottie said reproving-
ly as cloud Of dust faded in the dis
lance.
"You ought to have kissed her." he
retorted, with pang Of indignation.
Tidy, seated alone and feeling very
sad, noticed that the cars were filled
with good natured people returning
from some excursion. The new scenes
and the flying, unfamiliar landscape
might have made this red letter day
In her career If her errand had been
happier one and her heart had been
less anxious.
Poor Tidy! The world seemed a
very wide one as she hurried on and
the strangers jostled her rudely and
impeded her way when she timidly
pushed through the great station. But
at last she stood beside Karl's bed in
q long, window dotted room. Then
the universe seemed bounded by the
walls that closed about the slender
lad. She forgot everything else while
she hung over him and held his hand
In tender clasp.
He spoke but few words to her,
for his days were ebbing fast. At the
close of week his short Sojourn in q
foreign land had nearly ended, and one
evening, still holding his sisters hand
and smiling in her face, he started on
another journey. This time Tildy's
brother found his way to happier
shore.
Several days passed before Tidy,
stunned and helpless, reused herself to
think of the familiar routine Of duty.
She was too much wearied to summon
thoughts, but at last she did write a
short note to Lottie in which she spoke
Of returning to the W1tons and touch
ed upon her loss In a quiet, unottru-
sive way. 1t was a labored epistle,
which cost poor Tidy much effort, and
was written with lead pencil. But
Lottie forgot to make even smiling
criticism upon it, and the humble sheet
of paper seemed to her to hold some
element that made it eloquent.
All the family gathered In the sit
ting room to hear this letter read
The elder sister delivered it with a
gravity that made Tildy's words dou-
bly, impressive. A startled trio stared
at her as she rose after it was finished
'I tell you," she said with sob. 'ft's
shame-a perfect shame!"
Jack and the little girls sank back in
their seats, weakly surrendering before
her sweeping assertion. 1t never &C.
CURED to them to question what she
meant. Something In her manner made
them understand. They had felt the
unwritten pathos of Tndy's note, and
it hurt them vaguely, but they natu-
rally recoiled from Lottie's next words.
"She's been sort of slave to u.s."
she said quietly, and this idea, hurled
SO suddenly, smote the listeners like a
blow. From nearly every corner Of
the room some reminder Of Tildy's
faithfulness twinkled before their eyes