Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-05-21

progress secretly from the safe shelter
If the window curtain and did not seem
to miss her maps at all.
The local correspondent OF the weekly
paper became commercially active. and
soon the following notice appeared;
MANY PUBLIC SPIRITED CITIZENS.
Actuated probably by his noble mothers
| splendid deeds, our worthy and esteemed
| fellow citizen Mr. Jonathan Barflett. is
) erecting a beautiful structure on a lot be.
| longing TO his wife. The grounds adioip
Bartlett's mother, and the friends she has
| so generously gathered about her The
| new building will De a fitting twin to the
already popular home Mr.. Bartlett dp.
| signs the new building for an old mens
| home, and we understand from reliable in
| forma tion, that applications have already
been made for admittance.
The correspondent had interviewed
Bart. Mrs. Tracey saw the notice in the
paper, and went into grandmother's
room to read it to her
do tell" said the cd lady. calmly,
when she had fnished Il can't find my
| thimble: have you seen it ?" Mrs Tracey
curbed her enthusiasm till she reached
more congenial company.
| Next day the paper could not be
found No one dreamed of asking Mar
tina Bartletts motherin-law for it, nor
did anyone know that the clipping lay
carefully preserved in her diary.
| Early the next spring, when the build
| ing was finished, there was a great dedi-
cation The old men who were to live
there-they made a goodiy showing, too
sat in the front seats: there was a
band; there were speeches by every one
who thought himself entitled to make
speech; there was even a photographer
sent down from the city paper to take
| pictures for an article to be printed in
the Sunday edition.
! Jonathan, driving Martha to the exer-
cises, cast wistful gances at the Peas
lee place Il wish mother'd answer the
letter | sent her. he sighed; "I'd like
to have her there today"
| "Oh, | guess she'll Gomez answered
Martha; "she never was any hand to
write. The house is all shut up, YOU
see. Probably they're all over there by
this time. | got belated in starting, you
know"
Nevertheless. her heart was heavy as
she spoke, and she fancied she saw
curtain drawn aside. The Bartlett feud
and the cause of it were no secrets in
the village now. The very question that
1 Hbo WI lllS UOHdjudil Hdu CAUSED
every man, woman and child who could
get there to be present at the exercises.
| Would the old lady Bartlett come to
the dedication? No one but she herself
| knew, and she had kept her own coun-
sci.
Jonathan lifted Martha out of the
democrat amidst the cheers of the
crowd waiting about the steps. The
n nh 81 /,
era focused on the entrance. He lifted
the black cloth and his head disap-
peared from view as she turned to enter
the building. The crowd cheered madly
the small boys shrilled and yelled
Martha hurried to get away from it.
| Her eyes blurred with tears and she
stumbled up the steps At the top she
ran blindly into little old woman, who
seized her in outstretched arms. The
crowd saw. and the cheering broke out
afresh The photographer emerged from
! his tent, gave quick glance, and de-
cIded to go IN again.
| Everyone saw-everyone understood
everyone was glad, but no one except
| Martha happy Martha now, though the
tears ran fast down her cheeks-heard
the words of Grandmother Bartlett.
Martha Bartlett, you've done a noble
deed you didn't do it for spite
either, same as l did An Martha
daughter homes a nice place, but it
amt like own folks Have you fur
nished my room.
| Jonathan had left the horse unhitehed
and dashed up the steps, two at a time
He took mother and wife in his arms
The crowd went mad. The photographer
smiled with satisfaction and folded his
tent.
Jonathan put his hand in his pocket.
He pressed something into his mothers
hand.
"Here's your key, mother" he said
simply, I've been carryin' it till you
should want it,
And all the while Bart Hackett danced
wildly up and down, shouting unheard
among the tumult. whats going on?
formation, can't somebody tell me what's
goin' on?"
As jonathan drove slowly and happily
homeward, perched precariously on the
edge of the scat between the two wom-
en-, he heard Martha explaining, You
know, mother, faint all done yet Just
as soon as it's graded and seeded I'm
going to plant some scarlet runners I'M
der the windows"
He was nearly pushed off the seat as
grandma'am turned to face her sons
wife.
'Marthy Bartlett, you don't know an
earthly thing about plantin' scarlet run
ners. I'll do it myself-then they'll
grow. Bertha Currier Porter in the
Springfield Republican.
|