Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-14


portunities Of his wife and daughter, who looked
away TO the prim little village down the Valley as
shining land Of leisure and OF possible social triumph
generously admitted. long ridge, some five hundred
feet high cut them off from the railway and all the
young people leaving by twos and threes, fast
they grew up and the roads very bad and vsi-
So at last he sighed and said All right mother we'll
go, but I'll declare hate to give up the farm-l don
know what in time I'll do with myself"
Stephen, now that he was about TO lose his treas
ures recalled Marhas delight she watched the work
set the old oaken slab in its place He re-ived the
party she gave when the first fire laid and thrilled
to remember how pretty she looked as she touched
match to the shavings and recited little verse from
The Hanging of the Crane" She cheerful and,
Stephen believed, happy; but when she went away he
began to realize that she had never really taken in
the West and now that he was growing old he him
self began to dwell more and more in the land Of his
youth, his thoughts returned often to his rocky New
Hampshire intervale
Yes, it was hardest of all to loose the tendrils Of
his heart from the hearth for though Serbia had re-
arranged and redecoraed after her own heart Martha
fireplace remained unchanged
"IIl let you have your way in most things Seriy,
but want this to look it does now, just as she
AS the time for the migration drew near, Stephen
stole away from the dsordered kitchen to sadly
before the fire He had consented to vandue,P and
was willing Serbia should sell all the furniture they
had except few pieces that had been AIarthas, and
as there was no demand for the irons \and brasses
around the fireplace he expected to box them up as
keepsakes
The cottage in town seemed to grow smaller after
they moved into it; but Serbia and Carss were de-
lighted with its snugness, and went about extong its
advantages" with fluent tongues It's small, OF
course; but what do we want with big house? It's
Just that much less work to take OF Besides here
we have pump right in the kitchen, and furnace
and bathroom, and everything IS as neat as PIN
no cracks or dark corners
By une he was settled into certain daily groove.
"You want to just lay back and rest said Hiram Fox
another of the plow that's what all the rest
town is full Of tired farmers like US"
Sometimes at night, when his wife thought him doz-
ing he really back in the old Cooy house watch
ing the blazing logs, his mind filled with decious sad,
ness, his eyes wet with tears What was it that had
gone out of his life? Here he sat in perfectly COM
Portable room possessing a horse and a carriage, with
an abundance to eat and cares-and yet the past
with all his toll called to him that his throat ached at
the thought of it. Oh if he could only re-live it all
In those dear days the wind fierce, the woods OF
Winter desolate; but Marthas face shone like star,
and the old heart rendered each night with his children
sweet. Hunger keen; but eating brought no i'll
He was loyal to Serbia, the mother OF his children;
but Martha the wife of his youth, the one chosen
wholly of his heart-and her fireplace came to typfy
all that was and most poetic in his life and IN
the lives Of his children 1t was an altar Around
thew had gathered when the corn cribbed and the
cattle housed for the night. In its light they had
danced when the threhng was over and at lhanksgY-
Il He 'slg: aToke with start.
"What will we do on Thanksgiving Day and at
Christmas" he asked one night We can't all get
into this little box OF place There amt room IN the
house we can all sit down in, and il we could, we'd
have nothing but hole in the floor to look at de-
clare it clean disheartens me.
Serbia was little dashed but replied, comfortably,
"Weu manage somehow guess. We can't have but
a part of the children at time, that's all We can bid
your folks for Thanksgiving and my folks for Christ
mas"
This ranked in Stephens mind and thereafter he de-
spsed his toy house. 1t a good enough tenement
place to rent for while but as home IN which to
grow old, it revolving in spite OF its shining paint
and spick and span new furniture.
In reality it held out charm no poetry no assoca-
tions it was as rectangular drygoods box, and as
hopelessly prosaic a golden oak wash-stand. A
child born in such house is cheated of its birthright
of dim wide rooms lit up by the dancing freight;
outside in the Wild wind-deprived of all shadow all
suggestion Something of this fitted through stephens
thought though he could not give It voice
Mother" he said one day. 3" l wish we had one
room big enough to turn round in and rag carpet and
some old-fashioned chairs and hreplace-
There you go again about that fireplace" exclaimed
his wife irritably. Nobody has freplaces now, and
how are you going to have big room in this house,
"Pu build one if you say so"
Nonsense This house is all right plenty big enough
for us-with Carss likely to 60 Off any minute And
as for THANKSGIVING and Christmas, can go to the
hotel and get dinner or take EN- in squads here at
home" ,,.,--..-..., .1. ,.o,,a,,. Al
at all It wouldn't seem natural or right Tor us to go to
hotel such days. Wed ought have all such meals
at home" Observation-Disclosures :..4 - ,,.. for
II d know but l would" he answered, sturdily. 81
d know but it would be just about as good way to
spend our money any other. I'm sick O. this little
coop, Let's buy the Merrill place and have room to
dance a jig if we want to-"
"No Stree! You don't kech me livn' on the edge of
town. with no sidewalks. l want to be right in the
centre of things, where we have telephone,
Iectrc lights and all"
q could put in the teephone-"
al won't hear of it, Steve ] came away from the
farm to live in town, and don't want halfway bus-
Stephen surrendered to her will and made no further
complaint.
~, hon &crtl said Or
in our lives Cariss we don't have to think of Thanks
giving dinner dishes"
"Thats right" answered Cariss, and yet it doesn't
seem bit like Thanksgiving does it, pa?
Stephen did not answer, for he far away in the
holidays of the past.
It is tragic thing to grow old in daily labor but
il is almost as sad to grow old with nothing to do