Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-07-21
CHAPTER II.-(Continued,)


with keys.
These are yours, my daughter" h
said. and waved his hand with little
touch of manner
"oh, so many!" She poured the keys
upon the table There were half 2
hundred of them, of many kinds anc
sizes; and they were all tagged witt
little bits of ivory, on which their sew
eral uses were written clearly in ink.
Your mother was very methodical-
very painstaking-
He shook his head and turned to the
fire as though to hide anw shor OF
feeling.
Zelda was turning the keys over in
her hand and she did not look at him
A mist had come into her eyes. She
remembered the dark woman who had
been so gentle and patient with her
childhood They used to walk togeth-
en in the old PASTURE and they carried
their books to a seat that had been
built under a great beech where her
mother read the quaint tales and old
ballads that were her delight. These
were the only happy memories she
had kept of her mother-the times un-
der the beech, with which her father
was not associated.
I'm sure it's your time to go to bed,
father You mustn't let me break in
on your ways" Zelda walked over to
him and put her hands on his shoul-
ders. Il want to be very good to you,
father: and | know Wen live here very
happily. You won't mind me much
when you get used to mel"
She touched his forehead with her
lips.
Thank you, thank you"-and there
was a helpless note in his voice.
She turned away from him quickly,
restored the keys to the basket and
ran with it to her room.
The next morning she was down to
his o'clock breakfast in the cold, for
bidding dining room. She was very
gay and made him talk great deal to
her He had been up for an hour NJ
work in the barn, where he cared for
his own horse. He carried the morn
ing newspaper to the table, as he had
done for years.
This will never do, father! You
must talk to me and help me to learn
the American breakfast habit. I'll be
lonesome if you read at the table"
His thoughts seemed far away; he
had long been out of practice in the
amenities and graces, and the morning
had brought him once more face to
face with this change in his life. The
place across the table had been empty
for so many years that he resented the
appearance there of this slender dark
girl, pouring his coffee with an ease
that puzzled and even touched him.
There had been another girl like her,
in the long ago, and this was her
child. The resemblance between moth
er and daughter was so marked that
he grew uneasy as he pondered 1t; ne
made pretense of holding up his
newspaper to shut out the girl and
when he dropped it Zelda was waiting
for him, her elbows on the table, her
hands clasped under her chin.
'Oh. pardon mel" he exclaimed, ris-
ing hastily.
AS she helped him into his overcoat
her hand touched a hammer he car
ried in his pocket with miscellaneous
assortment of nails, for use in repair
ing the small properties he owned in
many parts of town, and she drew the
implement forth and inspected 1t at
arm length.
why, father What on earth is
this7"
The nails jingled. and she made
dive into the pocket and drew forth
handful.
why, you've forgotten to empty
your pockets You mustn't go about
with this hardware in your clothes"
He reached for the things, little
"You don't understand. l need them
to make trifing repairs, you know.
He smiled, and she put the things back
into his pockets, still laughing at him.
81 must 20 about with you. / can
carry the hammer. Maybe you will let
me drive a nail once in while, If
am good"
He drew out a faded silk handker-
chief and began twisting it about his
throat. but Zelda took it from him and
adjusted it carefully under his coat
collar; and she brushed his old brown
derby hat with whisk broom that
Law on the hall table.
He suffered her ministrations with
his patient smile. into which he tried
TO throw something of look of pride;
and when she had set the hat square
" on his head, she drew back and re-
garded him critically and then kissed
him on the cheek
Now be sure to come home to
luncheon always. You didn't come
Yesterday and it was lonely. I must
get Polly to show me the way to the
grocery. don't intend to let her be
the boss. I'm sure she's been abusing
you all these years."
"Oh. in time you viii come to IT,
Polly will do very well, and you
oughtn't to be bothered with such
things. II usually buy the groceries |
myself one Of my tenants is a gro
Ger and-and-he does a little better
for mel"
"Oh, to be sure. You must do It IN |
your own way, father" There was a /
note Of disappointment in her voice. 4
and he would have liked to concede
something to her but he did not know
how.
She roamed idly about the house.
going finally to the kitchen. where the
colored woman told her that orders
for the remaining meals Of the day
bad been given by her father. Polly /
viewed Zelda with admiration, but she
cid not ask advice, and Zends contin-
ued her wanderings, going finally to
The attic with the key-basket
The place was pitch dark when she /
threw open the door. and as there was
~ way OF lighting II, she went down