The Cairo bulletin., 1910-06-01
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A STRANGE ADVER-
TISEMENT.
BY Elelle Becker.

over the morning paper, when very
3aG advertisement attracted her:
"WANTEp--by a lady ON Staten
road, an educated young woman, who
needs employment, and who has a
hand slim enough to 60 Ia moderate
sized wineglass.
Lydia set off for that six-fnile tramp
| 1t was early in October, and the red
and yellow naples, would keep a ped
estrian company. When colonial
styled yellow brick net her eyes, with
| IVY clamhering about the pillars that
reached almost to tho roof. she was
| not surprised. A dim. subecnsctous-
ness had told her there would be plen.
| ~ OF ivy. As she walked up a neat
| graFeled path, bordered BY scarlet
| SALIVA, now at this tide-time Of bloom.
her nerves tingled with excitement.
She kept looking about her as The
walk wcunde under the slipper pop
lars. 1t was worth whole month In
the piggish town, this extraordinary
incident; incident because Lydia had
no idea OF accepting whatever employ
ment was offered. She had an healthy
curiosity and an overdose of love for
adventure.
A little woman with snow-white hair
and dark eyes and long black lashes,
and filmy shawl of snow around her
shoulders, came out and offered her
hand cordially.
This mistress of the Doris pillars
did not say, Lets see your hand
She did not even gaze at 1t, but sat
talking with Lydia about herself and
her home before the war, when she
was a young girl.
My father was colonel under
Gen, Lee, my dear, but after the war
was over he could not bear to stay in
the south, where he had lost half Of
rich mans estate. So we came north
and | married a northener. You see,
this house Is reproduction OF the
old plantation house. My husband was
a practical business man, and this
beautiful seclusion never appealed to
him. We separated after Ted was al
most grown, and | never knew where
he went. Ted is gone now, too. Last
year was his last in college, and he
may not be home much now, either
though the university Ii not far away,
where he will teach.
You see. my dear. that wish ia
keep tight hold Of what | may, now
that ! am old; Sambo and Chloe and
the old furnishings"
Lydia, all at once, conceived love
for the silver porlars and the saliva
and the iyied columns Her impuls,
iYeness allowed no restraint; Il love
this place, | know. if / didn't have to
work she broke OFF, her eyes wan.
dering over the hills seen through the
poplar boughs.
You have been used to making lots
of money!" came wistfully from the
little old lady, with the beautiful eyes
and the filmy shawl.
Lydia wanted to fib, but the sound
of footsteps swift on the gravel kept
odck an answer.
The next thing she knew the snowy
shawl had fallen from an active figure
going down the steps, that was gath
cred up by big, young man with.
several days growth of beard on his
face. He just got back from a geo
logical expedition" the mother
cried before introducing them.
There was one swift glance OF admi-
ration passed to Lydia, and she. with
out knowing why, hated the thought of
the weakened village. And the citys
spires and domes and SNAKE flashed
before her as small, as the hills
through the poplars called her whole
heart.
Mother, this is pretty happy hour
with me- Robert did not realize that
his eyes wandered across to Lydia just
then. You know that McAllister and
| expected to get back in time for our
specimens to be placed in school for
the first recitation, but we got hem
med In by a storm, and-well--wetl,
mother, found father He was very
i'll; we nursed him back to life, and
he Is now in the village, miner, rich
as Croesus, and wanting to see---''
"Oh, Robert, Robert, where is he?"
Lydia stayed all day, and for many
days to come. There was such a NUT
ual admiration society formed that
Lydia never went back to stenography
and the city, because Robert carried
her away to those hills seen through
the poplars one day, and begged the
eternal answer.
There was sonly one thing In the
world now that palled on her, and that
was the meaning OF that ADVERTISE
ment.
why, my dear" answered her
mother-to-be, to the question "the only
things of great value then possessed
were my Haviland and cut glass, |
thought when Robert married he |
might not be able to afford maid, and |
he couldn't afford to have wife that
would break my dainty glasses, and he |
couldn't have a wife who hadn't a la. |
dy's hand
so you're schemer, mother"
laughed Robert. coming in.