The Holly chieftain., 1911-08-04
Through the Pantry Window
By cLAUDlNE slssON

On Q certain chill October after
noon, which was frightened only BY
. hare Of crimson leaves on all the
naples and the everpresent tangles
Of aster and Goldenrod along the
bushy banks. Elsie turned her horse
In At = rickety picket gate and dis
mounted before the porch OF q tiny.
shabby. neglected house. With the
reins upon her arm she stood look
ing about her with tender, remember
ing eyes.
Tears came to Elsie's eyes AZ she
thought OF the dear woman who had
animated II with hsr kindly presence.
The thin old horse, freckled gray
from the livery stable In town. was
pulling At the reins in an effort to get
his nose to the grass. Elsie sought
for some place to make him secure
and remembered the little barn. II
the door was not nailed up she could
put him in there.
The door was not nailed up. It
slid open easily and she led the horse
in and tied him to the stall which
had held only cobwebs and hay dust
for long time. A little hay re-
manned In one corner She carried It
to the horse. who received It a.
eagerly ~ II II had been the freshest
Of fodder. Tbsn she went to the
house.
It was locked securely. She went
about trying the shutters. At last she
found one partly OF the hinges
blown on By . high wind. no doubt.
She swung 1t clear and put her hand
to the window underneath. To her
surprise, It. raised as she pushed upon
It She seemed 70 hear q familiar
voice saying In her ear:
The ketch on that pantry window
needs fixing bad. but can't seem to
do It But, In! what difference does
1t make? There amt no burglar COM
ing In here for the little trash I've
got.
Aunt Hopes dear voice! Aunt
Hopes own remembered words! And
this was the pantry window. Elsie
looked In. The tiny place was neat,
the cupboard dooFs shut; an old iron
spider hung aEAinst the wall. 1t
looked perfectly natural and right.
quite a. II Aunt Hope had Just step
ped out ClarissA Mains. the heiress.
10 lstt sains 81 ll lth4x shoa,d
| The window-sil was tnly knee-high
from tbs ground. and Elsie climbed
over It easily. She lst down the win.
dow behind her The ntor gave back
an empty sound ben~ath her feet az
she walked across r to the kitchen.
The kitchen. too. WI quite unchang-
ed. 19g
After the dining-room came the par
ior. the room that In Aunt Hopes
lifetime Elsie had always loved best.
It was q good-sized room in the front
Of the house. She lifted a window
and turned the Stats of the closed
shutter. The yellow afternoon light
came in across the bare floor. In
Vulnerable notes danced In its rays.
Upon the walls few old pictures
still hung. and the wall paper showed
fresh spaces upon its faded surface
where others had been. There was a
what-not in one corner; a few chairs
waited as II for occupants: shell
and large cheap vase were upon the
mantel. OF all Aunt Hopes treas
ured parlor furnishings these things
only remained.
Elsie sat down upon one of the ap-
pealing chairs and ciasped her hands
In their riding-gauntlets about her
knee. There was q chill of fireless-
ness and stale air In the room, but
she did not feel it. She was thinking
of the last time she had been in this
room. There had been flowers in the
room and many people. In the midst
lay Aunt Hope, always hitherto so
gracious and genial, 10 quick to re-
spond to the love of her friends and
neighbors. Her hands were crossed
upon a flower; her lips smiled a new
little smile of understanding of mems
ways and of Gods. Above the hush.
ed sound of tears rose q dignified
voice: II am the resurrection and
the life."
How vividly she remembered It all!
She had sat here and he had sat
there with Aunt Hope between. And
though they both looked at Aunt
Hope tearfully they would not look at
each other. How pale he had been!
And. perhaps. she, too. had been just
as pale under her veil Well. It was
over OF what use was 1t to regret?
Yet Elsie knew how anxiously Aunt
Hope had longed for them to be
friends again. how strongly she had
advised their making up their foolish
quarrel.
"Ynn ara both young and hiph.