The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-17
THE EVENING Story
Roasted Chestnuts.
nv BRYANT c. Rogers. J

Aunt Mary Warner lived half a mile
below the Fairly manor house on the
highway. She was a widon and old
and poor and an object of charity
Two or three times q week Miss Minnie
Fairly walked down to the little old
cottage with a basket of eatables on
her arm and a sunny smile on her
face, and was always greeted with;
Lord bless and keep the bonnie
maideni You are helping me to live
little longer, though it seems that
there's no place in this world for
poor woman like me-.
Aunt Mary could go back to the days
when she was a girl herself and talk
to interest, and visit to her had more
interest than simple charity. She had
a bit of garden in which she worked in
summer, and often the girl worked
with her, and if she happened to be in
bed with one of her rheumatic attacks
the rooms were swept and things put
in order despite her protests.
Its like the fairy stories used to
read, she would smile. You are
young. wealthy and move with the
best, and yet you have a heart for
poor old body like me! May the Lord
send you a good husband"
But / shall never marry" would
be the reply.
"Oh. but you will
But when is the young man COM
ing?"
soon, dearle-Vefy SOOH- gu are
only nineteen now, and there is lots
of time"
But he must be about twenty-four
black eyes-a dropping mustache-
curly hair-white teeth-a deep voice,
and he must be brave and strong. He
must be hero or shan't marry him
HE will be all that you ask far,
dearie. 1 have seen him in my
dreams, and he is like prince"
One October forenoon Miss Minnie
set out on one of her visits to Aunt
Mary. and reached the cottage to find
in the garden-not hidden behind the
currant bushes=not poking around the
tumble-down shed where she used to
stable her COW.
In her search the girl noticed that
the curb of the we'll had been moved
aside, and it came to her like a flash
that in drawing water there had been
an accident and the victim had met
her doom. She knelt and peered
down the well, but it was deep and
she could see nothing. She shouted,
but there was no answer. Aunt
Mary had been drowned. Running out
to the highway to summon help, Miss
Minnie was just in time to halt an
auto in which sat q young man. He
was so well dressed and looked so
much like a gentleman that she was
sure he was the owner, and wringing
her hands and never minding who saw
her tears she called out:
ooh, sir, but Aunt Mary has been
drowned in the Well.''
who? WHAT" was asked as the
machine came to a halt.
Aunt Mary-in the welcome
on!~
Then some one has fallen in ?"
asked the stranger as he followed to
the well and knelt and peered.
tYes-Aunt Mary-a poor old wom-
an living in this cottage
"And you witnessed the ACCIDENT"
mo, but I know she's down there.
-hurry--hurry!'
Don't get nervous-don't cry" he
ehided. ''Tn bring a rope from the
auto and go down. It's so dark I
can't see, but she may be alive yet"
A rope was brought and the man
removed his hat, coat and vest, made
one end of the rope fast to the curb,
and then began lowering himself
He had to do this slowly, and the
nervous watcher above kept calling to
him:
you must be careful-so very care
full! If you should be drowned, too,
what should I do"
Don't worry about me-" he kept
answering, and at last he hailed from
the water:
81 don't think she is down here at
ALL The water is only about two feet
deep and 1 can find nothing of her."
is she ?"
The questioner thought she heard
a laugh from the other end of the
rope, but the countenance of the man
was quite serious as he came up the
rope hand overland and reached. the
ground.
"The case, as I understand it, is that
an old lady is missing"
Eyes. she went to draw a pail of
water and fell into the we'll
L.
there until some one helps her out
There is no old lady at the bottom of
this Well
s.Then-then-''
ssThen it follows that she is some
where else. Have you looked through
the house and around -
yes everywhere
The man glanced all around. and
with his eyes on the fringe woods be-
yond the garden he said:
It think L see some chestnut trees
up there. We have had a frost and
the nuts are rafting down Wouldn't
your Aunt Mary take wander that
way? Let's look"
Three minutes later the old woman
was discovered lying in a faint under
one of the trees. She had over
exerted herself in hobbling the dis
lance and gathering the nuts.
shes dead-she's dead!" exclaim ed
the girl as she threw herself beside
the body.
sShe's feeble and has overdone the
thing. I should say quietly replied
the man; and he picked Aunt Mary up
with the greatest ease and bore her
to the house and laid her on her bed
'Bathe her temples with water and