The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-07-17


1t the very 6rst thing on page three.
The command is to sleep as little as
possible to keep the nerves in good
condition-"eight hours at the most
and seven would be better" What
earthly good would a seven hour nap
do me? / want ten hours to sleep and
twelve If l get a good tired start. To
see me stagger out of my perfectly
nice bed at o'clock every morning
now would wiring the sternest heart
with compassion and admiration at my
faithfulness-to whom?
Yes. 1t was the day after poor Mr..
Carter's funeral that Aunt Adeline
moved up here into my house and set
tied herself in the big south room
across the hall from mine. Her furni-
ture weighs a ton each piece, and Aunt
Adeline is not light herself in disposi-
ton. The next morning when l went
in to breakfast she sat in the "vacant
chair in way that made me see
that she was obviously trying to fill the
vacancy. l am sorry she worried her.
self about that. Anyway, it made me
take resolve After breakfast l went
into the kitchen to speak to Judy.
Judy" said, looking past her
head, my health is not very good, and
you can bring my breakfast to me in
bed after this" Poor Mr. Carter al
ways wanted breakfast on the stroke
of and me at the same time, though
he rarely got me. Judy has two dead
husbands and she likes a ginger col.
ored barber down town. Also her
mother is our washerwoman and in
fuenced by Aunt Adeline. Judy under
stands everything say to her. After
] had closed the door l heard a laugh
that sounded like a war whoop, and
smiled to myself. But that was before
my martyrdom to this book had be-
gun. l get up now!
But the day after l came from the
city l lay in bed just as long as l
wanted to and ignored the thought of
the exercises and deep breathing and
the icy, unsympathetic tub. l couldn't
even take very much interest in the
lonely egg on the lonely slice of dry
toast / was thinking about things.
Hillsboro is very peculiar little
speck on the universe; even more Pc
culiar than being like a hen. 1t is one
of the oldest towns in Tennessee, and
the moss on 1t is so thick that it can't
be scratched Off except in spots. Blu,
1t has lot of race horse and distillery
money in it, and when it gets poked
up by anything unusual it takes a gulp
Of it's own alcoholic atmosphere and
runs away on its own track at a 2:05
gait shedding moss as 1t goes. 1t
hasn't had a real Joy race for long
rolled over and laughed into my pill
low.
The subject of the conduct of widows
is a serious one. OF all the things old
tradition is most set about 1t is that,
and what was decided to be the proper
thing a million years ago this town
still dictates shall be done and spends
a good deal of its time seeing it's d.
rections carried out. For a year after
the funeral they forget about the poor
bereaved, and when they do remember
her they speak to and Of her in the
same tones of voice they used at the
obsequies. Then sooner or later some
neighbor Is sur- to see some man walk
home from church with her or hear
some old bachelors voice on her front
porch. Mr.. Cain took Mrs Caruther's
little Jessie up in his buggy and helped
her out at her mothers gate just be-
fore last Christmas, and If the poor
widow hadn't acted quick the town
would have noticed them to death be-
fore he proposed to her. They weN
married the day after New Years, and
she lost lots of good friends because
she didn't give them more time to talk
about it.
l don't intend to run any risk Of los
ing my friends that way. and l want
them to have all the good time they
can get out Of 1t. I'm going to serve
out mint juleps Of excitement until the
dear old place is running as it did
when 1t was a two-year-ofd. Why get
mad when people are interested in
you? It's a compliment, after all, and
just gives them more to think about
I remembered the two trunks across
the hall and hugged my knees up un-
der my chin with pleasure at the
thought of the town talk they con-
tained.
Then just as / had got the first plan
well going and was deciding whether
to wear the mauve meteor or the white
chiffon with the rosebud embroidery as
a first julep for my friends a sweet
ness came in through my window that
took my breath away, and | lay still
with my hand over my heart and lis
tened. 1t was Billy singing right un-
der my window, and I've never heard
him do it before In all his five years.
1t was the dearest old fashioned tune
ever written, and Billy sang the words
as distinctly as If he had been boy
chorister. doing a difficult recitative.
Ny heart beat so it shook the lace on
my breast like breeze from heaven
as he took the high note and then let
1t go on the last few words:
III you love me, Molly, darling.
Let your answer be a kiSsl"