Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-28

I ing the Warts myself Being an art
full little thing knew that my plan
would be opposed, so ! said nothing
about 1t, but ! got my mother to
play and sing the carol I had heard
overnight, until my quick ear had
mastered both tune and words, and
when darkness foil on Christmas
night I proceeded to carry out my
| intention
In the heat Of my impotence for
| got t. put on cloak or hat, and, steal
ing out Of the house found myself
in the carriage drive with nothing on
| but pair Of thin slippers and tie
! velvet frock that left my neck and
arms so bare. 1t vas showing, and
the snowfakes were whirling around
me and making me dizzy, for in the
| light from my mothers window they
seemed to come up from the ground
as down from the sky.
When | got out Of the light Of the
WINDOW, It was very dark, and
could only see that the chestnuts in
the drive seemed 10 have white blan-
kets on them which looked as IL they
had been hung out to dry. Ii was
a long time before | got to the gate,
and then ] had begun TO be nervous
and To have half mind to turn
back But the thought of the bunloaf
and the sherry wine buoyed me up,
| I
! high road. crossing bridge and turn
/ ing down lane that led to the sea.
whose moaning a mile away was the
/ only sound | could hear.
| knew quite well where was
going to. was going to the doc
tors house. II was called Sunny
Lodge, and it was on the edge of yell
low Gorse Farm. | had seen II more
than once when | had driven out in
the carriage with my mother, and had
thought how sweet it looked with it's
whitewashed walls and brown thatch-
ed roof and the red and white roses
| which grew over the porch.
was fearfully cold before got
! there. The snow was In my slippers
and down my neck and among the
/ thlckening masses of my hair. At one
moment | came upon some sheen and
! lambs that were sheltering under
hedge, and they bleated in the silence
I of the night.
| But at last | saw the warm red
windows Of the doctors cottage, and
coming to the wicket gate | pushed il
open, though 1t was clogged with
snow, and stepped up to the porch
My teeth We're now chattering with
cold, but as well as / could | began
to sing, and in my thin and creachy
voice | had got as far as
enlist was born in Bef-lem.
th'ist was born in Bef-lem.
on ISL was born in Bef-l lem
An in Manager laid.
when ! heard rumbling noise in
side the house.
Immediately afterward the door was
opened upon me, and a woman whom
| knew TO be the doctors wife looked
down into my face with an expression
of bewilderment, and then cried:
Goodness gracious me. doctor-lf 1t
isn't little Mary O'Neill, God bless
her,"
Bring her in at once, then" said
the voice of Doctor Conrad from
within, and at the next moment /
round myself in ii sort of Kitchen
parlor which was warm with a glow
ing turf fire that had a kettle sing
ing over IT, and cozy and bright with
a ragwork hearth-rug. dresser full of
blue pottery and soft settle covered
with red cloth.
| suppose the sudden change to a
warm room must have caused me TO
faint, for | have no recollection of
what happened next, except that | was
sitting on somebody's lap and that
she was calling me boght milish Git
tie sweet and veg-veen Qittle dear)
while she rubbed my half frozen
limbs and did other things that were.
am sure, all womanly and good.
When came to myself Doctor Con-
rad was saying | would have to sleep
there that night. and he must go over
TO the Big House and tell my mother
what had happened, He went. and by
the time he came back | had been
bathed in Ct dolly-tub placed in front
OF the fire, and was being carried up
stairs Gin a night-d many sizes
too large for mel to a little dimity-
white bedroom where the sweet - |
smelling "scraas' under the sloping
thatch If the roof came down almost !
TO my face.
A Home of Love.