Evening star., 1914-01-22
THE EVENING STORY.
A FARMERS WIFE.
Copyright, 1914. by ". Werner,

Caroline, returning to her room after a
langu.d walk past prematurely blooming
shop windows. found q letter awaiting
her.
Nov that's from Kit Campbell" she
thought. why, 1 haven't heard from
her in two years. In fact, I never an
swered her last letter. I've. always
meant to, but somehow-well, I must see
what she says
Caroline's face gathered astonishment
as she read the letter:
-.'She asks me to make her visit.' the
reader thought. She seems actually to
want me! And names a date! Poor Kit.
I suppose she gets dreadfully lonesome
and downhearted on that farm in the
very heart of the country. Maybe II s
my duty to go and see her. l wonder
IL could stand four days Of it? never
saw the place and she has never told
what it's like. A farm is farm. especial
ly when it's in that region. I'd like to
see Kit. / could go as well as not. for
school does not open in two weeks. Per
haps can gather some Information that
will be helpful
Caroline sighed. For fourteen years
She had been gathering Information that
promised to be helpful in her work. but
she still was just where she had begun
a grade teacher, at a salary that permit
luxuries.
She sat down with the letter i'll her
hand and thought seriously. AS she
thought her glance roved about the
small room which was the only home she
knew. In spite of her efforts to make
1t express her individuality by displaying
prominently her own pictures, her own
books and her own toilet accessories, il
still showed plainly its boarding house
nature. Sometimes Caroline felt she
v,nk = lN,,f
| after all it was close to her work and
did not cost more than she could afford
1t was doubtless better than anything
| she should find in Kit Campbell farm
house. Poor Kit, who had thrown away
a career by marrying a farmer with
| whom she confessed she had fallen in
love! There was her picture just opposite.
Caroline's eyes rested on 1t cur.ously. Kit
was undenfably homely, with her long,
sallow face and thin awkward shape
Perhaps after all it was just as well that
she had married her farmer, although
she did have the making of a good teach
er in her.
IT suppose she's sorry now Caroline
unused. Il think l ought to go to see
| her. I'll write to her that I'll come for
three days. Not an hour or minute
longer
Caroline packed her suit case in doubt
All her things seemed too fine to wear
| into the country. She decided that her
SCHOOl azure WOulQ De the DeSl 10 take
shirt waists and plain dark skirt. She
wanted to take her new evening dress
but of course that was out of the ques-
ton. The utmost she could expect to dc
with it would be to arouse envy in Kit,
who presumably had not seen a pretty
frock in all the fourteen years of her
| married life. Poor Kit! Secretly Caro-
line had a good many misgivings about
her venture. At the last moment she
! was ready to telegraph Kit that she had
been unayoidably detained and stay at
home. But that would be cowardly. Be
sides. Kit had probably been to a great
, deal of trouble. 1t would not be right to
disappoint her.
From the car window Caroline looked
out during the early afternoon of the day
of her journeying at the huddled. forlorr
| farms OF a section long ago run to seed
The sight of the tottering buildings, the
lank herds. the evidence of a vitality.
! sapping drought depressed her. The
train was momentarily plunging her amid
scenes such as she was not acquainted
with.
And l must endure three days of it"'
| she moaned. Can I? Am I brave
enough? Oh / wish l had not GOMEZ I'm
afraid it's going to take better stuff than
my friendship for what Kit Campbell is
made of to stand this
She aiighted in the blowy brightness OF
perfect ial weather at the village sta