Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-09-08

"Who," she asked Of an astonished
old lady, "who owns the bungalow on
the hill, the house where nobody
1ives?'
Reckon you mean Dobbs' place.
the old lady replied. "NIiss Dobbs goes
south every winter"
"And-she's coming back?'' The
girls voice fell disappointedly. But
the old lady shook her head. mot this
summer" she said.
So the crocuses thrfved in their new
tender care, and the violets burst into
bloom. Singing merrily, Nan climbed
| high to fasten the vines to their trel-
Uses, and before the apple trees had
! quite decided to bloom her hammock
hung in their shade.
''Oh, the glory Of itr' she murmured
| luXur1ously, arms folded beneath her
| head while the spring sunshine brought
roses Of their own to bloom in her
| cheeks.
'1t is my own home,'' she insisted.
But the two hours had flown, and, toss
ing her hammock into a convenient
porch corner, the girl started up the
came to meet her.
wherever did you come from?' she
cried In friendly fashion the dog
trotted on at her side, standing still to
follow her with his eyes as she went
up the hin Thereafter he waited each
| day, seeming instinchpely to know
the time Of her coming.
Friend she named him and allowed
him to enter at will her cherished gar
den. Devotedly Friend rested during
the two hours of her stay beneath the
swaying hammock and carried in his
great jaws flowers with which Nan
decorated the old lady's rooms.
| For so real had the game Of pretend
become that the flowers Were Mans
very own flowers, grown In her own
home garden One afternoon, ming1ing
with the falling apple blossoms, came
a sudden, drenching shower. Breath
lessly the girl scampered, followed by
the dog, to the shelter of the porch.
Idly her hand rested upon the door
knob. eff" she murmured fancifully,
''the house were a real pretend house,
| presto, the door would fly open at my
touch" And, presto, that is exactly
what the door did.
Even as Nan stood for one astound-
ed moment gazing at the shining knob
she understood. It was one Of kind
which locks itself with forcible clos
ing, and when Miss DObbs had left re
gretfully, as she must, she had no
doubt drawn the door too softly be-
hind her. But now, now that one was
so close to ones dream would it be
wrong to step inside, just to see for a
moment if the fireplace was where the
fireplace should be, if there was pia-
no with two tall candles upon it?
With easy assurance Friend settled
the question, Waggingly inviting her to
follow. Yes, there was the fireplace,
the very logs near for the burning,
and over there, as it should be, in the
light Of the window stood the grand
piano. But dust lay shOckingly every
where, and Nan, recklessly taking the
scarf from her shoulders, went to
work to remove it. The call of those
cleaning keys was too great to be re-
sisted, so she seated herself before the
piano, and through the room echoed a
song Of home. When she raised her
eyes, tear blinded, a man stood look
ing down upon her, a man whose
brown eyes shone with a strangely
sweet and steady light. Meeting that
questioning gaze, Nan tried to speak,
tried to arise, and failed.
In embarrassed silence she reached
for the dogs protecting head-Friend
had joyOusly gone over to the enemy.
81 beg your pardon" said the young
man, and Nan now realized that he
had twice begged her pardon, Il had
no idea that the house was occupied.
It was your song which brought me
downstairs"
But how" wildly asked Nan, "did
you get in?'
The man calmly exhibited a string
Of keys. 'Tbe agent in the city gave
me these" he explained. THE house
being offered to rent furnished, wish
ed to look it over" He paused. 1.-THE
agent assured me-" he finished mean
ingly, that the house was unoccu-
pied"
Nan studied her boot. How explain
her childish foo'ishness to a stranger
a frank faced hanly stranger a
disappearing chin? No, it was not to
be thought of. Flight was-upon Mans
part-the only course to pursue. When
she could hide her shamed, Inundated
face In that bare room upon the hill,
house owners and house renters might
search for her in vain.
''The house is unoccupied," she muir
INJURED confusedly. IL was only
dusting." The man nodded In quick
understanding.
"Oh, seer he said. "You are a
friend, perhaps, Of the owner. have
= watched you at work in the garden
= watched me?7 Her tone was horri
= fed. The man laughed. "Why, yes