Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1915-03-18
LONELY Mr.. HODGE
BY cLARlssA MAckIE.


the fall term, Robina Judd, the new
est girl of all, walked about the spa
cious grounds with her roommate.
Let us go through this cunning
gate and see what is on the other
side!" suggested Robina, when they
had come to the end of the evergreen
path.
Grace Barney glanced up at the for
bidding stone wall and shook her
sunny head.
"Out of bounds, Robina,' she said
regretfuIly. Besides, it's private
property--a perfect ogre of an old
man lives there all alone. asked
Miss Lumpkin about him and she
sighed and called him poor, lonely
Mr. Hodge-only, you see, Robina, he
happens to be rich"
Here comes Miss Gerald" said Ro-
bina-"isnt she a dear?'
my favorite teacher! She has
only been here three days and yet l
love her better than any Of the 9th
ers. Sweet and sad and lovely-she-
she looks as though she might have
suffered, Robina" .
The thought of lonely Mr.. Hodge
wandering about his perfectly kept
grounds haunted the careless mo-
ments of Robina Judd. Some day l
shall go in," she threatened to her
roommate.
you will have to prove it by
bringing me one Of those weirdly
colored Japanese chrysanthemums
from his garden" Grace replied.
"Wait and sect" retorted Robina,
and that very afternoon came oppor-
tunity.
Most of the girls had gone for a
long walk in the woods, but Robina,
who had slightly twisted her ankle
in the gymnasium that morning pre-
ferred to hobble around the garden.
Finally she came to the door in the
walI--the high wall beyond which
lived lonely Mr.. Hodge.
"The time and the place-and /
hope the mani" giggled Robina, as she
turned the knob Of the little green
door. 1t creaked dismally, opened, and
| in the distance she could see the mel
lowed walls of a red brick house
bathed in the afternoon sunshine.
A gardener was working somewhere
there was the clicking sound of q
hoe against stones
Its jolly here" commented Ro-
bina, and she rounded a little sum-
mer house and came upon the gar
dener, who was vigorously stirring up
the soil in the bed of gorgeous chrys-
anthemums.
He turned a pair OF surprised blue
eyes upon her-twinkling blue eyes,
set in a sunburned face. close-shaven
and square-jawed.
Well" he exclaimed.
"Well!" gasped Robina, for she had
nothing else to say. Then, with sud
den inspiration, she added. THE
chrysanthemums are lovely"
"Think so? Then you must have
some" he decided promptly, and
taking a knife from his pocket, he
proceeded to cut a huge bunch OF
white and yellow and crimson chrys'
anthemums.
"You-you wouldn't mind giving me
just one of the variegated ones?" hes
itated Robina.
"Sure!" he smiled down at her.
81 hope Mr.. Hodge doesn't mind my
coming in here" went on Robina, with
a glance at the house. you see, l be
long TO the school next door, and we
girls know about Mr.. Hodge; and we
have felt sorry about his being SC
lonely, and l said that l was coming
in some day to see him, and Grace
dared me to come. I'm afraid l must
go now"
so you are sorry for Mr.. Hodge?'
laughed the gardener "Why?"
Because he lives here alone-ant
because some of the girls say that he
had been disappointed-oh, should
not talk to you sol" Robina suddenly
remembered the proprieties. She
thought the gardeners blue eyes
clouded, but he was still smiling
Wouldn't 1t add to the romance o.
the occasion to discover that an
Mr. Hodge?" asked the gardener
calmly.
"oh! OIL" moaned Robina. "Hov
the girls will laugh at met"
Don't you believe that" h,
grinned cheerfully. They'll be eater
up with envy at your romantic adven
ture."
'Robina!"
The clear sweet call came from thu
other side Of the high wall.
"Who is that?" asked Mr.. Hodge
looking very pale.
1T is Miss Gerald-our drawing
teacher-she is looking for me-good
by-and thank you!"
Just as Robina reached the door /
opened and Pauline Gerald stoo,
there Robina rushed past her int
the school grounds, but Paulin
paused within the grounds OF Nj
Hodge, looking with glad, bewilderel
eyes at the man who stood there witt
outstretched hands.
"Paulinei" he was saving "Whel