The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-08-02
FREEDOM
BY CATHERINE GRAMMAR.

Mary Hanson turned her face to-
ward the wall and shielded her eyes
with bent arm that she might take
her extra Sunday morning nap. and in
the jumbled dream which followed she
seemed to be toiling alone up long
hill at the top of which she rested I'M
der a shady tree and was joined by
the tall man who lived next door.
Then suddenly into her dream came
the magnetic voice of the man with
whom she had held daily business tel
ephone conversations for two years.
but had never seen.
That afternoon when Mary went to
her room after the midday dinner she
again felt the loneliness of her lot
Through the open window there
came to her the wondrously clear song
of bird. 1t brought Mary to the win
dow to see what the singer looked like.
Perched on the topmost branch of the
big tree IN the yard next door was
tiny yellow canary, intoxicated with
the Joy of being released temporarily
from its cage, which a maid was plac-
ing conspicuously on the fence back
or the large apartment directly across
the alley from Mary's boarding house.
The man next door sat as usual I'M
Ter the tree with a book. and as she
saw him, Mary remembered her
dream. The song of the bird seemed
to penetrate his thoughtful mood,
and he half closed his book and looked
aloft until he located the songster.
Although Mary still held a book in
her hand, she read little, for the song
OF the bird kept coming to her and
with it the memory of the sympathetic
smile of her neighbor. Her occasion
al surreptitious peeps showed the man
apparently absorbed in his book, al
though If she could have faced him
directly, she would have found that
his eyes were dreamily gazing at
nothing at all.
The maid and the child reappeared
and began to whistle to the canary to
lure 1t back to its cage, but the sing
ing speck of yellow fitted from limb
to limb without condescending to no
tice their poor imitation of its song.
Suddenly 1t came 80 near to Mary's
window that she looked out and saw
it perched on the tall lilac bushes at
the corner of the back porch. The
maid saw her. and asked permission
TO bring the cage into the yard Mary
bade her come, and, without thinking
of the proximity of the man next door,
went below to try to help capture the
fugitive.
When the maid approached the IL
lac bushes with the cage. the tiny bird
tucked its blackeyed head to one side,
eyed her saucily until she was almost
near enough to reach it, and with
pert little chirps to emphasize each
move, he went from branch to branch
until 1t reached the top of the shrub
berry, from which he flew across the
fence to the upper branches of the
big tree next door.
The man next door put down his
book and rose. He spoke TO the maid
Just as Mary was consoling the weep
ing child. who thought her pet had got
permanently beyond reach. When
she raised her head the man was whis-
Ting to the bird In notes wonderfully
like its own. The little yellow song
ster peeped down from It's lofty perch.
and gave timid response to the
mans call. Slowly, by almost dis
tracing methods of coming downward
a distance of six inches, and remount-
ing four or five, the bird was coaxed
to the lower branches Of the tree.
The maid passed the cage to the
man. but the bird rediscovered the H.
lac bushes, and took refuge again in
their branches.
Without a word, the man handed
tho cage to Mary, and their eyes met
in smile of friendly conspiracy. The
man then crouched by the fence. and
as the bird again began restlessiy to
measure the distance back to the big
tree, he rose with such sudden bound
that 1t covered motionless for an In
slant and he quickly closed his large
hands over it. With great tenderness
he held the Quivering mite until Mary
got the cage near enough for him to
transfer the prisoner.
II the little fellow knew that his
freedom would deprive him of his life,
he'd thank us for capturing him,
wouldn't he?" AS he spoke Mary col
ored with surprised pleasure, for she
recognized the voice of the man with
whom she held those daily telephone
conversations
Yes; he didn't have his freedom
long enough to learn how many other
things 1t deprived him Of" The man 8
surprise at this enigmatical remark
would have been greater had it not
been eclipsed by his surprise at rec
ogniztng the voice in which 1t was
spoken.
why surely I've learned to know
Miss Hanson's voice by telephone too
well not to recognize 1t at closer
range he said simply. Don't you
talk to Wells at the Macon Barnes
Printing company every day."
Yes, and I recognized your voice,
too, Mr.. Wells"
II