The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-07-11

1
/ Buster plopped down on all tours. as
if he understood perfectly, and took a
bite at my shoe string. | patted his
head. l had to. The pup was ire
sistible
and what time will you have your
dinner?' asked Mrs. Pillig. There's
no meat in the house. Guess you for
got to order the butcher to stop; but
| there's eggs
Eggs will do" said l, ''and one
o'clock. Bert has his at twelve. but
want mine at one. Maybe | shall have
a guest"
"A guest" she cried. "You wouldn't
be putin a guest on me the first
mornin'!'
well, it's doubtful, I'm afraid"
answered. Perhaps FL wait till to-
morrow night, and have three guests
| for supper-iust Bert and his wife and
their boarder-sort of a housewarm-
ing, you know. | want you TO make a
pie"
We'll, l reckon I can wait on table
stylish enough for Mrs Temple" said
she, and III make a lemon pie that'll
make Bert Temple sorry he didn't
marry me-"
Il shouldn't want you to wreck
! Berts domestic happiness" said l.,
but make the pie, just the samer'
| went into the south room, and sat
at my desk answering some letters,
while | waited for dinner | could
hear the rattle of dishes in the kitchen
the first of those humble domestic
sounds which we associate with the
word home. Through the house. too,
and in to me, fioated the aroma of ba-
con and of coffee, family, just detect
able, mingled with the smell of earth
under June rain, which drifted through
an open window. Presently | heard
the front door open very softly AS
guessed that Peter had his instructions
| in behavior from his mother, | knew
it must be Miss Goodwin NY pen
poised suspended over the paper
waited for her to enter the room, in a
pleasant Jingle of expectation. But she
did not enter. Several minutes passed,
and L got up to investigate, but there
was no sign Of her. The front door,
however, stood ajar. Then Mrs. Pillig
called 'Dinner,''
| walked into my dining room, and
sat down at the table, which was COW
cred with a new tablecloth and adorned
with my new china. Beside my plate
, was the familiar, old-fashioned silver
| had eaten with when a boy, and the
sight of it thrilled me. Then | spied
| the centerpiece-a glass vase bearing
three fresh iris buds from the brook
! side Here was the secret, then, of the
! open door, Mrs. Pillig came in with
the platter of eggs and bacon, and she,
too, spied the flowers.
"Wel1, we'll you've got yourself a
| bookay," she said.
mot /" was my answer. "They
just came. Mrs Pillig, there's a fairy
lives in this house. a nice, thoughtful
fairy, who does things like this. If you
ever see her, don't be frightened"
Mrs Pillig looked at me pityingly.
''I'll bring your toast and coffee now"
she said.
The coffee came in steaming, and it
was good coffee, much better than Mrs
Bert's. The eggs were good, too. But
best of all was the centerpiece. She
had come in so softly, and gone so
| quickly, and nobody had seen her! She
had been present at my first meal in
Twin Fires, after all, and so delicately
present, just in the subtle fragrance of
flowers and the warm token of thought
| fulnesS! My meal was q very happy
one, happier even, perhaps, than 1t
would have been had she sat opposite
me in person. We are curious crea-
| lures, who can on occasion extract a
sweeter pleasure from our dreams of
others in loneliness than from their
bodily presence. Mrs. Pillig f1uttered
in and out, to see if | was faring well.
| and though her service was not that of
a trained waitress it suf1iced to bring
me dessert Of some canned peaches.
| buried under my own rich cream, and
to remind me that my wants were So
! licitously cared for. Out on the porch
| | could see Peter playing with Buster
and hear that ingratiating pups yelps
of canine delight Before me stood
| the purple iris blossoms, with golden
hearts just opening, their slender
stems rising from the clear water in
! the vase, and spoke of her whose
| thought of me was so gracious, so deli
cately expressed, so warming to my
| heart The spoon held bore my moth
er's initials, reminding me of my child
| hood, of that other home which death
| had broken up ten years before, since
when L had called no place home save
my study and bedroom high above the
| college yard thought of the yard
| pleasantly, but without regrets. l
| looked through the window as my last
| spoonful Of dessert was eaten, and saw
| the sky breaking into blue. l folded
my new napkin, put it into the old sill
yer ring which bore the word John"
| on the side, failed utterly to note the
absence of a inger-bowl, and rose from
my first meal in Twin Fires
Il have a home again." said l, aloud:
Il have home again after ten years.
Then l went up the road toward
Bert's.
Y Does the secret visit to "TWn N
b Fires" and the gift of fresh flow
2 tIs Al