The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-12-29
1HE Big HOUSE
BY LOUISE OLIVER.


breeze. cool and refreshing, famed her
cheek She stood minute looking
longingly across the valley to the
place where workmen were busy upon
Q new house.
Katharine, her lifelong friend, was
marrying a rich man from the city, and
the house was to be one of their
homes. jamie sighed Katharine had
always been lucky and had everything
: she wanted.
jamie walked toward the orchard
where she could have better view OF
the house, and dream for an hour be-
fore getting dinner.
An empty wagon drawn by team OF
big brown horses turned the bend in
the road, and the driver saw instantly
the little blue Bingham figure on the
i orchard slope gazing across the valley
at the big house. A shadow crossed
his face, but he called cheerily: Hell
10, JANET What's the news?"
She turned at his voice. Hello
! Toni" His heart contracted at the
lack of response in her manner,
whats the matter, Janie?"
"Dont-oh, don't talk about hogs,
Tom! Pleased"
why not? It's one way make my
living. And to me that's the most i'm.
portant thing in the world just now"
meaningly.
But she kept her eyes on the house
across the valley. If she married Tom
and settled down to farm life Kath.
arine's friends would motor and stop
at the dairy where she, jamie, would
ladle out buttermilk to them.
She shivered. "Oh, Tom! I'm sorry
but can't! just can't! don't want
to marry you at ali"
He tried to stop her, but she broke
from him and ran toward the house.
Il can't can't" she sobbed on her
bed. when he went to college ]
thought he would come home lawyer,
or something different from a farmer,
and we'd live in town and have every.
thing fine! l won't marry farmer!'
Tom did not bother her after that
The world had turned black for him
with his bright, pretty little sweet
heart gone out of his life. But jamie
never guessed the void that was in his
heart.
Katharine married, went to Canada
and returned with her husband to
spend the autumn in their new house
I'm the country. jamie was with her a
great deal. She loved the big, roomy
place, with it's restful excellently-fur.
nished rooms and broad porches.
Then an uncle decided to send her
two younger brothers away to school,
and at the same time letter came
from a relative in Boston urging jamie
to enter training school for nurses.
She accepted at once. Anything was
better than the deadly mill Of house
work. Besides she felt that she need.
ed change.
For three years she devoted herself
to the hospital. The first summer she
had a week at home, but Tom was
away. The next year she spent her
vacation with Katharine in Canada.
1--WE sold our house, you know, jamie.
Gerald had a good offer for it and be.
sides it was too expensive to keep two
houses going, and Gerald lost money
this year"
"Oh, what pity exclaimed jamie,
and Katharine thanked her for her
sympathy, although jamie was think.
ing of the house.
Toward the end of her third year
sudden inconsistencies seized her. She
longed for home with all the passion
of her soul-the big honey sitting
room with the worn chairs. the dining
room and it's big clock, the kitchen
with the white-oak floor and shining
stove. She wanted her mother and
the boys.
And there was something else she
wanted. AS she stood in the operat-
ing room handing things to one of the
surgeons her mind refused to stay on
her work. She saw a turn in the road
and a team and a wagon and a man.
And the man said: Hello, jamie.
what's the news?" And the only news
she had for him had broken his heart!
And she wanted to go back and tell
him that she had made mistake. 1t
was all wrong. She had learned life
and people. She knew that living con-
sisted of deeper things than few par
lor tricks that had turned her silly
head and spoiled her life.
Had it spoiled Toms life. too? So
much could happen in three years, and
II was likely he no longer cared.
She came home after New Years to
stay. Across the valley, among the
bare trees, was the house she had
coveted. But while she looked with q
different look this time in her woman.
ly eyes a team came around the curve
of the road. The man in the wagon
was Tom.
Hello, jamie! What's the news?
he called when he saw her and hur
ried up the orchard hill with out
stretched hand.
This time she went to meet him
'It would take me three years to tell
Il 49,