Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-07-20

heart on the Hill At The Firs Mrs.
Lansing moved restlessly from room
TO room and stopped often to read and
re-read a crumpled note-Gerry's note
TO Alix
Aix was still in town. Mrs. LaH-
sing had written TO her and then wired.
Alix replied telling her not to come.
that she wished to be alone. For hours
at time Mrs. Lansing replaced the
nurse at Gerry, juniors, side. He
helped her. She felt that he could help
AliX.
She was almost glad when he devel-
oped some trifiing ailment becoming
to his years. She wired again and this
time Alix came, frightened. Alix was
like a wilted flower, but she braced
herself until Gerry, Junior, recovered
into his healthy self. Then she drooped
once more and refused to be COM
forted.
If it had not been for Alan, Alix'
trouble would have cast a gloom over
the rest of Red Hill, but it was known
that Alan had sought out Mrs. Ian
sing and told ner that not even he
knew just how Gerry's battle stood.
but that he did know that there was a
battle and that Gerry would surely
come back as soon as he had fought
his way clear
So the Hill in general went almost
untroubled on its way trying to forget
that it was still awaiting fulfiIlment,
and even Alix began to CLEAN little
comfort from the thought that hope
was but deferred. Her heart was sick.
her faith weak, but hope still lived.
She clung through the long days to
Gerry, junior, and waited.
At Maple House the beating of
young hearts amounted to din, but
it was suddenly stilled by a day of
drenching rain. After the very tame
excitement Of seeing ]. Y. and the
judge off for the city, gloom settled
in the faces Of the children. Cousin
Tom, in rubber boots and coat, came
down the road from Elm House to
find company for misery. The barn
was reQuisitioned and became the
scene of subdued frolic. but it af-
forded meager diversion The hay
was not in yet, the empty lofts were
dreary. In the afternoon Mrs. J. Y.
was besieged to surrender the house
and finally did. Alan had gone to his
room and closed the door. The captain
was plunged in invulnerable slumber.
Somebody raped at Alan's door and
he called, Come in" The door opened
and revealed Nance, junior. Behind
her was giggling, whispering throng.
The spirit of fun danced in Na.ce's
eyes. Her checks were flushed and
her golden head was in disarray. "Oh.
Cousin Alan" she cried, 'grandma's
given Us leave for hide and seek and
we're all going to play except mother
and grandma and the captain. Please
come, too, Cousin Alan
From behind her came a modified
echo, "Pleath do Couthin Alan" Alan
smiled and laid down his book. CAL
right" he laughed.
Maple House was a rambling abode
that had grown and spread like the
giant naples that sheltered it. In what
age the captain had demanded wing
or some bygone Nance nursery for
her children was chronicIed in the an
nails Of the house itself, to be revealed
only to the searching. architectural
eye. The key to the rambling struc-
ture lay in the thick-walIed dining
room, the parlor, one bedroom and the
kitchen.
From the nucleus of these four
rooms Maple House had grown, i'm
posed and superimpOsed, until it over
flowed the arbitrary bourne of kitch-
ems and front doors and like some
mounded vine rippled off on all sides.
in vast living room, sunny nurseries
and a broken fringe of broad verandas.
There were hooks that were satisfied
and held back from further encroac CHI
ment and there were outstanding cor
ners that jutted boldly out over the
sloping lawns and threatened a further
raid.
Inside, the paths of daily life ran
clearly enough through the maze, bat
on their TANKS hung many a somber
den for ambush or retreat. CavernOus
closets, shadOwy corners, numbered az
ties and half-f0rgOtten interstices Of
discarded space opened dark gorges to
the intrepid, and threatened the nerv-
Gus and unwary with what they might
bring forth. The gods Of childhood's
games themselves could not have
builded a better scene for that most
palpitating of sports, hide and seek
on rainy day.
Alan soon entered into the spirit Of
the game. He found himself recoIlect-
ing things about Maple House that ne
had more than half forgotten; strange
byWays under the roof; a vacant cham
Der, turned into a trunk room because
one by one it had been robbed of it's
windows; and lastly the little attic
that had been, as it were, left behind
a wall.
Through this dreamland Of a hun
dred children fitted the brood of the
day, marshaled rather breathlessly by
Glen and Alan. Anxious whispers,
the scurrying Of lightly shod feet. then
a sudden silence but for the futelike
counting of some Juvenile It, were fol
lowed by sudden screams and a wild
race for the goal. Maple House had
never countenanced the effete and di-
luted sport of l Spy; it was all for
hide and sock whore Won had to hold