The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-11-01

BY JANE OSBORN.

Barrow and Martha Brooks, and il was |
just because everyone in town had |
known them since they were babies +
that not even the most conventional I
or the most prudish really took excen- |
ton to their housekeeping arrange
mentS.
Martha Brooks was old Mrs. Par /
rows niece and Tom Barrow wos Mr.
BarroW's nephew and, both having
been left orphans in their childhood
they had been brought I'D with all tho |
intimacy OF brother and sister. Both
lldu become nXtures in the old Barrow
homestead. BY the will left by Mrs. BAR
row the house was left as Joint MON
erty so long as both resided there In |
case of the failure of either to live
there, the property was to pass TO the
other. Neither was so we'll off nc IN
We aple llShtly to renounce the part
ownership Of this shelter, so neither
had taken the step.
1t was nearly year after The death
on Mrs. Barrow had left them the sole
tenants of the house, save for an old
family servant, that Tom first dis
cussed the subject with Martha.
II we both hadn't acquired such a
strong reputation for humdrum pro-
prlety and conventionality," he said.
think someone might take excep-
tlon TO the arrangement"
Martha raised her graceful eyebrows
over a pair of fine, dark eyes. and
looked at Tom with an air of mild
surprise. ''IiOw perfectly ridiculous
AS II woman of tnrty-twa and
man OF thirty-tive who have known
each other since babyhood and have
been brought up in the same house
LOT twenty years couldn't live together
without setting peoples tongues wag-
GIng. And every one knows that
cont really care twopence for you"
THAT is very kind l am sure"
Tom re-establiShed the paper in frone
OF his place and went on reading.
But YOU are right. No one can help
see that we are not of the mold of
which atiinities are made"
Tom went off to his business and
Molly went directly To her own room
the only room in the entire house. in
Iact, winch she ever frequented more
than was necessary. The old draw
ing-room, with its clumsy mahogany
furniture and red plush hanginCs. was
a nightmare TO her. The library. with
its shelves Of antiquated law books
that had belonged to Uncle Tom. an
pealed no more TO her.
Martha donned her hat and cloak
ana, telling the old servant she would
not be home for dinner, started ont
she walked down the main street of
the town, then through D field and
then down n country lane. through m
orchard and finally to a little woody
retreat in the middle of which was y
sunny clearing and { tiny house that
might almost have been mistaken for
4 child's playhouse. In fact it was
tWo-room cottage-the secret retreat
of Martha.
once inside this house, Martha's en-
tire manner changed. Downing n
| bright colored smock IN place of her
coat and hat she began to set the
small place TO rights. She built a coy
! open fire and arranged the late
chfysanthemums she had gathered
from the old-fashioned garden at home.
Here Martin spent most of her DAYS
| At two O'Clock she thought first of
! luncheon and, although SIZE was TO be
alone, she opened a gate-leg table be-
lore the open fire, spread lunchclath
/ over it and arranged her temptinc
| luncheon Of toasted bread and cheese.
/ not chocolate and late autumn fruit.
Then it was that she heard Toms
knock at the door, for Tom it proved
! to be-Tom who had gone out for a
| country tramp and had stopped on the
/ pfeteXt of getting a drink of water.
| i think | felt that there was some
! thing suspicious about this cottage"
he told her after Martha's hurried. half
! apologize, confused explanations. I've
| passed this dovec0t several times and
! somehow it fitted so thoroughly into
| my own ideas of happiness and com
+! fort that | decided I'd become ac-
| quainted with the owner Then today
L could no longer wait to know, and
/ = - oitipSu III liIdI 6ACuS6 dDOuJ WANT
ing q drink of water"
Meantime Martha had opened the
little gate-legged table to accommodate
two and was spreading an extra place
for her unlimited guest.
You see," Tom went on. 1--WE
taken sort of dislike to that house
of ours with its heavy vines and its
hideous red plush hangings. SO /
rented q wing of an old farmhouse
up the road and, manlike and fool
that | was, | thought I'd fix it up
satisfactory as sort of bachelors
paradise, where l could spend my lei
sure time reading and smoking, alone
or with. my friends. If I'd only known
you didn't care for the old things I
might have
Might have what" Martha came to
the rescue.
Might have suggested doing the old