The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1916-09-21
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK
And the little figure preceded him

across his soft, cropped lawn.
Caleb Hunter had never married, and
even now at the age of forty and
odd In particularly mellow moments he
was liable TO confess that, while mat.
rim0ny no doubt offered far wider
field for both general excitement and
variety. AS far as he himself was con.
cerned be felt that his bachelor condi.
ton had points of excellence too OBJ.
yious to be treated with contumely.
Perhaps the fact that Sarah Hunter.
four years his senior. had kept SO well
&biled the cogs of the domestic ma.
'yehlnery of the white place on the hill
that their churnings had never been
evidenced may have been In part an
answer to his contentment.
For Sarah Hunter. too. had never
married. To the townspeople. who had
never dared 10 try to storm the wall OF
her apparent frigidity or been able
quite TO understand her aloof austeri.
ty, she was little more than weekly
occurrence as dependable as the rising
and setting OF the sun itself. Every
Sunday morning rare vision OF state
" dignity for all her tininess. assisted
by Caleb. she descended from the Hun
ter equipage TO enter the portals of the
Morrison Baptist church. After the
service she reappeared and. having
complimented the minister upon the
sagacity OF his discourse. again assist
ed by Caleb she mounted to the rear
seat of the surrey and rolled back up
the hill
That was az much as the townspeo.
pie ever saw OF Cal Hunters maiden
sister unless there happened to be
prolonged siege of sickness in the vii
lage or worse accident than usual.
Then she came and camped on the
scene until the crisis was over, soft
voiced. soft fingered and serenely sure
OF herself. Sarah had never married.
and even though she had in the long
interval which year by year had
brought to Caleb a more placid ro-
tundity grown slender and slenderer
still and fat chested and sharp angled
Lin face and figure Caleb knew that I'M
derneath 1t all there had been no
shrinkage In her soul-knew that there
were no Dicdh eAlIdAbtS ueE ntHit VI
edges to her pity.
They often joked each other about
their state of single blessedness. did
Caleb and his sister. Often. hard upon
his easy boast of satisfaction with
things as they were. she would quote
the fable of the fox and the high hang
Ing grapes. only to be tainted mo
ment later with her own celibacy
But the taunt and the fable had long
been stingless. For Sarah Hunter
knew that one end OF Caleb's heavy
gold watch chain still carried bit
of gold coin worn smooth and thin
from years OF handling: she knew
that the single word across It's back.
even though it had long ago been ef-
faced so far as other eyes were con
cerned. was still there for him to see
And Caleb, rummaging one day for
some lost article or other In pigeon
hole in Sarah's desk. IN which he had
no license to look. had come across
picture of tall and black haired lad
brave In white trousers and an amaz
ing waistcoat Caleb remembered hav
ing been told that he had died for an
other with that same smile which the
picture had preserved-the tall and
1aunty youngster. And so their com
prehension was mutual They under
stood. did Caleb and his sister.
But sure as he was Of Sarah's funda
mental kindness Caleb experienced
twinge OF guilty uncertainty that Au-
Just afternoon as he closed the iron
Ate behind the grotesque little figure
which had already started across his
lawn. For the moment he had for
gotten that the sun was low In the
west. lie had overlooked the fact
that II was customary for the Hunter
establishment to sup early during the
warm summer months. But when he
turned to find Sarah watching. stiff
and uncompromising. from the door
way he remembered with painful GER
tainty her attitude toward his pro
pensity to pick up any stray that might
catch him In a moment OF too pro
nounced mellowness-stray human or
feline or lost yellow dog.
supper Is served. Cal" she drawied
in her gentle. almost lisping. voice.
Caleb received the statement as If
1t were an astounding bit OF hitherto
undreamed Of news.
Comm. Sarah he chirped briskiy
Comm this blessed minute"
CHAPTER u.
The Logical Custodian.
|" HEN, with a logical attempt
i at dlsingenuOusness, Caleb
said.
E "I-Ive friend here, Sarah,
whom I'd Ike to-er-present to You.
This is my sister, Miss Hunter" he an
nounced TO the silent boy, "and this
young man, Sarah. this young man Is
-er-ah-Mr."-
I'm Steve" said the boy mildly.
I'm just Stephen O'Mara."
Certainly" gasped Caleb. Quite
so-quite so, Sarah, this is just Steve
The frail little woman with. her
quaint dignity of another decade failed