Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-08-10
"WeII, Well, You've Got Yourself a
Eookay,"

NJ, buster, crleu. you keep
out of doors. Peter, put him out"
Peter resentfulIy deposited the pup
on the porch, and took my slipper back
upstairs. Meanwhile, Buster, after look
ing wistfully through the screen door
a second, pushed it open with his nose
and paw and re-entered, Immediately
sitting up on his hind legs and gazing
into my eyes with the most human
look l ever saw.
Buster" said l, "you are the limit.
Very well, stay in. 1 give up!"
Buster plopped down on all tours, as
if he understood perfectly, and took
bite at my shoe string. l patted his
head. 1 had to. The pup was ire
sistible.
"And what time will you have your
dinnerY 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 I, "and one
o'clock. Bert has his at twelve, but I
want mine at one. Maybe 1 shall have
a guest"
"a guestw she cried. ''You wouldn't
be putin a guest on me the first
mOrnin'P'
well, it's doubtful, I'm afraid" I
answered. Perhaps I'll wait till to-
morrow night, and have three guests
for supper-just Bert and his wife and
their bOarder-sort of a housewarm-
ing, you know. 1 want you TO make q
pie"
well, | reckon can wait on table
stylish enough for Mrs. Temple" said
she, land I'll make a lemon pie that'II
make Bert Temple sorry he didn't
marry me-
Il shouldn't want you to wreck
Bert's 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 l waited for dinner I 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, floated 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 I heard
the front door open very softly. AS I
guessed that Peter had his instructions
in behavior from his mother, I knew
1t must be Miss Goodwin My 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 | got up to investigate, but there
was no sign of her. The front door,
however, stood ajar. Then Mrs. Pillig
called "Dinnerp'
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, ard the
sight of it thrilled me. Then I snted
the centerpiece-a glass vase bearing
three fresh iris buds from the brook
side. Here was the secret, then. of the
open door! Mrs. PiIIig came in with
the platter Of eggs and bacon, and she
too, spied the flowers.
well, well, you've got yourself a
bookay," she said
mot l." was my answer. 'eTbev
just came. Mrs. Pillig, there's a fairy
lives in this house, a nice thoughtfnI
fairy, who does things like this. If Won
ever see her, don't be frightened"
Mrs. Pillig looked at me pitvingIv
"I'Il bring your toast and coffee now"
she said.
The coffee came in steaming, aud If
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 a very happy
one, happier even, perhaps, than it
would have been had she sat opposite
me in person. We are curious crea-
lures, who can on occasion extract q
sweeter pleasure from our dreams -
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 sufficed to bring
me dessert of some canned peaches,
buried under my own rich cream, and
to remind me that my wants were So
licttously cared for. Out on the porch
l 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. l thought of the yard
pleasantly. but without regrets. l