Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-07-07

lake. The children were solemnly |
grave and then giggling by fits and
starts.
The Eltons had come back from
abroad. From Elm House Cousin
Frances Elton, commonly known as
Tom, short for tomboy, came racing
across the lawn waving towel and
bathing clothes and in a high treble
giving a creditable imitation of an In
dian warwhoop. At Toms cry the
children stampeded on to the veranda
with sibilant cries of, "Sshshv' Mrs.
]. Y. looked at Nance and Nance
smiled resignedly. They put away
their work, ordered the wagonette and
the colts-colts no longer, alas, save
in name-and departed with a wagon
load of suppressed youth. From Long
lane foated back peals of young laugh
ter, breaking bounds as the overhang-
ing trees hid the hill from view.
Glen sat on the vast window seat
and toyed with book. J. Y. came
and dropped down beside her. "Well
Glen, he's come back"
Glenn nodded. Are you sure he
| doesn't want anything. Uncle John?
He hasn't had a thing to eat since
seven o'clock this morning"
Alan's bell tinkled. Glen started to
her feet and then sat down again.
You'd better CO." But when ]. Y.
strobe off she followed.
| tWhu bo boneo eo o,,}o4o r,
on account Of the captainT asked
Alan.
BLESS you, no. The captain sleeps
for a week at a time. The children
have gone over to the lake."
II just wanted to tell you that like
their noises-they're new. There's
nothing really the matter with me ex-
cept that I've got to take things in
turn, and lying still and sweating
comes first. After that, perhaps tomor-
row, I'm going to eat. The penulti-
mate act on my list is cigarette and
the ultimate is to get up in the old bel
fry and yell" He turned over and
sank his head into the pillows.
"All right, my boy" said j. Y, smil-
ing. There's only Glen and myself
here and We'll go and try to make
noises like the children" He came out
of the door in time to catch sight of
Clem's skirt as it whisked around the
corner Of the hall. He followed and
found her already seated at the piano.
Her fingers wandered over the keys
and then her soft, full voice broke out
in one old song after another. She was
happy because she felt that singing
she was with Alan.
Alan stirred in his bed and listened.
He determined that tomorrow he must
be well. Robbed of this afternoon, he
was being robbed of half of life. He
cursed the fever and then, as he felt
how near Clem's voice brought her to
him, he blessed it.
At night when all the rest of the
household had gone to bed, j. Y. softly
opened Alan's door and looked in
Alan was awake and nodded. ]. Y
came in and pottered about the room
He rolled bit Of paper into an amplel
shade and further yelled the night
lamp. The lines in ]. US rugged face
were softened to lines of sweetness
He asked If there were nothing he
) could do and then turned to leave thu
, room. With his hand on the door, hi
paused and smiled down on Alan. "MJ
boy you have been far, far away"
Far away" replied Alan drowsily
''but | have come back"
The bracing air Of Red Hill and {
, long nights sleep enabled Alan to keel
his word with himself. He was up anC
out on the day following his arrival
but he still felt delightfully."- lazy an(
| pitifully weak. Glen took charge o.
| him. First she tried to settle him il
, hammock with many pillows, bu
Alan shrank from the hammock. They
spread rugs instead in a nook unde
the trees, and Alan stretched himsel
/ out amid a riot of many-colored cush
ions, while Glen sat close by in low
rocking chair and talked and read anC
| talked.
Talking or reading, Glen was {
| source of unvarying delight to Alan
t Was it possible that one could liv,
, twenty years in an old world, rul
elbows with life for twenty years, an(
remain so fresh, so untainted? Hi
own life rose up before him anC
Knocked at him. Was it possible tina
one could live thirty years in thi
same world and be so old? FL,
shrugged a shoulder petulantly. 81,
would not think-he refused to thinl
while he was so weak.
When Glen talked, 1t was like {
child dreaming aloud; when she wal
silent one felt the presence Of woman
: hood, wise with the unconscious accu
mutations of generations and una
Dashed. When Glenn talked Alan wa.
at ease, but when she was silent h,
was moved-troubled. A SCARED mar
may play with a child and no harm
: to either. He can detach himself from
his past as from the child and at
safe moral distance turn to watch 1t.
unconscious gambols. But with
woman 1t Is different. Womanhood |!
force; its mission to embrace, to sac