The Ordway new era., 1917-10-19

~ ed out the heavy
ira y. Beneath
Nss,, as,ss,, un., were the closely
packed miscel-
laneous contents
Of an old trunk used for odds and
ends.
Her summer clothes she had al
ready unpacked, but while she was at
it. she had had the janitor bring up
all four trunks. She was giving the
whole Of this dismal rainy day to
general clearing out. Their closet
space was SO limited, she must make
room for the winter bedding.
"Warren's Violin Music was pen
ciled on the first bulky bundle. How
useless to keep It'll Warren, who had
not played since he was at college,
had long ago given away his violin.
Something hard and square in a
pillow case. An old shell box that
had belonged to her grandmother. An
ugly. clumsy thing with many Of the
shells missing from their bed Of
crumpled red wax. Inside were some
yellowed newspaper clippings of
Aunt Mary's funeral and an envelope
Of faded rosebuds marked, "From the
casket." Putting some Of the loose
shells inside the box. Helen rewrapped
it carefully.
A fiat piece Of tin with narrow
Sits. 1.-THE Eureka Knife Platter
Do Your Plating at Home" read
the printed label. The goods were sup
posed to be showed through the Sits
and ironed down on the other side,
but Helen had found that the plaits
were irregular and did not stay in.
Here, at least, was something she
could throw away.
A black sateen domino, with a red
lined hood and a red heart on the
sleeve, that she had made for mas
querade years ago. Why keep it2 I'M
pulsively she took 1t out to the kitchen
where Dora was ironing.
"Dora, do you think you could get
a petticoat out Of this?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am," with pleased ex-
pectancy. There's lot there"
Again kneeling by the trunk, she
took out a narrow pasteboard box,
"Fan, scarf, etc. KEEP" She need
not have underlined the "keep," for in
no clearing out would she ever part
with the things in that box.
An ivory fan with one Of the sticks
broken and the lacy gauze cracked In
the folds. That last night she had
used It as a dance card. On the back
were the names: I. w. e. Curtis
2, Bob Morowo. 8, w. q. Curtis.
4, X. Matthew'S. 8, w. q. Curtis. g.
L. w. Hewitt. z, Z. Matthews
crossed out and 'Curtis" written over
1t.
Helen's eyes grew dreamy as she
Idly folded and unfolded the fan.
That night Warren's dominant per
sonality had claimed her.
Her color deepened as she rewrap-
ped, In the crumpled tissue paper. the
broken fan and a blue chiffon scarf.
to which still clung a faint perfume.
"The Home Physician" an old "doc-
tor" book long in the family. "Studi-
ously she turned through it. "Lumba-
20, Influenza, Night Sweats," with
pages Of "Symptoms" and doses"
What quantities Of medicine people
used to takel She could not quite
throw it out, yet 1t was worse than
useless.
Some old silk underwear Of War
rens. Now he wore cotton, and she
had kept these because they seemed
too fine to throw away. They would
make good busters. Resolutely she
put them on the discard pile.
A scrap-book. "Plays Have seen,"
half-flled with theater programs. Les
lie Carter in "Zaza," Warfeld In "The
Music Master" Warren had taken her
to that-it was before they were en-
gagged. She remembered her dress,
pale blue organdie. He had stepped
on the hounce-how contrite he had
beenl Determinedly she put back the
book.
A set Of twelve whist boards. No
one played duplicate whist now, yet
It was a much better game than
bridge, Perhaps It would come in
again.
A hideous cushion top-irregular
pieces Of velvet and silk, cat-stitched
together, Helen longed to throw 1t
away. but at the memory OF her
childish pride in the work reluctantly
she put It back.
A hand.painted plaque, water lilies
in 4 pea-green pond. even more
hideous than the cushion. Last win-
"a some artists had held bad
Tsste Exhjbition." What choice con-
frihndons those would have made
a. "a leather writing ease g
warreh,s, ~flotel lfetrupoae Ion6sn. a
80 ths eadlne - eolne Istt1e pel!. !.
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