The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1917-01-26
the BARRIER
BY JANE OSBORN.

1t was funny thing aDOGt Tom
barrow and Martha Brooks, and IL was
}ast becadse everyone In town had
kn6%il them since they were babies
that not even the most Conventional !
or the, most prudish really took e1cep-
zion to their housekeeping arrange |
ments.
Martha Brooks vas hd Mrs. Bar
rows niece and Tom Barrow Wds Mr.. |
BarrOw's nephew and, both having
been left orphans in their childhood,'
they had been brought up with all the
Intimacy of brother and sister. Both
tri bet0ne fixtures in the old Barrow
homestead. Bs the will left by Mrs. Bar
row the house was left hs iont prop
erty so long as both resided there. In
case of the failure of either to live
there, the property was to pass to the
dthet Neither was so we'll off as to
be able lightly 10 rehounce the part
ownership of this shelter, so neither
had taken the step.
Il 7vos uearly year after the death
of Mrs. Barrow fida left them the sole
tenants of the house, suyG fdr sn old
family servant, that Tom first dts
cussed the subject with Martha.
IT wh both hHdu't acquired such q
strong reputation fot humdrum pro-
prlety and cOnventlonallty," no said,
81 think someone might take exceb'
| tlOh t0 the arrangement"
Martha ralsed her graceful eyebrows
over 4 bRlf NJ iiHpj dark eyes, and
looked at Tom with hH sif Of mild
surprise. "HOw perfectly ridlctiidttss ;
! A. if q woman of thirty-two and a
man Gf i'f'tt*4fve who have known
each other since batShp0d ana have
been brought up in the satnG ,6tfse
for twenty years couldn't live together
without setting peoples tongues wag-
giifg, And every one knows that
don't really eafF twdbehce for you."
"That is very kind, I sm sure"
Tom re-estabIished the paper in ffdfs
of. his place and went on reading.
But fGf Hre right No one can help
see that we are not M the mold OF
which alinities are made"
Tom went of to his business and
Molly went directly TO her own room,
the only room in the enrire house, In
fact, which she eyer frequented more
than was necessaiS. ,Fhe old draw
ing-rOOm, with its clumsy mahogany
furniture and red plush hanglngs, was
nightmare to her. The library, with
its shelves NJ gntiquated law books
that had belonged To- Uncle Tom, ap-
J. pealcd no more to her.
Martha dOnned her hat and cloak
and, telling the old servant she would
not be home for dinner, started out
SHE WALKED down the main street of
the town. then through o field and
then down a country lane, through an
orchard and finally to little woody
, retreat I'm the middle of which was q
sunny clearing and tiny house that
| might almost have been mistaken fOi
; il Ghild's playhouse. Tn fact, it wa'
! twO-rOOm G6ttase-the secret retreat
: | Of Martha.
\ Once inside this house, Martha's Ell
tire manner changed. DOnning {
, bright cOlOred smock in place of hei
coat and hat, she began to set tht
small place to rights She built Il coz!
$ open fire and arranged the lat
: chrysanthemuns she had gathered
: from the Old-fashloned garden at home
b Here Martha spent most Of her days
+ At two o'clock she thought first o
$ luncheon and, although sHe was to b.
$ alone, she Opene! a gate-leg table be
fore the open fire. spread lunchclOtl
over it and arranged her temptin
luncheon of toasted bread and cheese
hot chocolate and late autumn fruit.
y Then 1t was that she heard Tom
y knock Mt the door, for Tom it prove
- 10 be-TOm who had gone out for
,e country tramp and had stopped on th
prctext of getting Il drink Of water.
20 Il think felt that there was som,
thing suspicious about this cottage
he told her after Martha's hurried, ha
apOlOgetic, confused explanations. "I'y
3. passed this doyScpt several times an
OF somehow ii fitted so thoroughly int
lie my own ideas of happiness and con
fort that / decided I'd become n
a qualntcd with the owner. Then tOds
1T l could no longer wait to know, an
or l trunped up that excuse about wan
ing drink OF water"
Meantime Martha had opened Il
he little gate-legged table to accOmmoda
IN two and was spreading an extra pla'
al- for her unlimited guest.