Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-01-11
Miss Mariana S
Family
~
By Hilda Morris
By Hilda Morris


Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure NewgpA-
per Syndicate.)
Miss Mariana Winn's old house
fronted on Shannon Square. Shannon
Square was not large. 1t was on, OF
those blessed bits of green that oifer
Fairgrounds for children, shade on hot
days, and sunny benches on the crisp,
cool afternoons that come In the late
September.
There were always plenty Of people
in Shannon Square, for below 1t was
a poorer section of the city, crowded
with children. The children sought
the park as ducks seek water, and old
ier people followed-big sisters to look
after the children, old men who liked
to sit and watch life go past, and some
times young people who anxlously
scanned the Help Wanted" columns
in the papers.
Miss Mariana liked to open the long
white shutters at her front window
and watch the people In the Square
iShe had no veranda, and the little park
twas her front yard. She loved 1t at
all times Of the year, but especially in
autumn, when the leaves piled up for
children to play In and the branches,
half unveiled, traced delicate patterns
against the sky.
In truth Miss Mariana was some
times little lonely and she found
comfort In the people outside. She
used to imagine things about them;
make up romantic stories about their
apparently sordld lives. Her own life
had been so quiet, so remote from ro-
nance, that 1t thrilled her delicately
even to think of romantic things, such
as love affairs and travel and adven-
ture. Miss Mariana was only twenty
eight, but she had spent her life in a
quiet round of duties that was like
still back-water In the city's busy life.
Her mother had been an invalid re-
quirlng constant care, and when she
did Mariana was thin and bit faded,
with u spare figure and plain couture
that were far from girlish. Yet there
was look of innocent youth In her
eyes, shy, and bit wistful. There
she continued to live alone In the old
house, watching the people in the park
and filling her days with dreams.
There was one young man In pnr-
ticulsr who sat In the Square yos
often. He brought n little boy with
him-a fine, sturdy child of about four
who romped on the patch of lawn with
9Th nIxt nv.
himself always seemed to be busy. q,
would write steadily for several hours
at time, only looking up now and
then to call the child, or going after
him If play became too rough. Some
times the little boy would come and
climb upon the bench with his father
smuggling curly head against his
shoulder. And the young man would
pat the child and 90 on working, now
and then looking down to smile at his
little son. They seemed to be good
pals.
Mariana tried vainly to Imagine |
what the young man might be doing. |
Also, she wondered where the mother
was and why there was no one else |
TO care for the boy She often hoped |
that the young father, who must be |
a wldOwer, would notice some of the |
pretty girls who sat In the park. II |
was shame for such a pleasant man |
to look so lonely. But he never did |
notice any of the girls. After all, he
looked quite like a gentleman, and
they were not his kind of girls. He |
was probably an author; she had heard
that they were usually poor.
II wonder that child doesn't get into
mischief" thought Miss Mariana. az
guess it's good thing I'm sitting here
wrapped up In that book, or whatever
II Is he's writing"
And then as the young man looked
up, gazing abstractly, apparently to-
ward the window where she sat, Mari
ana leaned forward eagerly to notice
his fine, clean profile. Her eyes were
bright with an innocent interest. It
never occurred to her that he might
be looking at her--nobody had ever
cared much about looking at her, even
when she was very young. Uncon-
scious Of his gaze she sat there, rock
Ing gently, between her long white
shutters, the very picture Of homely
peace and quiet. After that the au-
thOr's eyes strayed often from his
work, as though he must seek insplra-
ton In the walls Of red-brlck cottage
or the long white shutters at its win
dOws.
The day after this the young man
did not come into the park at all.
Mariana, having finished her simple
household tasks, took her place ut the
accustomed window, eager for sight
of the life that moved about outside
If she was eager for the sight OF one
particular person she did not know
1t herself. Her heart was unused to
even the first throb of that emotion
called love. Love as she had read
about 1t was thrilling thing, that
came upon one suddenly, usually In
some picturesque environment, and she,
had never imagined that II could steal
over any woman like Il gentle warning
tide Of happiness. However, she was
happy; there was Il shine In her eyes
and budding smile upon her lips.
Although she did not know 1t, Mariana
VIM was looking younger than usual.
But as the afternoon went on the
smile faded a little. She wanted to
see the little boy. She searched eager,