The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-11-14
In Tidy
Lane
~
tCopyrtght. 1sls. By the Mcclure Newspa
per eyndicate)
D.


tCopyrisht. lsls. BY the Mcclure Newspa-
Der eyndicste)
~ IKE II alreadyr exclaimed Alice.
as her eager city-tired eyes grasped
the vision Of Tidy lane with Its row Of
smnll cottages neatly lining the street.
Isn't ii good to get a sniff Of country
arr"
"Gloriousl We both need a change
from city dust. ! get SO sick OF the
,fice every day and a cooped-in fiat
every night. hope the cottage is pos
sible-it will be 80 disappointing after
coming way out here in Long Island"
Helen Randolf absorbed deeply the
freshness OF the avenue of shady trees.
She was tired, frishtfully tired OF the
strain Of her editorial duties on one of
the big magazines.
"Yes. I hope so. but the cottage itself
doesn't amount TO much. j can make
anything In the way Of a shack COM
Portable for us two 70 long as there
IRE a few walls and a roof"
Both girls were eagerly scanning the
snail houses In search Of No. 8.
Number nine must be the black
sheep that has wandered from the
fold" laughed Alice. THE tidiest part
Of Tidy lane doesn't seem TO have any
number nine. Oh! could that darling
over there possibly be itr
The advertisement for the small cot
tage In Tidy lane had read SECLUDED
but not isolated"
Number nine certainly ives isolated.
II had rambled of the other houses In
the lane and found for itself q seclu-
sion that made the hearts of the two
tired city girls jump with sheer Joy.
Number nine lay In the heart Of a
small grove Of pine trees and had set
tied itself down there for all Che
world like q bit Of the landscape that
had been created. not built.
Its too good to be true" Helen said
as they made their way back to the
city to pack up and take the first train
they could manage back to Tidy lane.
II love the way it's gone on by Hself
and nestled In those smelly. healthy
pine trees"
"And I shall have n few chickens In
that little coop, and you will come
home tired every evening from the Of
fee and ] will be waiting for you with
good things to eat" Alice vas delight
ed to the extent of a child over q big
blue-eyed doll.
II hope you won't be lonesome all
day, dear. You know 1t will be a
change for you from seeing so many
people In the CITY,"
II couldn't be lonesome II / tried in
that cute little cottage and Tidy lane
villagers to study"
SO 1t was that the two fast friends
found themselves happily ensconced
In number nine out In sunny, fragrant
Long Island.
Daily Helen Randolf took the train
to the city and the editorial chair she
vas filling while the editor was away
fighting for Uncle Sam. And each day
Alice Winter fitted more joyfully into
the small cottage with its quaint sur
roundlngs. The furnishings had been
a bit cold, but they were SO no longer.
The garden had been a trifie lacking In
color. but a few %geraniums and sweet
peas cheered II all up.
The owner OF the small cottage had
gone with the American expeditionary
force to France. Alice realized that he
could not object TO the few shrubs with
which she had ornamented the garden.
~ hope he will come back to his coy
nest" she said by way Of a little
prayer for the soldiers safety.
"You mustn't hurt your back digging
so much" admonished Helen often
when some new shrub greeted her upon
her return from the city. "You are
not accustomed to that kind Of work."
MY digging" she cried excitedly
the next evening when her pal re-
turned. "has unearthed a mystery.
Lock herew She held up n substantial
tin box. 81 started to put In that n.y.
drangea this afternoon and was prob
Ing round for a soft srot 10 dig In and
finding one I came upon this box"
Buried treasure? l suppose II Is
some child's pirate box. We used to
bury them as children" Nevertheless
the girls were both interested.
"Child nothingw exclaimed Alice.
ITS full to the gan Of manuscripts.
Short stories. And look ut the note
that vas on top!"
Helen took the quite newly typed
note and read Its contents. Farewell
to fame. Mother raised her boy to be
a soldier-not q genius" The note was
signed "Philip Cheyne" and contained
no more information. The many rejec-
ton slips from all the New York maya
ines, however. told all the tale that
''as necessary.
"Poor kid" laughed Helen, her edl-
'orial brain busy with the contents Of
The stories. She was skimming them
swiftly with the trained mind OF a
reader. "Goosey," she said lovingly
to Alice. III you hadn't even