White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1919-11-16
Among the
IilacS
By Virginia Leila Vents

II WIS u WdrH spring evening", 50
warm that they had ventured to sit
out on the little wooden veranda.
There was q suggestion Of approach
Ing summer In the breeze and the air
was redolent with lilacs. By glanc-
Ing toward the right 1t was not difh-
cult to see where the fragrance came
from. On the other side of the hedge.
In the deepening twilight. was a pur-
pie forest Of plumes, and beyond that,
white In the gray twilight, rose the old
Howard house-the oldest In the tiny
village, as well as the largest. Sell
den Howard was the only living repre-
sentative of the family.
Presently the group on Mrs. Jones
veranda began to speak OF Selden,
leading up to the subject from the fra
GRANGE OF the bushes.
ssThem liloeks is sickllshly sweet"
observed Mrs. Jones herself.
Really nauseating. acquiesced the
boarder, who had been spending the
winter here in this little cottage
among the Berkshire hills. "By the
way, / saw a strange man at the post
office this morning. and I overheard
some one say he was Mr.. Howard.
Very good-looking man he was, and
seemed to know a thing or two"
THAT'S him. confirmed Mrs. Jones.
"But why shouldn't he know a thing
or two? He don't do nothin' but trav-
IL and trapse round the country.
Hardly ever home. and won't have a
thing to do with the people In the VII
lage."
The moon was beginning to show
red and low In the warm dusk. and
the lilacs made superb black shadow
effects on the lawn. The little tired
out city girl who sat on the lowest
step of the yeranda and who had Just
arrived that day had nothing 10 say.
She was filling her whole soul with the
beauty Of the coming night.
Pretty soon, carrying her lamp, she
went upstairs TO her bedroom. She
looked at the high mound of feather
bed. and at the small window at the
foot. into which was already flooding
the spring moonlight. For a moment
she stood irresolute. Then she low
cred the shade. slipped on a cheese
cloth kimono. drew the pins from her
lair, letting II fall about her shoul-
ders, blew out the lamp and followed
her within to lean from the easement.
II had been a very long while since
Katherine Hope had looked from a
window over a garden when the
was shining. True. from the window
of their stuffy city lodgings on Elev-
enth avenue-her mothers and hers
she had leaned out nj times when her
head was hot and aching with too
much work, and caught a breath or
outside air. But that was so diifer-
ent. From that window she could
look only on clotheslines. sheds. h
back windows of the boarding houses
Oh the next street. and there. what.
ever restful thoughts might come 10
her were made havoc of by an accordi-
on. cheap o songs. or the caterwaul-
ing of feline creatures on the fences
below.
And now-oh. the feathery. pale for
escence of the lilacs over yonder
Katherine drew her breath In with de-
light as their dormant scent came up
10 her. If only her dear little mother
could be with her 10 enjoy the beauty
of IL ALL But that had not been posi-
BILE. When the physician had shaken
bis head gravely over his young pa
TENTS WORKOUT condition. and com-
handed an immediate change in the
country. 1t had been all that mother
and daughter could do TO scrape to-
cether the meager savings for Kath-
crimes rest of a fortnight. And Kath-
crime was not one to new and whim-
per over impossibilitles. She was here
now-and she would make the best OF
every ome 10 grow strong and
well again. that she might 90 back
with new life to her Office work and
| the eompanionship of her sacrificing
little mother.
The mild country air and the thou
sand odors of the spring played upon
her face, and lifted her loosened hair.
gilded by the moonlight into the like
ness Of an aureole. Her white XII
mono fell softly around her: from the
position In which she held her arms,
her soft elbows were plainly visible,
and her exquisite face leaning back a
bit against the dark-palnted frame OF
the window stood out like a cameo
The girl was little conscious Of any,
thing except the wonder OF the night;
nor was she aware of one who watched
her a moment from the shadow of the
llacs In the garden beyond the hedge.
Selden Howard was returning from his
dog kennels. whence he had gone to
look after a sick collie. when his aye
had CHANGED to fall upon the figure In
the easement, and In sheer artistic APP
probation. had rested there.
"She's like some young princess" he
thought to himself, pursuing his way
toward the big house, cor a goddess
l.. her hairs like the silvery floss
around corn. Her name ought to be