The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-07-29
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
4 Matter Of TRADITION.
BY DORA NOLAN.
copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure
Naxysuaner Syndicate.)

HeWbpdpeT SyuulCtLSJ
I LICIA jammed her wide-brimmed
IA shaded hat an inch farther down
= on her we'll shaped head and
totied ON through the blistering sun,
up the grass grown lane and through
the knee-deep sorrel and daisies.
was with q sigh of grateful RELIEF tnat
she gained the shade OF the pillared
( porch Of the old Cayerly house Tne
door stood ajar.
Opening It, she peeped into the de-
serted mansion and was lured by It's
cool shadows. Picking her way care
fully. over the uneven flooring, she
passed through the stately colonial
entrauce into wide hall, thence up the
somewhat rtckety but beautiful stair
case and into great empty front
chamber.
Here, on built-i in seat by one Of the
many-paned windows. from which the
glass had long fallen, Alicia seated
herself, removed the wide shade hat
and laid It on the window sill. A cool
breeze from the water ruffled her fine
brown hair. There was no sound but
the drowsy hum Of an occasional bee
and the soft swish-swash OF tiny wave
lets on the beach below.
There ia a certain sleep-inducing
quality in the early afternoon air Of a
midsummer day that is difficult to re-
sIst when one Is alone and fairy
breezes caress ones eyes. Alicia
didn't try very hard.
Presently she was thinking in a
confused, half-conscious way Of the
things that must have happened in
this old house, abandoned now, she
had been told, for twenty-five years.
This old front chamber-how many
lives had It welcomed into the world;
how many ushered out? How many
young brides had looked out Of this
very window down onto the sparkling
ocean?
Alicia's eyes were closed now; she
didn't trouble to open them to see Just
how that sparkling ocean must have
looked to the young brides. The hot
midday air was an easy victor.
Tho soft purring of the waves on
the pebbly beach became more insist
emit; the tide was rising. With it
came stronger breeze.
It lifted Alicia's shade hat and watt
Z ed 1t gently down to resting place
kamid the sorrel and daisies. Several
bees Investigated its wreath of gay
Ncolored flowers with disappointing re-
snlts-and flew away. morali1ing. no
doubt, on their particular version of
the aphorism All is not gold" etc.
Alicia slept on.
Somewhere in the direction OF the
very rough road from which branched
the grasshy lane new sound orig
mated. II was an alien, mechanical
sound. II the speaker had awakened
she would have identified 1t and won
.dered q little perhaps. g..
A powerful car was passing over
Or. rather, through-the abandoned
thoroughfare. A quarter of a mile
from the house 1t gave up the under
taking and the driver picked his way
up the lane like one unfamiliar with
his surroundings yet not unprepared
for them.
Gaining the level plateau where an
unobstructed view Of the old mansion
could be had the young man paused,
\ and with folded arms stood deep in the
sorrel and daisies. Through wide-set,
humorous gray eyes he took in the
scene before him. Poor Dadi" he
sighed at last, and made his way to-
ward the house.
'Why, even some Of the peoples
4 still growing IN front Of the housed"
he exclaimed. Alicla's hat played its
practical Joke for the second time. But
not with such disappointing results
this time to the be-fooled For Pliny
Caverly the fourth decided instantly
that he would like a girl who wore o
hat like thRt-and there might be rea-
sons why It was important that he
sshould.
Holding the hat gtngerly in his hand
pltny stood still and studied his an
cestfa1 home at close range. The viii
dowB over the porch would be in that
front chamber where he was born and
where-but somebody was sitting near
one OF them. Just glimpse Of fine
brown hair and a high forehead, that
was al; but It was rather tantalizing
70 Fliny-for the reason.
Gould 1t be the girl of the poppy
hat, sitting up there in that historic
'front.' chamber where dad had first
seen his mother, when she had come
from boarding school with dads sis
ter for q vacation, the chamber that
had been sort of upstairs sitting
room II those days? He'd see, would
Piiny, right away; it was important he
should know. He thought he liked the
\ soft brown hair and it certainly was
1Nell-modeled forehead-Ibut he knew
he liked the hat and what the hat
whispered of It's owner.
Il was very still, that we'll shaped
head OF which he could get but d
glimpse Evidently its owner hadn't
noticed his approach. Would 1t be
possible to gain that room unheard !?
be wondered.
Surely 1t would be no trespass-it
was his house, at all events. Pliny
Eried IT. and succeeded. He reached
me doorway on tiptoe, the shade hat