The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-06-18
THE DAILY
STORY
no the Old Mems Home.
BY s. 3. HAckLEY.
copyright, 1919, by the Mcclure
Newspaper syndicate.)

- around. AS dependent as baby,
and still acting like things belonged
to himI Yesterday he took half
peck of those October peaches I'd In
tended to dry, to those dirty Bryce
childreni Isn't there poorhouse or
an Institution of some kind we could
get him into? Answer me, Herndon
Copeland"
Young Mrs. Copeland sat on the
porch OF the great old queer-winged,
red brick country house, her nervous
ly energetic hands peeling peaches. A
handsome old man, bearing himself
With an air of stateliness that com.
ported well with the goldheaded cane
that lay across his knees, sat on the
stile in front of the house.
The low-spoken answer of the hus.
band did not reach him
yes, the Home for Old Men would
be more respectable than the poor
house." the woman went on, but who
wants to pay that hundred dollars or
50 entrance feeT
Old Allen clifford had been brought
up on a Louisiana plantation, and
when he had married the young woman
Myra had brought him, unwillingly
enough on his part, to her home in the
Blue Grass.
Why he married Myra Herndon. the
handsome girl winterdng in the South,
he never knew, unless it was that
when his heart was bleeding over his
broken engagement to Marie Balquet,
and the rumor Of her coming marriage,
he was easy prey.
Myra had not been unkind to him.
She had not sympathized with his va
carries, but she had treated them with
tolerance; she had not troubled him in
his taste for curios and antiques, and
+ when his fortune was gone, through
his mistaken kindness to a friend, she
had used hers for their maintenance
without overmuch unbraiding.
When Myra was gone and her prop
erty, entailed, had fallen to her neph-
ew, Herndon Copeland, there was
nothing else for Allen to do but to
stay with Herndon.
For some months he had been quite
happy. Old Joanna, the housekeeper
and cook, waited on him agreeably
and patiently; Herndon kept him sup
Piled with Havanas and little pocket
money. He still rode across the coun-
try when he liked, he collected his
curios without mental apology to any
one.
Then Herndon had married Sophia
VAN. A fortnight after she came into
the house she unceremoniously re-
moved Aliens ancient candlesticks,
his bits of stone, his coins and his
sharks teeth from the parlors to an
old outbuilding. He almost wept when
he found treasured bit of heavy cry.
stal from the hot springs OF Arkansas
taken for a prop to chicken coop.
Then the young bride sent away
black Joanna and cared for the house
and cooked the meals herself Allen no
longer had his hot water brought to
his room, his chocolate and his hot bis
cults for breakfast Sophia declared
that coffee and toast were quite suffi-
Gent for all her family, and that those
who lived with her might wait on
themselves, as she did.
Old Allen was troubled. The ladies'
of his household had always required
servants; they had always been hos
pitable, generous, thoughtful of the
old. No one Of them would have
dreamed of sending a relative to an
Institution Of charity.
b4Om IGdL-L41G lcdE VI OlQ aye
--erept out on Aliens creek. He felt
In his pocket for a handkerchief, and
drew out with it crumpled news
paper he had picked up on the road
that morning.
He wiped his eyes and adjusted his
glasses. To his surprise, the paper
was copy of southern daily, and on
its cover was picture OF the st.
Charles hotel. He drew a quick
breath. He had not seen the st.
Charles since his brother Hubert's
wedding party went to New Orleans,
thirty, forty, or was it forty.five years
back?
It was the fashion then for other
young folk to accompany the newly
married ones on their wedding Jour.
ney. He. and Marie Balquet had been
Of the party-brown-eyed Marie,
whose grace and vtyacity had enchant.
ed his heart, and Of whom, even now,
when he was old-69-he could not
think without quickening OF his
pulses.
Their quarrel was over a red rose
he had given her; that she had taken
srom her belt and lightly presented to
the best man--R mere nothing, when
one looked back.
on, b 90 back homo where he had
known her-once moro 10 sec the old
oyprosg trees under which he had
6eped her; 70 gather handful OF Law
ender wAter-Ayacinths from tho bayou.
- they had 20 often done together IN
ne old dayD-before-beSore thsy sent
bin 70 the Home for Old Menl
TAgUevo old mems homes In Iouisi.
una a. wen a. here" Allen nurmured
m hour later a. he hridled Major, his
horse. Z shall put by ono hundred of
the two hundred Felix Semmers will
give me for Major to pay the admis-
sion fee, toto an old mems home In
my own state. and tomorrow shall 90
home"
IN the late afternoon two days later
The decorators, working in the parlors
Of the st. Charles Hotel in prepare.
tion for g great reception that was to
follow the wedding OF a young Eng
1ishH,an to- q city belle, saw an old
man stop before an,old.time mirror.
US the very<same glass" the old
gentleman murmured, tapping the faco
Of the great mirror, that held near its
frame . flaw or two, where with the
years the quicksilver had abegun to
alp. sthe very same that over NV
-. IL.