Middletown transcript., 1919-07-26
Little Lonesomes
#
Bv DOROTHY DOUGLAS

65m played at OOll mouse ana just over
the fence Harold Ainley struggled with !!
tracks and engines.
In the room above and overlooking |;
both gardens joys father struggled to !;
finish his novelette, that check might
find its way to his front door.
The back room In the ot'aer house
held Harold's lovely mother, who typed |
other peoples plays and wished with
all her heart that she could have ami
office so that she would earn more
money for the maintenance Of her
loved boy.
"Oh, mumsey, can't make my
switch work-the train won't turn Y
walled Harold from below to his moth
err, who was endeavoring to end the
third act before she must 60 down to
prepare her boys supper.
Daddy, daddy, I've torn Julia's
bestest party dress and can't fix it,"
cried a small voice, thereby distracting
her author. father into hopelessness.
The continued Interruptions to his
work, the tenderness and pity he felt,
for his tiny daughter and his most
complete disability to help her IA
tigued him and made him unfit for the
work that must be accomplished if the
pretty house was to be kept.
He dragged himself from his type
writer and went downstairs and out
into the garden where his five-year-old
offspring was weeping now with her
doll held close in her wee arms.
And next door Helen Ainley had
abandoned hope of finishing her tipping
and had gone out to!her small son in
vain effort to help him with his rail-
way system.
The high garden fence hid the small
domestic tragedies from each other.
but if birdman had happened to fly
overhead most any day in the week he
would have seen two large gardens
each with tiny bit of lonesome hui
manity struggling to make day hap
py without anyone to play with. There
was not even the smallest of openings
in the great fence, nor yet even a
| DIchcll lHlOuSu "AANA NAAiNA''AA
curiosity might peer.
Had the fence been less perfect a
most harmonious pair of lonesome
children might have found each other
amt made the long days short. Also it
would have given two distracted pa
rents more opportunity to pursue their
fortunes free from an everrecurring
demand on their time.
But one day, because it must always
be the male who hunts, young Harold
decided that he would like to know
what lay on the opposite side of his
confirming wall. At seven years old a
six-font fence seems regular Jack
in-the-Beanstalk climb. The vines
were strong, or seemed so to Harold's
yentUreSOme mood.
AIumsey was not looking when he
began the ascent; Otherwise-well,
happenings would undoubtedly have
been different.
Harold gained the top with only mi
nor struggles. His delight at seeing
Joy in all her young beauty as a re-
ward for his climb almost succeeded
in sending him headlong into her gar
den. As it was, he perched himself
| like squirrel on a branch and opened
| shameless conversation with the young
lady with her dolls.
Joy made suitable replies and made
10 effort to conceal the delight his ar
| rival on the fence gave her. She hello
her doll up for his inspection, only tt
be told that his railway track wa:
mhch more fun. Joy only tossed hel
sunny curls.
| Perhaps it. was her disdain that un
balanced him, for second later III
thumped down into joys garden ant
lay in heap among the pink gerani
ums that bordered the wall.
joys shrek of dismay was so terri
flying that her daddy few down tn
stairs at top speed, scattering thu
pages Of his novelette, and leaving hi!
heroine in a scandalOus, wholly I'm
compromising position.
And Har6ld's mother flung frantic
glance at the two gardens, suspected
the worst and barely escaped falling
out of her window in an effort to SCI
where her boy lay.
But the author had been so swift t.
; the rescue that before she could with
draw from her window and dash dow
the stairs he had Harold in his arms
There were no bones broken and
most manly smile crept through tn
fright that fingered in the small ad
venturer's eyes.
Mrs. Ainley nearly collapsed owe
tie window ledge in her relief.
Sound as bell" Ransom called u
when he caught sight of her. In
flash he wondered why he had neve
before known that his next-doOr neigh
! bur was a charming mixture of pOeti
| loneliness and earthly reality. He
hair was sunkissed and reddish, he
3 color delicate as hawthorne bloom
and her nose had smear of typewri
cr ink on it. He hoped that she, to-
was not poor struggling writer.
Il "Bow shall l get him back?" sh
, was calling.
u Now that he has found his wa
P over, may he not play with my daugf
J ter? ! think they both need compaI
ionship." Ransom meantime had e
rid of young Harold and was gain
strsightway into Harold's mother
eyes"
poor little lonesumes," was wht
she softly answered. If they don't oil
turb you l am happ! to let him stay
Her eyes were suddenly appealing.
\ am so terribly disqualified as II
J the,," she added; my boy does