Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-07-23
PLACES FOR TWO
BY MILDRED WHITE.
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ilsh NJ 1890, Western Newspaper Union

oer eIoucs turning the twilight 20 dark
ness, But Saran took in the view phil
osophieally, just as she took the
eheerlessness and soInberness of her
own life.
lime had been. years ago. when the
ROADSIDE cottage was a house of mirth,
merry with young peoples laughter
and comfortable with the protecting
presence Of the old.
Sarah's parents had long since
passed to their reward. while the sis
tiers who were all older than she. lived
IN various distant homes. more or less
selfishly absorbed in their own faIhi-
lies. Sarah had clung TO the old place.
at first through duty to her older IN
valids then because there was no place
else to go.
She managed to keep the cottage
heated and comfortable; to tend and
sing over the vegetables in her garden,
to keep there, aside, a little plot Of
flowers with which TO cheer the sick
or rejoice, perhaps, in some affair Of
the living.
ries ended happily, and sometimes.
after she had laid the paper aside. she
would sit in the coy. silent room be-
fore the fire, picturipg to herself
romance which might have been her
own. Sarah was sixty nova good,
wholesome, pink-cheeked sixty - but
she had put her hope Of love aside
She lighted another yellow shaded
lamp in the small yellow dining room
and moved about setting the supper
table
She smiled with sort of weary
amusement as she put Town a second
cup and plate opposite her own, then
added a knife and fork Tor company.
For twenty years Sarah had been do
ing this same useless thing. 1t seemed
less like being alone to see that other
place ready-and waiting, almost as If
the door might open at any moment to
admit her companion. Then when the
supper was quite ready Sarah went
out to the stable to shut up old Mol
for the night.
Mol was the white horse, and Sa-
| rah's desolation so preyed upon her
out there in the rain and the darkness
that she was tempted to linger beside
old Mol, just to feel the comfort Of
living presence. And as she stun
bled up the steps of the back porch she
came all at once face to face with the
human presence of a smilingly apollo
getic and very wet old man.
Raindrops were cleaning on his
white beard, rlvulets ran from the brim
of his felt hat.
Reg pardon, ma am" said the old
man gently, but / reckon I've come
pretty far in the storm and can't get
on to where was goin'. Kin dry up
a spell by your fire which shines
through the Window 1t looks invit-
ing, ! must say" And as the old mans
request was coupled with very evil
dent shiver, Sarah's protective heart
Immediately responded.
go right in ahead of me-" she said
cordially; lit amt no time for formali-
ties"
But when the old man was rid of his
overcoat and was resting in Sarah's
fathers arm chair he smiled again in
his deprecatory way and took card
from his pocket.
That's my name" he said, 'Ehe
nezer Styles. Reckon you're acquaint
ed with young e. Syles3 Well, he's
my SON.
"Eben Styles, Sarah repeated awed
"the lawyer down to the village-4him
your son? Hadn't you better telephone
TO keep him from worryin' for fear you
amt coming back"
The old man sadly shook his head
"The only thing that'll worry Eb.-
or leastways Eb. s wife. " he said STOW
~, sis the fear that win come back
Seems kind Of make EN- shamed all
the time Ebs wife she amt been
used to my kind, An reckon
The wrinkled face lit up with grim
humor Reckon ] don't never want TO
get used 70 her kind So when ] tele-
phone EN- itll be just to say that !
ein't goin' back"
"But what" asked Sarah wonder
ingly, "be you goin' to do?"
THAT" Ebenezer Styles replied
"win be decided later, I've sold prop
erty. an get my interest regular from
the money what sold it for"
"Jest now. then" Sarah said bris6ly
"come an have a little supper"
The old man looked hesitatlngly a.
the table laid so neatly for two. "Yon
was expectin company" he SAID,
saint / putin somebody out2'
For twenty years" she said, II hin
expectin' somebody, an until tonich.
nobody ever came"
Long the man and woman sat 70
the sunshine Of the yellow lamp. Win
the storm but an echo outside. pouring
into each others sympathetic and nm
Outstanding ears story Of lonely
years past.
"For being with just folks" Ehe-
nezer told her, cant always keep one
from bein' lonesome why. when used
to walk up here an Sit 70 the side ~