The Winslow mail., 1920-01-09
Over the
Hedge
CAD
BY MILDRED WHITE

Copyright. 1919. by Western Newspaper Union)
Rosemary stood on her toes and tried
to peep over Il e hedge. But as Rose
mary was small and the hedge high,
she did not succeed.
Rosemary had grown up with a pro-
pensity to see the other side of things,
and seeing" had sometimes led her
into difficulty. It was because she
had yearned to know whether Rob Full
some could continue true to herself un-
der alluring circumstances, that she
had invited the fascinating Bess Wilder
to visit at her home and be much in
Rob's company. And when later, Bess
had departed, 1t was evident that Rob's
affection had failed to withstand the
test, for he had followed to the home
of Bess as often and as soon as oppor-
tunity permitted. Rosemary promptly
returning his gifts had fancied for a
time that her own heart was broken,
while her unsympathetfc family, dryly
suggested a visit to the home of Aunt
Ellen. And it was in the village where
Aunt Ellen resided that Rosemary
came during one Of her walks, upon
the impossible hedge.
Aunt Ellen, in her various recitals
OF village life, had merely mentioned
the place as old Colonel Hunters.
Rosemary, in the excitement of her
quest, forgot the sorrow which had
brought her hither, forgot, in fact,
e111n nf ri
upon the garden gate, bent over low
to push back it's rusty iron bolt. Unin-
yited, she intended to enter the closed
garden, and to acquaint herself with
It's secret.
AS the bolt yielded, the gate swing
ing inward threatened to make her
lose her balance; but nimbly Rose
mary alighted-and at the very feet of
the PROSTATE figure Of a man. For a
moment she drew back fearfully, for
the man resting upon blanket and pill
low looked awesome in his white wrap
pings. His face, too, was CHASTITY
white beneath the bandage which
bound his head.
The mans eyes gave her no welcome
as she looked down upon him, and fret
fully he asked:
SLOW did you get in?'
Rosemary blushed guiltily.
"Over the gate," she answered.
"My orders were that people should
be barred out" said the young man.
II prefer to do my suffering-in ST.
lence."
.Rosemary's assurance came back to
her.
"But don't you think" she asked,
"that one suffers more-that way? I
mean," she hastened to add, "that 1t
is much better to have ones atten-
ton diverted from sorrow or suffering
if only for a time"
The man stared up at her, then wryly
smiled.
"You are certainly diverting," he
said. "For five minutes / watched
your burglarliks experiments with my
gate lock, and your Easy descent over
my no trespAssing' sign, only to find
vice in the end. Well, when a fellow
can't move his leg and his head is
banged up generally, just what naode
of diversion would you advises
"First," Rosemary calmly suggested.
st might help you to tell some one all
about it."
Nothing to tell,' the man answered
crisply. "War-that's all. Made them
let me come back to the old home here
to recuperate. Have the best Of care,
but everything and everybody seems
to get on my nerves. So l sent 'em
all away, and lie here looking, up al
the sky. It's just mater Of time
before I'll be all right, the doctors say
as if time isn't the hardest thing o
helpless man can bear"
Rosemary nodded understandingly.
81 know" she said, ''it's wanting
to get on the other side of the wall
that makes the time so long. And,
while you've been talking I've been
thinking that perhaps I could help you
to make the time pass. l know of
many original ways to entertain an in
valid and"
Original, all right, I'll bet" chuclzied
the soldier. "That's the first time" he
said suddenly, that I've come near to
laugh in months.''
81 know, then" Rosemary said de-
lightedly, "why I had to see the other
side Of this hedge" And then, seated
upon the grass before him, she told
the amused man of her old curious
propensity and the sorrow to which it
had led.
But strangely enough, like Rose
mary's family, the invalid refused to
view her sorrow seriously.
"In cheering me along" he said,
you may help to divert your own sad
heart. I think you had better come
again tomorrow
1t was an eager Rosemary who later