The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1920-08-02
THE STERLING HOME.
BY IDA w. GOULD.

|
Her name was Zarella How, and she
was neither young nor pretty. Her
d!shevelled hair and ink-stained fng-t
ers were not attractive. Over her desk
hung motto, Nothing worth win
ming except by hard work"
| The fruits of this woman's work sur
rounded her bust of Clytie, earned
by the sale of THE Sailors Revenge"
stood near the set of Dickens, result
| ing from the Midnight Mystery
Once her energy slackened, then she
let her eyes refresh themselves with
the sight of her real antique prayer
rug, bought by the sale of "AnOther's
Child Over the piano hung we'll
earned water color, one made possible
for her by selling THE Double Muir
der" Upon the mahogany table were
fine bits of pottery. The very robe
| Zarella worked in was a Japanese
kimono, delicately embroidered in ar
tistic fashion. That resulted from "a
Temperance Tale
With splendid health and a small
| income from investments, she lived in
a top room of house that sheltered
many other business women. Her cour-
age was supreme; no amount of re-
jected manuscripts restrained her as
! siduity.
AS early dawn glimmered, the &om-
| an flung her last prodection aside, put
| out the light, and slept till noon. Ev-
! cry afternoon she sent the work off
TO the editors of limerick contest
which had been running some weeks.
She aspired to build small home like
one illustrated in "Sterling Homes"
| A faint Odor of hsiotrope pervaded
all her belongings. In her plan of
house bed of helotrope plants just
outside her workroom was indicated.
| HeliotrOpe was her mothers bestowed
I flower. Zarella always bought hello
| trope perfume instead of the more
common violet.
| She remembered her mother, work
ing at the common tasks in the old
homestead, and a saying of her moth
! er's brought the most vivid and tender
memories TO her.
always keep something sweet smell
| ing that grows about you, to take
your mind off your drudgery."
She would have a Dutch colonial
! home, box trees Qike prim old maids)
on each side of the brick wall. She
would have plenty of heliotrope plants
| tn, h,r hor g
knocker on her front door, Il lilac bush,
a shelf for pitchers. and a cupboard
like one described in a New England
story of long ago. There must be a
high shelf with brass candesticks, and
a banjo clock. Outside, she desired a
duck pond and a few weeping willows
gracefully reflected in the small sheet
| of water. She knew she could gather
fresh material for more stories in such
surroundings. She pictured herself ly-
ing in the hammock. looking at the
fieecy shapes above her, inhaling per-
fume from her flower BEDS
She would paint her house white,
with green blinds. She loved glisten-
ing white paint. s
She remembered when her mother
wife in Newburyport.
The sea captain had an absolute
passion for white paint. How kind
everyone had been there. Perhaps she,
Zarella How, might pass along those
same happy memories to some little
girl, when she really owned her Ster-
| ling home.
The captain had given her bunch
of catnip and a shell at parting. The
she'll still did duty as paper weight.
The catnip had long ago been con-
sumed by cats long since deceased.
Zarela's musings were interrupted
by a knock, followed by the entrance
of the top floor matron:
Good evening, Miss How A speshull
dlivery for YER just come; boys wait
in"
Zarella broke the seal, read the con-
tents of the letter, exclaiming in de-
lighted cry to the astonished listener:
MARY, hear this; no, first tell the
boy, here's the receipt for the letter"
mo bad news, miss"
-good-nothing like it ever
came my way; hurry, then come back,
but don't tell anyone"
Mary made haste and was soon seat
ed admiringly feasting her eyes on the
beauty of the kimOno.
Listen, Mary"
"'Madam-Enclosed find our check
for five thousand dollars.
"'You are winner not for the clever
ness of your last lines, but for the sus-
tanned interest shown. Out of 10000
answers yours are noted for general
merit, but principally for being the
only contestant sending an answer ev-
cry day since the contest began.
"T Kauff, Editor, The Searchlight.'
"Glory be to God, miss, is it writing
brought yer that?
Eyes, Mary, and I'm going to get me
a white Sterling Home with green