The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-02-07
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Hannah Manages.
BY DORA NOLAN.


Newspaper Syndicate)
THE good fairy who was among
those present at the birth or
Hannah Hampstead brought a
most excellent and valuable gift; but
being a generous fairy and fearful Of
stinting, perhaps, she bought bit too
much OF II. For, as an overdose OF
some drugs causes an effect opposite
to the one sought, 80 Hannah's extra
ordinary orderliness OF nature brought
her more enemies than friends.
Hannah never hid the Light OF her
gift under a bushel. She didn't stop
with putting in meticulous order all
her ;inanimate surroundings, but yen-
tured bodily into the perilous enter
prise of Strengthening out the affairs
of the humans of her community
whenever she decided that they need
ed It. She never went out OF doors
that she /idn't itch to set upright
every crooked tree.
There was one person in the regu-
lation of whose life Hannah had a
I, perfect score. The days OF her young
er sister had been ordered Ia strict
aecordsto the seniors ideas. Perhaps,
though she had taken an unfair ad.
vantage, for there were eighteen
years to her credit when Harmonic
was born and to Hannah alone was
left the task OF bringing up the baby
sister
An August sun beat down upon four
cords of wood stacked neatly ut the
side Of the Hampstead barn. 1t was
a sight TO delight tho rye Of almost
any householder; but to Hannah
Hampstead it meant an unsolyed
problem thrust upon her by the hand
of death. Jed Henry shouldn't have
been allowed to depart this life until
he had carried out his yearly contract,
driven his portable power saw into
the Hampstead yard and reduced that
four foot wood into convenient stove
lengths AT this point Hannah, gaz-
ing out at the wood from the cool
shelter OF the kitchen, suddenly rea-
lived that her thoughts were verging
on a criticism of the Almighty. Only
the Sunday before the new minister
had said something on the subject.
The new minister!" Hannah spoke
the words aloud.
Harmonic, who had entered the
house unnoticed by the elder sister,
paused In the doorway. We'll she
knew what Hannah's present facial
expression portended.
Whose affairs are to be straight.
ened out now?" No one but Harmonic
would have dared to take like liber-
W with Hannah.
aour own" was xhe terse answer.
Then the elder woman hustled into
the dining Soom. We'll clean the
solid silver this afternoon" she an
rounced.
Heavens! Why do anything unnec-
essary this weather." But five min
utes later Marmonie's curly blonde
head and friendly blue eyes were bent
over the silver. She offered no fur
Their remonstrance.
Three days later Hannah told Har-
monte she had invited the new min
lister to tea the next afternoon. Har-
monte, who had joined RELUCTANTLY
in the orgy of work which always
preceded the arrival OF guest in
their house, had suspected since the
day OF the cleaning of the silver that
Hannah had plans afoot which con-
cerned the minister. What could she
want of him? Mr.. Dunston was a
bachelor of forty, but he looked about
thirty; Eannah, though she was but
thirty eight looked forty-five. Har-
monte put certain possibility out
OF her mind altogether.
After Harmonic had listened de-
murely half way, through the CONVEX.
sation at the high tea% it began to
dawn on her that Hannah was deliber-
ately working" Mr., Dunston to take
the place of the inconsiderable Jed
! Henry's sawmill. There was men
ton of the minister's already cele-
brated love Of strenuous exercise; Of
the scarcity of labor in the commun-
ity; of the latest fad among, outdoors
rich men for chopping woodland of
the Hampstead woodpile. The Rev
erend Mr.. Dunston seemed to fairly
jump at the bait. And Harmonic, dis
guested that Hannah should show so
little proper pride, resolved right
then and there to tighten his labors
asimuch as she possibly could.
The neighbors shifted Hannah
beamed, and Harmonic helped stack
up the stove lengths. The Reverend
Me-. Dunston seemed to enjoy both the
exercise and the companionship OF
the younger Hempstcad sister: alst,
the apple pie or fragrant spice cake
which Hannah usually produced. Har-
monte was not the type of girl to
whom an older man instinctiyely an
\ psals. Nevertheless she grew TO like
MI. Dunston more and more: until all
at once the suspicion took root in her
mind That 1t was Hannah's plan that
I she should do that very, thing. The
thought turned her squarely against
the minister; for Harmonic, had long
ago resolved that when II, came to me
one really important event of her life.
Sitter Hannah for once should have
nothing whatever to say about it,,
Harmonic was in this frame Of mind
when Hannah one day informed nel
that the Rev. Mr.. Dunston had asked
nhe might see her privately. "From
several things he has said," she vol,
unteered, have every reason to be-
heye he means to propose to me. -
Harmonic stared at her sister in
anpazement. "Propose-to you!"
why not?" Hannah's tone chal-
lenged all criticism. Hes tired Of
boarding and he won't hear of putting
the old minister out of the parsonage,
He likes my cooking-and We need a
man in the house. It's a mighty good
arrangement all around.