The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-12-08
Chapter 45
THE SENSATION

ne QlHerence between NlOIet anu
myself as We left Henry Falls and as
we returned, was borne in upon us
more and more as we reached home
Driving through the short street that
formed the heart of our village. and
at the end of when our nome stood,
we created little short Of real SEN
sation.
1t was early Sunday afternoon, and
everyone was out front-we could not
have chosen more public time to
arrive, had we wanted to make our re-
turn dramatic. 1t was just at the time
when the Sunday dinner has been
cleared away. when the men were rest
ing and perhaps reading in the shade
of the porches. and when the women,
having cleared away the dishes as
quickly as might be, were coming out
either to sit and rest, to enjoy the first
real relaxation of the week-or to
visit about socially until time for the
light supper and church.
That's the third person that's said
Hello, James, wi remarked as we
drove along under the trees. Doesn't
Jim Henderson know me any more?
Aunt Enid, there's the Diggs family
on the porch-th they don't know US
either-at least they're not sure. Hello
there" she leaned out to wave greet
ing.
well, my land-' were the words
we caught family from the porch, and
Mrs. Diggs came down the steps to
follow us better with her eyes as we
drove along.
Violet leaned back to giggle mis-
chievously.
wait a little; We'll startle them"
she said, turning to me. She gave her
hat an expert little push, which tilted
1t to yet more becoming angle.
Then she reached down into the very
stunning handbag Helen had given
her, found little vanity case and de-
liberately powdered her nose with
miniature puff, so everyone around
could see.
James looked at her with his slow
grin. l felt that suddenly life was
becoming more interesting to the boy.
A great affection and great SYM
pathy always existed between vi and
her brother, and now she was adding
to this little of the sophistication and
d little of the newness of a strange
girl from the city.
But the climax of the whole after
noon was Esther. She came to the
door as she heard the carriage wheels
crate on the stones of the roadway,
wiping her hands on towel. She was
getting dinner-we were to have it
later than usual, because of our ar
rival. So Esther had covered her Sun
Gay dress with her weekday apron
and her face as usual was red and
moist from cooking.
My land!" she exclaimed. And
again and again, 'My land!"
Violet ran up to her and kissed her.
then turned to watch her face as she
greeted me.
MY land!" Esther said for the fifth
time. Enid Haines! l wouldn't have
known you. What have you been do
ing to yourself?" 4-..
Put l turned from her more or less
"ordial greeting to see Violet hugging
':cr father and laughing up at MIN
rom the pleasure of seeing him again.
i'm kissed me too, something he had
1ot done for years, and then we both
urned to the rather perfunctory en-
BRACE that Laura gave us.
We'll. l wouldn't know you," Jim
said frankly, looking at me as we
:tood on the porch after dinner. II
swear you looked like a little old lady
when you went away. And now
gosh, you don't look 30-not more'r 80
anyway. You look like the little sister
l used to be so fond of"
That is charming of you, JIM" l
said.
Until time for Sunday tea as we
called the meal of cold meat and odds
and-ends that we ate for Sunday sup
per, friends and neighbors kept arriv-
ing and we held real reception. |
h.,
much pleased. Their faces and COM
ments were a reward for all my work
and study of the winter. Again and
again l heard that one remark. Il
wouldn't have known you"
OF course our clothes helped a great
deal We had worn very nice things
that we did not want to pack, and
perhaps, too, We had worn our pref
test because we knew the sensation
we would create.
In every woman there exists great
actress. Unconsciously we all know
when the dramatic situation occurs
and how to play up to it; indeed, we
all know unconsciously how to bring
about the dramatic climax. Even
knew that, though all coquetry had
been killed in me long ago.
We were a sensation, indeed. They
toiu us ABOUT II, tney tod eacn Otner
about it, or course, Henly Falls was
such a quiet. out-of-theway little vii
lage that almost anything new was apt
to be astounding.
AS ] look back now, l marvel that
in this busy age, such a town can
exist. Yet it was logical enough-the
country around us for miles was splen
did farm land; the railroad was quite
far away; our little river was not
strong enough to furnish motive power
tor any factory; our falls, from which
the village took its name, We're very
GRANDMOTHER KNEW