Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-09
MOONLIGHT AND MONEY.
Dy .. arton ..ublncam.
NEIGHBCRLY GOSSIP.
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Chapter |.
Dexter STREET the PR ttiest residence
street in the little city Of Pennington,
runs east to west across the town, and to-
wards its western end, ii passes group Of
the most comfortable little homes.
They nre set back bit from the gravel
| ed walk which the villagers call the
pavement, each behind its own bit Of
carefully clipped hedge and each in its
own bit OF green lawn and flower beds.
behind, the passcrby many glimpse
cultivated patch where corn and peas
and sreh veg tables are grown, or chicken
yard. or perhapstf the owners Of the house
prefer beauty to thrift, an old-fashioned
flower garden.
One sunny afternoon in the latter part
OF warm May, three women were seated
on the porch Of one of these pretty little
houses, Mrs. Riley, in stiffly starcbed. clean
muslin. protected by huge apron, WAS
shclling peas, Mrs. James WAS sitting idly
by. Mrs. James WAS visitor to dinner,
from the down town part OF Farming
ton-while Mrs Myer, still in her house
dress, had dropped for a moment on the
top step OF the porch Mrs. Myer had
run over for a recipe for rnisin cake and,
woinan-like, had stopped 10 chat.
Things change SO In few years,
Mrs. James observed, looking over tho
porch rail and down the little street.
Now when | lived out here, the new
school house hadn't been built yet, and
there WASH grocer for mile and half.
1T WAS real country then, Mrs.
Riley agreed, her hands busy among
the peas
It's getting quite citifed," Mrs. Myer
vcnttlred, from the step.
4A(1b uyslt that IrrSepdsV Myu Iafftcp
said In "A condescendlng manner. "Citiiied
compared to what it was. But To anyone
who lives where ii IS city
Mrs. James lives way In, down on
High street" Mrs Riley put in hastily,
She knew her g,test was exceedingly proud
Of the fact that she lived in the very heart
of the little town, and that her husband
Was the most prosperous doctor of the
place Mrs. Myer, properly impressed,
sttleided and began to read the recipe
she still held in her hand
80 many new folks moving out here,
Mrs. James went on with her olgserva-
tions of the neighborhood Now there
comes girl-seems 10 me ought to know
her too"
ooh YES, that's Alice Fairbanks, Mrs
Riley said, glancing up the street. You
remember Alice Fairbanks, I'm sure
They moved in from the country year
before YOU moved down town
The father was long. lean bort
Of man. always sick, and the mother
used To work so hard. Mrs. James said,
intsr stingly. Eyes, indeed, ] remember
now
The three watched the girl as she
ing in response to her greeting She was
fly,,, ,.,,s.tI.s I.nuirRs axF nm.
with leather handbag in It. She was
hatl SO, and she paysed on, they could
see hsr brown hair flying a bit IN the wind
and her long easy walk.
That's Alice Mrs. Riley re-afiirmed. :
The children over IN the foreign quarter
call her The Harry Lady.
The Happy Lady" echoed Mrs.
James. "Theif fortunes must have I'M
proved for it seems to me they didn't
have much TO be happy about then, and
there WAS some mystery az TO where they
came from
They had less later" Mrs. Myer put
in The father died year or two after
they moved here and the mother broke
down two Yeas after that, and Alice has
been running things ever since.
THE poor girl, Mrs James commisera-
ed "And don't suppose they had much
money either.
"A little, and they owned the house
that was something" Mrs. Riley said.
''Its marvellous how they do manage
though. Alice does it-she must have
taught herself mostlv, for her mother used
to keeph heI after school books when she was
little She never had her do housewo K
How old is she now?' Mrs. James
asked. She must have been all of Is when
/ lived out he e.
Yes. she's %, | guess" Mrs. Riley
stopped her wo.k to thillk ii over, Yes,
%, though she doesn't look 1T" Is she
pretty?" Mrs. James asked, Il couldn't
quite sec"
Here she comes bsck-i'll call her
in, Mrs. Riley said, "Oh. Alice, come
in here Here friend wants To mee; you.
The girl turned in at the gate, smiling
al them
Tomorrow