The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1921-01-14
DAISY BROWN
BY JACK LAYTON.
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The snowstorm increased as Lyn
Walford endeavored to force his car
up the hill If it continued he would
be obliged to seek shelter at some
farmhouse along the way. Driving fur
Their, with great riffs blowing upon
every side, was dangerous. Lyn pressed
his lips angrily together as he drew
out his watch in the half-light, to as
certain the time. The whole journey
was a fool affair." he told himself i'm
patiently, it's object, purposeless and
unavailing. The great house of his de-
parted uncle might remain unclaimed
in its impossible distant situation as
far as he was concerned. Sighting
the lights of nearby cottage, he
turned in at the driveway and made
his way to a rear entrance to seek
welcome A bent old woman respond
ing to his summons raised her voice.
"Daisy," she called, DAISY Brown"
Then in the lamplight Lyn Walford
saw a girl coming toward him.
Certainly you may come in" the
girl answered his question. run your
car into the shed. We are accustomed
to strangers seeking shelter on nights
like this"
And after a hearty supper, Lyn sat
before the coy sitting room fire, his
Eyes resting admiringly upon DAISY
Brown" who sat opposite.
81 was making" Daisy Brown told
MIN, little pies when you came.
Fluted ones of mince, and cranberries.
The kind" she laughed softly 'that
you used to like when you We're a
boy"
81 wonder" Lyn Walford said, "if l
ever was boy. I feel very old to-
night. And yet" he smiled at her,
"my unexpected stopping here brings
me an old-time sense of adventure to
come"
Perhaps" the girl suggested, "the
pleasant adventure waits at the end Of
your journey"
The man frowned, and unaccount-
ably, for his nature was reticent. He
was moved to confidence. my jour
ney," he told the attentive Daisy
Brown sis a rather foolish conces-
sion to form. An old uncle whom for
years l have not seen took it into
his head during his last Illness to be-
queath to me his estate, upon condi-
ton that | share the same with his
ward and stepdaughter as husband
and Urifn Tbfc
an has installed, I believe, in the fine
old rooms a sort of roadside tea
house, which has become so popular
with auto parties that dollars are pour
ing into her Golfers. The young wom-
an certainly possesses ingenuity and
cleverness, to have made of this crum-
bling dead old house an assured finan-
cial success. But am on my way to-
night to tell my uncle's stepdaugh-
ter that I am not eligible for that po-
sition. AS she has put in no refusal
to the condition of the will, I take it
that she leaves that decision to N.Y.
self. It's an idiotic position in which
to place a man, but I shall leave the
ambitious woman sole mistress of her
realm"
what" asked Daisy Brown, lis
the name of this young woman's tea
room, and where is the house?'
"a communication which l received
from her," Walford replied, had an
inscription painted at the top: The
House at the End of the Road Be
meath it, that poetic quotation about
Living in house at the side of the
road, and being friend to ALL 1t
was very pretty. Also, l fancy, very
fetching. She still calls the place by
my uncle's name of 'Walford,' and
signs herself Marguerite, your uncle's
stepdaughter."
Daisy Browns face was rosy in the
freight, the sweet sincerity of her
gaze was refreshing, somehow, to
Lyn's tired spirit.
II know the place very WELL" she
said softly, land l know-this Mar
guerite, too. You wrong her when
you think she was too acquiescent to
the will condition. She was just try
ing to hold the place, you see, until
you should come, and to practice, per-
haps, for some future plan of self
support. She has been successful, but
that is because she has worked so
hard, cooking and baking herself, and
really trying to be, too, "a friend to
all Your uncle's last illness had
taken all that he had. 1t was a long
illness, and Marguerite was as faith
full as she could be. So, he liked her
and as he had always liked you, it
was due to his affection for both that
he planned the mistaken will" Daisy
Brown dimpled into a smile. But
the managing sort of person will not
want the gift of your uncle's house."
she said, land / am quite sure that
she would not wish either to manage
your uncle's nephew. You see, she
has tiny home of her own that used
to be her mothers when her mother
was Daisy Brown, and there, this am
bilious Marguerite, is just Daisy, too,
to the old couple who lived there with
her when she was born. And in that
little house your uncle's stepdaughter
cooks and bakes the things for her
grand tea-room, and If you'll wait just
a minute" Laughingly the girl
arose, II will go and fetch you a