The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-11
EOening Story
The Peppermint House.
~ b. REID MONTGoMERY.

F
Ellen looked up from her novel:
you'd never find another place
where it's so easy" she retoTted, but
it's sure lonesome. 1 spent my day
off at my sisters yesterday and the
children are so cute. This house
needs a child to brighten It up, the old
lady gives me the ereeps the way she
sits in that darkened room all the
time. The big grounds don't DO her
Z mite of good
! That's what I was thinking" an
swered Charles, Il water and dig and
weed to keep the flowers nice and
nobody sees the yard, that high orlck
wall shuts everybody out. Seems TO
me- som etimeS," said Charles, that
she shuts her happiness outside the
walls. There's never the sound OF
laugh in here"
Ellen had returned to her tale of
the titled lady who yearned to ne
down amongst people and she shook
her becapped head rather impatiently
as Charles, pleased with his own
conversation, droned on. Ellen was
lonesome. Years before, when Charles
had been younger he had regarded
her with 81 eculative eyes and she mad
cherished hopes of being Mrs. Charles
Winter but it seemed as tho the quiet
routine in the widows home had
dulled the man who did all the heavy
work about the place. He had gradu-
ally stopped inviting the pleasant
faced cook to go out; the groanGS7
we're so spa eious that they would stroll
about in the fioWer-seented dusk with
out wishing to go outside the tall IRON
gates that were only opened Wheh
the mistress went out for her lcnely
drive behind her fat horses, unique
figure in her heavy black garments
amongst the stream of swiftly-moV-
ing motor cars. And Ellen, who had
found herself unable to repress her
liking for the plump Charles, had, IN
her first angry moments OF dlsap-
pointment decided to wound MIN into
a proposal and had accepted the at
tentions of the policeman who often
came in at the tradesmen's gate IN
the red-and-white wall of bricks ThlS
was. however, the wrong tack TO take
with Charles who looked on at the
nuasi-courtship unmoved and Ellen
finally fell back into the old pleasant
friendship as Charles seemed to nave
no intention of cementing their friend
shin into anything more permanent
Ellen was almost pretty with her
black-lashed blue eyes ana satlhy
black hair but sch wanted Charles
and took refuge in the thought that
even if the almost enchanted stiffness
of the wealthy estate had transported
him into sleepiness he at least courteu
no other girl. So She contended her-
self by living in the unreal world OF
romance where every pretty girl ultl-
Ynatelv became a queen and never
speculated upon world Which Woulu
soon be intentionally crowded with
prineesses and queens with no or
binary people to COOK ana cIean. on
did not guess that Charles had once
spoken to his mistress about marrying:
mo" Mrs. Meadows had said, II
Won marry Ellen you must botn go.
won't have my routine interrupted. l
was unhappy in my married llre ana
YOU would be, also. 1 believe 1t IS IN
evitable I have remembered you both
in my will, substantially. After L nave
gone out those big gates for the last
time YOU may marry. 1 am going TO
double both your salaries, tho Money
compensates for everything
Charles had not mentioned the mat
ter to Ellen, he felt sure of her and
the sleepy atmosphere of the place
made him disinelined to any argu-
ment He knew, secretly, that Ellen
would have left the fat living in the
great house, that was swiftly raining
into decay because OF the owner
boarding, to go to a cheap little home
with him.
Upstairs Mrs. Meadows felt strange
ly restless. Perhaps the spring had
touched her aged blood with the old
longings. Memories OF the past when
her daughter long dead now, had
filled the great house with the sound
of laughter assailed her. Moving
heavily across the priceless Oriental
rug with its symbolic pattern of the
Tree of Heaven woven in thru the dim
colors of the backf round, she looked
down into her garden from the great
east window. The pale red of the.
bricks in the bizarre red-and-white
wall shone with the recent washing.
Mrs. Meadows insisted upon a daily
washing of the bricks and Charles
earned his large wages honestly,
safely behind my clean walls" she
muttered, 'the world cannot hurt me
now, but" the aged black eyes set
deeply into the shrtvelled face were
Swallowed with old regrets, ''how /
long for someone to love me. know
the servants are loyal but it is not nat
ural that they should love me. I pre-
vented their marriage. Gold can do
many things" for an instant she was
sorry for Ellen's sweet youth fading
behind the high wall, for the merging
Of Charles into an unambitious man
who was becoming wrapped in selfish
ness. Doubtless the smell of the wet
earth and the sight of the gay tulips
that had burst into bloom over night
influenced her and she daIlied with
the thought of permitting Ellen to
wear the precious gold circle. Then
she reflected that wrapped in their
own happiness they would care even
less for her. 81 cannot last much
longer" she thought YEARLY, they
have their lives before them.''
She noticed a movement in the
shrubbery and, leaning out from the
casement-window, the widely-opened
doors at either side making a pictur-
eSque setting for her snowy head, she
peered down.
tiny girl In a ragged blue frock
stood there. Mrs. Meadows rubbed
her eyes and looked again, it was
amazing that the child should he in
her well-guarded grounds, she did not
know of the hole in the wall hidden
by bushes, but it was incredible that
this strange child with yellow curly
hair tumbling over her chubby face
ceul6 be licking the wall, Taking her
cane, the mistress hobbled swiftly
down the staircase and out on the ter
race Her black garments smothered
in crepe saddeped most people but the
sparkling blue eyes of the intruder
smiled frankly: You look the way
the witch sounded" she murmured