Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1921-04-28
SUNSHINE LADY.
BY AGNES G. BRYAN.
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e. 1921. western NEWSPAPER Union.


been a wide avenue where long ago
! ladies drove in carriages, and where
4 white stepping stones marked the
names of those living in homes Of
| fashion. Almost, it seemed, that the
! brown house had become imbued with
the signs Of its departed, for many go
ing new ways had looked back on the
| old home longingly.
| The house-now bore sign, neat but
| eloquent, Rooms and Board" and
Rooms for Light Housekeeping" The
young girl coming fresh from the coun-
try. found that the humblest room Of
the old stone house wouldneost her
more rent than cottage at home ~ IL
| So, Lily, entering her small stnffy
appointed place. tried 10 Persuade her.
SELF that. she oughtstofbe grateful for
warmth and 1 roof 10 Ahelter. 4 ~
The sassfaced- old lady in the aSjein-
ing :goem awaAs ahaissd 10 lean don ~
crutch ~ she Ma5ted. and made eOaao
fottablss to crs1er., Lily, ,learneds and,
knitted things Sfsfa Il the ~charjtablSa
| While the brisk women, who travelled
for q business concern and was sep
arated from the young family. she sup:
ported. sang mournfully about her
, strange room in the big unfriendly
city. ~
Desperately, the country girl tried,
to relieve the oppression of dingy car,
pets and wall paper, by the placing Of
her few accessories, but the result was
discouraging.
Then Lily came upon the sun room.
Always after she called it that in
thought. The door of certain room
leading into the desolate hall had been
left open; from it came the apparent
light and cheer of sunshine. That the
sun was not actually shining through
it's windows Lily afterward realized.
What first impressed her was the COM
forting yellOwneSS of it ALL, Windows
draped in folds Of thin golden silk,
big cozily shaded yellow lamp on
soft leather draped table, palely
yellow rug on a vanished shining
floor; delicate yellow-tinted paper,
too with the tiniest pink roses for
border. Lily, drawing curiously near
err, saw glowing gas stove, and there,
smiling at her invitingly, stood the
Sunshine Lady. Lily called her that,
in her heart.
How do you dor greeted the Sun
shine Lady, in happy friendly voice.
wont you come in to call?"
hn Of S11n T OF u
was sweet and gracious. The visit
was so comforting to her loneliness
that Lily was amazed1to find how the
hours had passed; and when she went
back to her dingy quarters, she car
FRIED gay magazine and knot of
fresh violets from the sun lady's own
bouquet, to brighten it. Lily thought
of the sun room and it's CHEEKY
restfulness as she bent over her
typewriter In a high, narrow office.
And as weeks passed Lily grew to
think OF it with happy thrill Of ex-
pectancy, as the happier ending Of her
drudging day. For there was the pi-
ano to play upon. One early Satur-
day afternoon, when Lily had hurried
home in anticipation Of care-free
hours IN the golden room, she disap-
pointedly found another before her.
1t was the sad-faced old lady OF the
room adjoining, who In perplexity
opened Miss Tabor's door-for MILL
cent Tabor was the true name Of the
Sunshine Lady.
II usually come in," she explained,
'for a cup Of tea and to look over
the knitting patterns Miss Tabor leaves
in the chair by the fire."
Lily, ashamed of her own selfish dis
appointment, smiled and slipped away.
But soon she came back.
II WONDER" she asked her old neigh
Dor, "if you would knit a shawl scarf
for me? l would like to give you an
order"
When accidentally one Sunday
morning she discovered the business
woman in the sun room, Lily laughed.
"Do we all come here?' she asked
the weary mother who sat at the hos
pitable desk penning letters, when
the Sunshine Lady is away?"
Il think So" the woman responded.
"She is so cordial in her welcome.
What beautiful name you have given
her. Miss Tabor's little kindnesses
have been the one bit of sunshine |
have found along my hard way" Lily
sat with her friend that evening. The
fire burned red and cheerily, but it
was not the reflection of freight alooes
which touched the sun lady's fae4.
Dear girl" she confided, Il xm go
ing to leave my room here s,norrow,
and shall never come baesx to it to
stay. You have known little about
my daily duty. Well, shall be mar
ried tomorrow to tke physician whose
secretary have hsen, since two years
ago, when I left my own desolate
home to care my living. / hope that
may he able to make that good man
happy, Cor his life is spent for others.