The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-11
RE MlNIScENcE
Chapter ).

Life al the Talbot farm was always
busy, but in the two or three days that
precede the arrival of Luther and his
wife you could fairly see the increased
activity. Amy had always been will
ing helper but for the two days be-
fore her brothers. arrival she fairly
seemed TO run about the place.
She made all sorts of suggestions to
her mother as to things that might be
done to freshen up the shabby, old
fashioned rooms Mrs. Talbot was
summoned to the garnet the day be-
G6~e they were TO come. There was
= note of excitement in Amy's voice,
20 her mother hurried. up the steep
~airs that led to this room under the
ce.Es.
Nh old farm houses have just such
= ga~~et A few generations back
hey threw away nothing. The heavy
IchCEa2y pieces that in our recent
pcriad Of over-decoration were consid-
eT.d uclv, were shifted to these I'M
Mastered cubby holes. Fortunately
- antique dealer has searched out
AMI ,taeccd most Of them now.
THIS is a beautiful table, Mother"
tmy exclaimed, when Mrs. Talbot's
figure appeared in the room. Don't
p
the washtand, which needs painting?"
Mrs. Talbot looked at the piece OF
furniture Amy had dragged to the win
COW. She agreed that it was in bet
ter state Of preservation than the
present weshstand, so the two OF
item carried it down along with other
things hat Amy had dug out Of old
trunks aud barrels. When the girl had
scrubbed off the dirt and polished the
wood with oil and wax, the new piece
hooked so fine that both stood off to
admire il.
1T looks somehow like a fine lady
in a poor mans house" Amy said, and
then blushed for the speech sounded
odd in her ears. She was quite right
for the table with its beautifully
grained dark wood, it's perfect lines,
the curved legs and carved feet, was
an excellent example OF early Colon
ial workmanship. 1t was the girls in
stinct for beauty showing itself. With
out knowing anything about It, she
recognized its superiority to the flimsy
decorations of the more modern pieces
about her.
Your grandmother had a lot of
stuff like this" Mrs. Talbot said, her
mind reaching back suddenly into the
past. 1T used TO be fashionable then.
She put it away when it went out of
style and your father sold most OF it
when we were married"
The girl knew nothing of the lost
treasures that had passed from the
family possession. She was pleased
with her find and went on about the
house taking down pictures and chang
ing rugs and chairs until she produced
what she thought was a better looking
effect. Amy had touched life only
through the medium of the movies,
and badly done movies at that. In
her opinion. the grander the house,
the more furniture it possessed, and
the finer the lady the more ruffles
and feathers she wore.
Mrs. Talbot rather enjoyed the
changed appearance of her house.
It's something like going away Wis
iting in a new place" she said
Mr.. Talbot merely grumbled when
he found some object had been moved
out of its accustomed place.
The table, the strip of chintz, the
old samplers that Amy had brought
down from the garnet, had started
Mrs. Talbot thinking. They were odd
thoughts that had been out of her
mind for years. While she baked an
elaborate cake for dinner and cleaned
rooms that were already immaculate,
she kept remembering little things
that were long forgotten.
Luther was the first child. He was
born just 80 years ago when she was
IS and had been married not quite a
year He had been a beautiful baby,
with large eyes and a fuzz of hair
that glistened in the sun. She and JOr-
don had been so proud of him, and her
only regret had been that the baby 5
eyes were grey like her own and not
a fine flashing brown like his fathers.
However, as he grew up his hair had
turned dark. AS a boy he had been
leased because of his large mouth, an
odd mouth that trembled in a sensi-
tive fashion when he was scolded.
Jordon wanted only sons, she re-
membered, and had been frankly dis
appointed when the second baby and
the third were girls. He had been
less strict with Luther than with Jane,
who was five years younger, but that
was because Luther was always so
good, whereas Jane needed constant
restraint and constant curbing of her
rather violent temper.
Jane had done things that her par