Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-05-14
winthrop
DTL,D VT

@1Ah
The next morning came warm and
full of sunlight and the fragrant
freshness that only the early season
seems to possess. i could not be
depressed on such a day.
There was the routine of the san
atarium to get through with. l
rushed Parker through my bath and
massage and waited impatiently for
the doctors visit.
You look well enough to be tent
home now" he told me.
Not quite home" / answered. 81
have a pian-I'm going to stay on
here for the summer. You can have
me under your supervision then, but
I'm going to live in the village"
AS soon as l was permitted to go
out. / sent for my car and drove to
the little white cottage, took the
name of the real estate man, and half
an hour later, accompanied by him,
l was going through the place.
1t could not have been better IL
it had been made for me. 1t was
q cheaply built. but perfectly good
little house .one and a half stories
high. 1t was of white painted boArds
with green shutters. and a porch
about five feet square with two wee
benches, one on each side of the
door. Inside was a living room with
a brick fireplace. This was half the
house. On the other side, in front,
was the dining room: then the kit
chen completed that floor. Upstairs
were two small bedrooms with slop-
ing ceilings, and a tiny bathroom.
The house was furnished with cheap
but plain furniture.
1t seemed it had been built by a
young married couple, who had
moved away to another city and had
this place UP for rent. l took 1t at
once, even before l knew its rental.
l thought 1t very cheap, though Mrs.
Taylor told me the man doubled the
price when he saw my enthusiasm.
OF course, / had an almost un-
J limited allowance. So l could afford
| to beg the doctor to give me Parker
for my houSekeeper, at least over the
summer. And in a week. l was estab~
lished in my little home-my first
home. the only house l ever felt
L could call by such a sacred name.
You'll want to be dom every
thing, and you mustn't ~overwork,"
Parker had to say several times
every day. For l was full of en-
thusiasm.
ut isn't too late to plant a little
fN6Stobic oNhb wan AiNAs "AN
corr and late peas and lettuce will
grow-oh, lots Of things. I've a seed
catalogue from the grocery store"
My aunt would have been horri-
fed if she could have seen me. L
wrote her that l was to be under the
doctors supervision all and
would stay in Wellsville, where | had
taken a small house. and my private
nurse was to attend me. l wrote
Father the same thing. 50 l was not
ibbing, though perhaps L wasn't tell
ing the entire truth.
My aunt sent me a lot of summer
clothes, smart things fashioned by
her own dressmaker. Most of them
l put away, l did not want them.
| bought a lot of big aprons made
from cretonne, things that covered
me like a dress. and decided to wear
them all summer. My favorite books
were the seed catalogue and the mail
order catalogue.
And finally we were fixed. The
cheap hangings / had taken down
and / had put away all ornaments.
Cool white muslin hung at the win
dows, and cretonne curtains and
cushions and couch covers made the
place as dainty as could be. 1t was
wonderful wh> a difference l made
in the house by a few such touches.
And you can still have a garden
and you a set out shrubs" Mrs.
Taylor told me.
So we did this too. to the greater
transformation of the house. In no
time at all it was one of the pref
tiest homes in the village.
And that marked the end of one
sort of life and the beginning of an
other. For when my little house was
done over. 1 was quite well, though
not very strong yet. 1t would take
months of a-'4uiet life to bring back
perfect health.
Aunt Harriet consented to my
! idea, my Father was so far away
that the summer would be half way