Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-01-21
LlSSETTE
BY MILDRED WHITE.
! 1920. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate

can't with memories. 1t was here that
she had grown to young womanhood
under Aunt Martha's a r Now that
Amt Martha was gone forever, Lis
settle In her busy city life, felt that
she must go back to stay in the place
until affairs should be settled and
mast debts paid.
The old rambling house with green
shutters was dearly familiar = the
ample tree beneath which she had
swung to and fro. lilly, w~hite-aproned,
waited in the dooorway-Aunt Martha
alone was absent. 1t was a joy to sit
before the living room fire at eve
ning-a joy to sleep in the chintz-
decked bedroom; but the following
afternoon of a rainy day dragged
dreariIy. Lissette did not want SO
much to think of Aunt Martha, she
wanted to occupy her mind, and to
bring back in memory the happy days
of long ago; so she went into the
sunny kitchen, and with Tilly industri-
ously mending near by Lissette gath
cred together the ingredients for can-
DIV making-Aunt Martha's delicious
o~ld-fashioned candies, which she, as a
little girl had tied in dainty gift pack
ages for favored friends. The candy
dubbed and cooled in the making, and
Lissette's own cheeks were as red as
the sugared cherries, the tendrils Of
her hair as golden as the maple strip;
cheerily Lissette hummed as she
worked, while the rain beat against
the windows. A motor car %crunching
down the drive anne to a stop before
her kitchen window, while the driver
~springlng out and up the steps through
the rain, knocked at the kitchen door.
BEG pardon" he said, "but we have
been Overtaken in the storm, the
breeze is pretty stiff, and / wondered
If the ladies might be allowed to step
inside, they are damp and chilly" Lis
settle liked the young mans frank face,
also his pleasing voice was reassur-
ing.
Certainly, bring them in," she in
vited; "Tilly will put a log on the
fire."
The elder of the two ladies was
most grateful for the hospitality. She
was a brisk, bright-eyed old lady,
while the younger one, in her blight
eyed freshness, was a picture Of what
the older lady had been. They intro
duced themselves as Mrs. and Miss
Carte, the young mar whose nam APP
peared to be Neil Strong, addressed
the younger m as "Gladdy." They
were merry together about the fire.
place, and Lissette came with a smile
to offer them her finished candies. So
delighted were they, and friendly alto
gether, that Lissette tied up for them
as the hours passed a dainty packet
Of candy to carry home, as Aunt Mar
tina had taught her to do in days past.
And before they left her visitors made
the suggestion which would enable
her to solve her present living prob
lem.
"Why don't you,", asked Mrs. Car
te, make enough of this wonderful
candy to sell at a good price to certain
patrons. I myself will be a regular
customer"
"And we can send you many Others"
Miss GLADLY added eagerly. Neil
Strong settled the question. II could
order some trial boxes for you with
Lissette' engraved on the covers" he
said; it all sounded so inviting that
Lissette enthused tt the prospect.
Neil will come later in the week,
to get more candy for me-" the girl
said.
He remembered astonishingly well.
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
never failed to bring to the old house
Neil Strong in his car; and always
with the order for Miss GLADLY he
brought other orders. Lissette's trade
grew amazingly.
Strangely enough as time passed
Lissette found herself wondering as
she mixed her candies in the big
kitchen at the comparisons of life.
Here was she working over a hot fire,
with no real home and no friends In
particular, while there, protected and
beloved. was GLADLY. There was no
rancor in Lissette's thought, just a
sort of usefulness at her own lack of
joy. Perhaps Neil Strong's fine face
may have been responsible for the
usefulness. Anyway Lissette decided
that she was not going to see him
again. One might become unwisely
accustomed to the comfort of a SYM
pathetic personality. even when that
personality was vowed to another.
Hereafter lilly should meet Mr..
Strong and deliver the candies. The
fifth of November would be soon in
coming-so thought Lissette, and the
IRE alone was not responsible for the
Hush which dyed her cheeks. But Neil
came unawares; she was in the gar
den plucking a yellow chrysanthemum
to tie over the golden letters of LIS
settle" on Gladys candy box, when
he found her. :
"And what" asked Neil Strong abb
.-- 40