The Holly chieftain., 1922-11-23
vi-continusd.

Next day there came message
from that woman who had brought up
Dwight-"made him what he was"
he often complacently accused her. 1t
was note on postal card-she had
often written few lines on a postal
card to say that she had sent the
maple sugar, or could Ina get her
some samples. Now she wrote few
lines on postal card to say that she
was going to die with cancer. Could
Dwight and Ina come to her while
she was still able to visit? II he was
not too busy.
Nobody saw the pity and the terror
Of that postal card. They stuck it up
by the kitchen clock to read over from
time to time, and before they left,
Dwight lifted the griddle of the cook
ing-stoye and burned the postal card.
And before they left Lulu said:
"Dwight-you can't tell how long
you'll be gomez"
"Of course not. How should l tell?"
mo. And that letter might come
while you're away"
| "Concelvably. Letters do come while
a mans away!"
Dwight thought If you wouldn't
mind If opened 1t"
"Opened it2"
"Yes. You see. it'll be about me
mostly"
II should have said that it'll be
about my brother mostly"
"But you know what I mean You
wouldn't mind If did open it?"
"But you say you know what'll be
In It,"
$50 did know-till you've got to
see that letter, Dwight"
"And so you shall. But not till
show 1t to you. My dear Lulu, you
know how hate having my mail In
terfered with"
She might have said: "Small souls
always make point of that" She
said nothing. She watched them set
off, and kept her mind on Ina's thou
sand injunctions.
"Dont let Di see much of Bobby
Larkin. And, Lulu-if 1t occurs to her
to have Mr. Cornish come up to sing
of course you ask him. You might
ask him to supper. And don't let moth
| er overd0. And, Lulu, now do watch
| Monona's handkerchief-the child will
never take clean one If I'm not here
| to tell her. :"
She breathed injunctions to the very
step of the bus.
In the bus Dwight leaned forward !:
"See that you play post office
squarely, Luluw he called, and threw
back his head and lifted his eyebrows.
In the train he turned tragic eyes to
his wife.
"Ina," he said. "It's ma. And she's
going to die. It can't be. :"
Ina said: "But you're going to help
her, Dwight, just being there with
her"
Of the man would bring kind of fresh
life to that worn frame. Tact and
wisdom and love would speak through
him and minister.
Toward the end of their weeks ab-
sence the letter from Ninian came.
Lulu took 1t from the post office
when she went for the mall that eve
hIus, uItSStu hCI Icu kOWu.
There was no other letter, and she car
ried that one letter in her hand all
through the streets. She passed those
who were surmising what her story
might be, who were telling one anoth-
er what they had heard. But she knew
hardly more than they. She passed
Cornish in the doorway Of his little
to Go 1ryifh md
there was the letter. 1t was so that
Dwight's foster mothers postal card
might have looked on its way to be
mailed.
Cornish stepped down and overlook
her.
"Oh. Miss Lulu. I've got new song
or two"
She said abstractedly: "Do. Any
| night. Tomorrow night-could you"
It was us If Lulu were too preoccupied
to remember to be i'll at ease.
Cornish flushed with pleasure, said
that he could indeed.
"Come for supper" Lulu said.
Oh, could he? Wouldn't that be
-. Well, say! Such was his accept
ance.
He came for supper. And Di was
not at home. She had gone of In the
country with Jenny and Bobby, and
they merely did not return.
Mrs. Bett and Lulu and Cornish and
Monona supped alone. All were at
ease, now that they were alone. Es-
pecially Mrs. Bett was at ease. It be-
came one Of her young nights, her
alive and lucid nights. She was there.
She sat in Dwight's chair and Lulu
sat in Ina's chair. Lulu had picked
flowers for the table-a task coveted
by her but usually performed by Ina.
Lulu had now picked Sweet William
and had filled vase of silver gilt
taken from the parlor. Also, Lulu
had made Ice cream.
VNf