, 1922-01-05
The Fifteenth
Guest
BY MARIE LA ROGUE

ing cheerily over the molding board of
the spacious, low-ceilinged kitchen of
the Melbourne house. There was a
delicious fragrance of browning pump
kin and mince pies in the oven. Vege-
tables INT fruits sent late in the aft
ernoon were piled high on a table in
n corner of the room, and through
the open door that led to the dining
room you might have caught the aroma
of pine and spruce that Nellie Mel
bourne was weaving into garlands and
hanging about the old walnscoted
room.
Get everything you possibly can
done tonight Nellie called to Miss
Samson, the h~ousekeeper; "our COM
pany is coming early"
"Our companyi" said Polly Samson
with a little gruffness that could not
have offended any one who knew the
good heart that lay beneath the some
what blunt exterior of Polly. you
can't call 1t our company when you
won't ever tell a body who is coming.
Must be an army, from the dinner
you have ordered"
Nellie Melbourne's laugh sounded
high and clear from the dining room.
That's my little secret, Polly Sam
son. so you needn't be so snappy about
1t. You'll know soon enough"
Then Nellie went into the rooms be-
yond to continue her work of decking
the old house with greens. The wind
that was driving drifts of snow in the
darkness outside kept up a racket, but
Polly pricked her ears when she
thought she heard footsteps on the
walk beside the kitchen. She opened
the back DOR and peered out.
"Oh, it's you, is it?" she called
rather softly. "Bless my soul, but
you're a sight"
az only thought / saw a light out
here, so l came to look around. Don't
usually keep working in the kitchen
so late"
1t was Mr.. Robinson, the old
Waterman, who answered, and before
he knew 1t Sally Samson had got him
In the kitchen, having first brushed
off the snow in the entry way. She
told hin he was cold and pretty nearly
exhausted, which he did not deny.
Moreover. she told him that, watch
man or no Waterman, he had no right
to spend the night outdoors on a night
like that. He sat down, at first re-
luctantly, while Polly busied herself
making fresh coffee for him and cut
ting a wedge from n of the many
pies that had already come from the
oven. 1t was but natural that Mr..
Robinson asked Sally for whom the
feast was being prepared, and looked
surprised when she told him that she
did not know.
TT can't be for any relatives, for
she hasn't got any," said Polly. when
her father died eight months ago he
was the last leaf on the tree, except
Nellie, of course. 1 didn't think she'd
stay on here in the old house. Plenty
of money, not thirty" These remarks
were uttered crisply between vigorous
applications of the rolling pin. But
she knows her W mind, and of
course I'm glad she's staying. Don't
know what I'd do away from this old
house"
Funny she hasn't ever married."
said the Waterman, a man of sixty,
who bore more of the semblance of
a genial college professor or country
doctor than a Waterman.
Polly leaned heavily on the rolling
pin toward Mr.. Robinson. people
don't know Nellie when they say she
has no heart" she whispered. "Of
cours there is lots that lave wanted
her. but that's not her fault. She's
the kind that only loves once. l guess.
Anyway there was a young fellow she
went with In the college here; l guess
they were engaged-know they were
In fact. Well, her folks objected. He
was fixing to be a lawyer. he was.
So they did what parents sometimes
think they have a right to do-may-
be they meddled with the letters. I
don't know. All / know is that he
never came back and that Nellie's
never married and II isn't cause she
hasn't had some grand offers"
The whispering stopped suddenly as
Nellie Melbourne came through the
door.
Hello there. Mr.. Robinson" she
cried with obvious pleasure, II thought
Polly must be talking TO herself out
here. You're just the man I've been
looking for" She fastened a little
sprlg OF holly In the lapel of his coat
and then stood of to admire 1t. "what
you going to do for Christmas din
nerl l thought you'd be going home
-" She paused. wishing that she
had not spoken the word, for Nellie,
like the rest of the people for whom
Mr.. Robinson acted as Waterman, knew
very little about him. He had dropped
into the little town OF Thatcher seem
ingly from nowhere. vouched for only
by an old resident, who had never said
anything about the old mans personal
affairs.
Mr.. Robinson looked confused only