Evening star., 1922-02-19

isolated exactly I was thoroughly in
sulated from any such contacts"
| How did the Judge work that?" I
put in.
We'll. you see." she went on, there
were Aunt Abbie and Aunt Esther,
, his unmarried sister, who had always
| lived with him. I was-well, interned.
as you might say. with them. Wher-
! ever 1 went, one or both Of them went
! along. too: even IL 1t was only down
TO the corner drug store. They
thought it proper: and, besides, they
| liked to get out Of the house."
old maids. eh?" suggested.
! Naturally" says Mrs. Trueman,
J Abigail was forty-ive and Esther
Two years older. That is. they were
when ] married the Judge. And !
| was twenty. So you see?"
I'm beginning to get the picture,
( says l. You couldn't have been
| safer if you'd been guarded by a pal,
of watchdogs"
Il certainly was kept from doing
anything frivolous or foolish" she
admitted, signing again. And / had
no chance to make mistakes in nv
housekeeping while they were there
to tell me how Dear Martha used to
do things. She was the first Mrs,
Trueman. you know. and she mus
have been a perfect woman"
| Perhaps that's why she didn't las
out, says l. Still. l should have
thought you'd have slipped away
from them now and then with the
Judge"
CHE shook her head Hiram neve,
went anywhere" she said, "ex.
cept to his office and courthouse. OF
course, we did take a wedding trip
to Niagara Falls and back. over one
night. After that We stayed at home
Home! In the .mausoleuif,, 1 mean
1t felt like that to me-"
But didn't he take you out even.
ings occasionally" 1 asked.
Perhaps two or three times q
year." she said. Generally we Just
sat around after supper"
From further details 1 gathered
that Hiram's idea of a wild evenins
was to sit up until 10 O'Clock play.
ing bezique while Sister Abbie made
popcorn balls. Sunday nights the,
all sang hymns and Esther played
the organ.
about how long" I asked, "dit
this go on?'
sixteen years." said Mrs. Trueman
ut seemed a century to me and ]
thought 1t would never end. But 1,
did. Finally Hiram's heart gave out
That was last spring, nearly a year
ago"
And since then?" I asked.
"I had to wait more than sis
months for the estate to be settled
said she. "After that was over and
1 found I really had all this money
to do what like with. began tc
make plans for getting away. had
intended to leave the very day /,
was all over, but I found I hadn',
the courage. Abbie and Esther were
still there, you know. watching every
move 1 made. I couldn't send them
off. The will wouldn't let me. A
clause in it gave them the right tc
live there as long as they survived
and they're still healthy. But a,
:! last I got things fixed up. A young
lawyer that I used to know helped
me. He established what he called 8
trust fund with part of the money
and invested the rest for me. Then
was free"
''How did the old maids take it wheI
you told 'em you were going to Quit?'
asked.
ST didn't tell them." said Mrs. True
man. IL didn't dare. I packed 6
few things in suit case and SNUG
eled it out of the house by the grocer's
boy. Then, one night after supper.
stole out through the kitchen. ran dowr
! to the railroad station and got on thu
| train. left q note telling them rd
gone and that l shouldn't be back. NJ
one but my lawyer knows where am Il
.And now?" says I.
'I mean to have Just as good q time
as possible" says she. Il have plenty
of money, and I'm not awfully old yet
Tell me, Miss Dodge. do you think thir.
ty.seyen is too old to begtn?"
lssx1oURE priceless, MIA Trueman.'
says L "Why. know grand.
! mothers Of. sixty who are whooping 4
up like fappers. right here in New
80 g55s 5ss5