The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1923-11-30
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Through the curtained windows OF
the furnished apartment which Mrs.
Horace Hignett had rented for her
stay In New York rays of golden sun
light peeped in like the foremost spies
OF some advancing army. 1t was eX-
actly eight; and Mrs. Hlgnett acknowl-
edged the fact by moving her head on
the pillow, opening her eyes, and sit
ting up In bed. She always woke at
eight precisely.
Was this Mrs. Hlgnett THE Mrs.
Hignett, the world-famous writer on
theosophy, the author Of 1.-The Spread
ing Light" "What of the Morrow" and
all the rest Of that w~ell-known series?
Tim glad you asked me. Yes, she was.
She had come over TO America on a
occurring tour.
The gear 1921, II will be remem-
bered, was a trying one for the inhabi-
tants Of the United States. Every
boat that arrived from England
brought a fresh swarm Of British lee
turers to the country. Novellsts, poets,
scientists, philosophers and plain, or
binary bores; some herd instinct
seemed to affect them all simultane-
ously.
Mrs. Hignett had come over with the
f,rst batch of Immigrants; for, spir-
ftual as her writings were, there was
N solid streak Of business sense in this
$3.50 onI chn n,nnnf IN Upf hers
while the getting was good.
She had not left England without a
pang, for departure had involved sac
riices. More than anything else In
the world she loved her charming
home, Windles, In the county OF Hamp-
shire. for so many years the seat of
the Hignett family. Windles was as
the breath of life to. her. Its shady
walks. It's silver lake, Its noble e!,ns,
the old gray stone Of It's w~alls-these
were bound up with her very being
She felt that she belonged to Windles,
and Windles to her. Unfortunately,
MS a matter Of cold. legal accuracy, II
did not. She did but hold IL In trust
for her son, Eustace, until such time
as he should marry and take posses
sion OF II himself. There were times
when the thought of Eustace marrying
and bringing q strange woman to
Windles chilled Mrs. Hignett to her
very marrow. Happily, her firm policy
OF keeping her soE permanently under
her eye at home and never permitting
him to have speech with a female be-
low the age OF fifty had averted the
peril up till now.
Eustnce had accompanied his
mother to America. 1t was his faint
snores which she could hear In the
adjoining room, as, having bathed and
dressed, she went down the hall to
where breakfast awaited her. She
smiled t~olerantly. She had never de.
sired to convert her son to her own
early rising habits, for, apart from
mot allowing him to call his soul his
own, she was an indulgent mother
,Eustace would get up at half-past nine,
long after she had finished breakfast,
read her mail, and started her duties
Tor the day.
Breakfast was on the table in the
sitting-room. Beside 1t was a little
ollie OF letters. Mrs. Hignett opened
them as she ate. The majority were
from disciples and dealt with matters
OF purely theosophical interest. There
was an invitation from the Butterfly
club asking her to be the guest Of
honor at their weekly dinner, There
was a letter from her brother Nal
lyabv-Sir AIallaby Marlowe. the emf
nent London lawyer-saying that Li'
ron Sam, of whom she had never ap