The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-12-02
The Cottage on
the Hill
(copyright.)
By DOROTHY DOUGLAS

MAYHEM Mary Anne was just tiny
wv girl her mother had said to her,
always remember, dearie, that any
thing you want in life will come to
you, so long as it is good desire. You
must just keep your mind constantly
on attaining it. You must never want
what belongs to some one else and
you must never, under any circum-
stances, want anything wicked or
harmful to anyone" Thus it was that
the power of the mind and imagina-
ton to bring forth good things from
the heart of the world was early in
stilled into Mary Anne's receptive
brain. And as she grew up, guided
by her wonderful mother, she devel-
0ped an utterly trustful nature.
Also as tiny girl Mary Anne's
extraordinary beauty of spirit was
manifesting itself physically. Her
eyes were big pools of warm blue
gray and her hair was like sheaf of
waving wheat with CLINT of red sun
set fitting over it. Her mouth was
softly curved and childlike even in
her mature years and seemed all
ways ready with innocent and un-
furnished words of wisdom.
Her mother and father were just
ly delighted with her and fostered the
growing tendency to live in world
made up of friends of her magma
ton, yet friends whom she would one
day find and love.
OF such fancy was Mary Anne's
Cottage on the Hill. AS early as
her seventeenth year, when, uncon-
sciously, thoughts of a mate some
where in the world came to her, she
pictured wildly the cottage.
1t would be on the top Of a hill
commanding a view toward all corners
of the wonderful universe and must
be low, rambling bungalow type that
caressed closely and securely the
warm breast of the hill. There would
be sentinel trees, few of them, and
just scattering of fruit trees so that
the blossoms could scent the air in
the springtime and then blow out over
the hilltop-little spirits of the wind.
Needless to say, when Mary Anne
entered the world of men and her
charm swept them headlong into low
ing her, she wondered which one of
them might ultimately be associated
with the cottage on the hill.
There came day when she was
slightly troubled since her suitors
were becoming a tiny bit trying. She
made a background of her Cottage
on the Hill and one by one tried to
visualize any one of the men in it,
fbut always flat in town or a house
In the suburbs fioated across the vi
sion and left Mary Anne puzzled
Perhaps" she said wistfully to her
mother, perhaps God doesn't think
it wise for me to have my cottage
maybe it's one of the things / am not
to have.''
you're young, dearie, and lots of
good things require long time to
materialize Why not take the trip
abroad with the Elmers and come
back refreshed to think things over"
Mary Anne did take the trip abroad.
She went to France, to England, to
Ireland and to Scotland, and most of
all she loved the rugged beauty of
the highland country.
It was heather time on Loeb Lo-
mond and the Elmers and Mary Anne
were staying at an inn on the very
edge of the loch.
And during the long, glorious eve
ming of sunset that seemed to linger
for hours on the hills, Mary Anne
took walk along the loch side.
Suddenly Mary Anne felt her eyes
being drawn upward and she stopped
and held her breath.
my Cottage on the Hill" she cried,
and couldn't quite believe that she
was not dreaming.
A few yards ahead tiny wind
ing pathway led the way up the hill
and there bathed in glory of the set
ting sun was, indeed, the cottage. It
was whltewashed with slate roof,
and lay there on the brow of the hill
as if the Creator had put the cottage
there as a finishing touch.
Mary Anne could no more have re-
strained her feet from following that
path up the hill than she could have
turned her back ON all her dreams.
Then, within a short distance of
the door itself and so confused with
the joy of actually seeing something
that had been a mind picture for
nearly eight years, Mary Anne STUN
bled, turned her ankle and cried out
swiftly with the sudden pain.
A second later big man sprang
toward her, lifted her tenderly up
and carried her within the door of
the Cottage on the Hill.
"The poor wee thing some soft
motherly voice said, and the soothing
hands of woman were attending to
the business of caring for her ankle.
And all the time Mary Anne was only
half conscious of the big man with
the burr Of Scotch in his voice and
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