Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-07
The Little Stone Dog.


When May Barnes was ready to
return to her home her sister.in.law
said to her:
Now / want you to have some
thing of Macs. There are his watch,
his sapphire, pin. his set of BalZac In
fooled leather and that picture by
Newkirk, which he was so fond of.
You may take anything you wish"
May was silent. Sets of BalZac and
expensive paintings did not express
her brother to her. Neither did the
watch he had carried or the pin he
had worn on dress-up occasions. She
wanted something else-something
that Adrienne had not named.
1t was fair of Adrienne to offer
May her choice, of all the more fair,
perhaps, because she had never
liked her dead husbands sister. And
May Barnes had not liked Adrienne.
Now as they sat together in the lux
urious living room facing each other
the two women presented a sharp con-
trast. May Barnes was large, full-fig-
ured, with grave eyes and sweet
mouth and hair that was much grayer
than 1t should have been at her age.
Coming from small town where the
for their size, she had got into the
habit of giving little thought to her
dress. Her black serge skirt and
black silk blouse were neat but not
stylish, and she wore no jewelry ex-
cept her wedding ring.
On the other hand, Adrienne was
slender, spirited intensely brunette,
fragrant and shimaering figure in
her rich mourning, so new as yet
that 1t. had scarcely had time TO
adapt itself to her. Handsome and
arresting was Adrienne. but cold and
hard like the jet beads about her
neck.
II think" May said at last with a
vibration in her serious voice. that
of all things / should like that little
stone dog Adrienne."
Adrienne gave q little cry.
But, my dear, I want you to have
something of value! That object is
simply appalling OF course shall
be glad to get rid OF it. / always
hated to have 1t in the house, but
Mac was firm on that score. If you
want it, take it. But you are making
very poor choice"
1T suits me very we'll" May replied.
And SO she carried the little stone
dog back with her to Kentfield.
It was very heavy and a perfect
nuisance on that account, although
SO small. Porters had to help her
with 1t, and when she reached her
destination and handed 1t over to her
husband he said to her:
Whats this, and how did you ever
manage to get 1t here? 1t weighs
so pounds"
But being an understanding hus-
band, he realized that the thing
meant something to May that moth
ing else could, and he did not smile
when she set it on the hearth Of the
living room fireplace.
There 1t remained a grotesque little
image for several days while May
puzzled over the history Of her
brothers life and the mystery Of his
death. She had loved him dearly.
and until he had married Adrienne
they had been much together. After
that came long lapses, in which they
neither visited nor correspondent. His
death had come during one Of these
| lapses. He had gone out like an ex-
tinguished spark, and there was an
| end to all that he had striven for,
gained and possessed. And the trag.
edy of 1t all was that he had said
clearly alnaost with his last breath,
II am tired of living"
L
wealth, business and beautiful home!
Tired of living when he was only 46
| and bad years of life before him!
Why was he glad that his heart. re-
fused to beat longer?
- shall never know" May thought
| sadly.
She sat one day sewing IN the liv.
| ing room when she had a curious
feeling of being watched. She glanced
at the hearth and saw that the posi-.
ton of the little dog had been changed
slightly and that the eyes were d.
rected toward her.
The old thing which her brother
had fashioned with his own hands,
had chiseled out of the f1inty stone
In his few hours of leisure! Adrienne
had told her how he had toiled at the
work after his business hours, trying
to make the stone assume the shape
Aand air Of little dog that he had
flowed. The dog had died and this was
a memorial to her. Her name, Trixie
was engraved on the stone
Dropping her work, May leaned
"a