Evening star., 1927-04-04
THE EVENING !,
STORY ~

eyes and wondered If 1t really would
be worth while for her TO get up and
so start her simple household ma
chinery in motion. What was the use
anyway? II would only mean another
/ dun day Nothing of interest ever
happened she was tired to death of
reading bout people who had wonder
ful experiences, saw wonderful sights
/ heard glorious music: she envied folk
/ who could travel. have company and
buy beautiful things in the shops ot
great cities. All her life had been
passed in this little out-oftbe-WaN
town with just enough money to live
on and nothing 70 spare. She ioreel
to be generous, 70 have things 10 give
away, to help bring sunshine int.
dark lives and bring smiles 10 the
faces of little children.
Melinda got YEARLY out OF bed and
/ began 20 dress. She brushed her
wavy white hair smoothly back from
her face and without even one looA
into the crinkly glass over her bureau.
slowly descended the creaking st9jts
to her tiny kitchen. She put on the
I drafts Of the kitchen stove and Sc
on the teakettle. Then she opened
the door which led down into the
cellar and called: "Timmy. Come
Timmy" And Immediately there
bounded into the room a big yellow
cat with round amber eyes. He ran
up 10 Melinda and fIinging himself
| down before her began turning s.
series of somersaults.
She scarcely saw what the cat was
doing but absent-mindedly reached
down and patted him, then as the
teakettle was boiling she set about
preparing her breakfast. She sat
down and began 10 eat slowly and
without much appetite. Jimmy sitting
on the floor beside her, watched her
closely and did what he could to cheer
her by purring until he sounded like.
| a hive of bees. Occasionally he would
rise-on his hind feet and gently touch
her arm with his big seYen-toed paw
just TO let her know he was near. and
also limiting that he would be glad 81
she saw tit to share a bite win him,
although he already had his breakfast.
Finally Melinda looked down at him
and said firmly:
! ''Timmy, if something eoesn't hap
/ pen pretty soon / will Just have to
make it happen. I am ~ years old
| and never had a real thrift vet never
was a girl. I didn't have a chance 10
/ be, what with mother dying when /
/ was Il asnd leaving father and me to
bring up five brothers and sisters all
younger than myself, and by the time
| they were raised and settled in life
| father dying, and / was an old woman
why, Timmy Meekin. 1 believe I've
been an old woman ever since I was
| born. Mother used TO call me her
! little old woman, then father called
me his little old woman and the broth.
/ ers and sisters took up the refrain
and always thought of me as old,
| Why Timmy-cat," she said with q
/ sigh, Il do believe I've always thought
| myself that / was old-did you ever
But a sharp knock at her door brought
| her back 10 the present with a start.
When she opened the door she was
surprised TO see a young girl so radi-
antly young and pretty that she
| fairly outshone the sun which poor
Melinda had up to that time not no
ticed was shining.
Good morning. Aunt Melinda
said this vision She raised herself
ON tiptoe and kissed Melinda's pale
/ cheek, and then she put her arms
/ affectionately about the little old fig
ire and gave her a good warm hug
| Tell me, aren't you glad 10 see me.
queried the bright young voice. Won c
YOU please ask me to come in IL YOU
don't 1 ann afraid / shall just have 70
come in anyway for l have driven a.
miles this morning without a mite 10
eat and y1ur coffee makes me fairly
! furious for my breakfast
Melinda led the way into the house
and helped the girl remove her gay
motor things. She hurried out to the
| kitchen and laid another place at her
| always immaculate little table The
] criy.f foil Iess- nd ffaGf zf fn4ff
! upon tOsa-ing bread while Melinda
/ fried more harm and eggs. During
/ the process Of helping get her own
/ brea' fast the girl told Melinda that
| she was Ruben AIeekin's daughter
| Dolly. Ruben. by the way was Me
| liudas oldest brother who lived in
! CurryYille, and she had not seen him
| in years. Ruben had married money
and his wife had seen fit to keep her
| self and Ruben sternly aloof from his
| old environment and friends. But
! here was his daughter Dolly. What
! did it all mean?
Finally. when Melinda and Dolly
! We're seated comfortably at the little
I table. the girl eating toast and bacon
and daintily slipping coffee and casting
| occasional glances at Timny who was
/ an interested spectator, the whole
y
1t seemed Dolly's mother had quite
| set her heart on her youngest daugh-
/ ter marrying man much older than
I Dolly, but rich, lust awfully rich, "
as Dolly expressed it. But I don't
like him, Aunt Melinda" she said
earnestly, "and win not marry him.
even if mother does want me to. I
have to live with him, and daddy says
| have right to make my own choice.
/ tell you money isn't everything. We
have always had just oodles Of money.
and [ know it will buy comfort but
not happiness. Why. do you know. I
have been pretty nearly all over the
world? Ever since ] was little, little
girl ] have Just been dragged from
one place To another until, if I hadn't
been able to remember the number of
our house, at time / truly believe I
would have forgotten where / was
supposed to live. Oh, 1t is simply
awful at times. for even though
mother does say I am vulgarly do
mestic l do just long to be allowed tn
stay III one place long enough TO set
accustomed to the family smell"
Family smell,' gasped Melinda.
looking with astonished eyes at her
niece. What in the world do you
mean, child?"
why, I read once that every really
nice house had family smell. II was
something to be proud OF. as any other
heirloom. It came from long associa-
ton with old linen done up in lavender
and rose leaves, Well-cared-for ma
hogany and cedar and black walnut:
it radiated from old silver, fr0m long
years Of baking things from famous
old recipes--oh, there We're lots of
things that contributed toward making
the family smell an enviable thing To
have" The girl crinkled up her pretty
nose, and then with sparkling eyes
turned TO her aunt with an excIama-