The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-25
BY A. NJ. HOPKINS

Hook, when he had donned his spec
tacleS, like an owl. He never set
foot inside of the church, and that
was sufficient 10 damn him forever
in our estimation.
At night there seldom was light
to be seen in the gloomy Thorndyke
mansion and we children, on the
way home from prayer meeting,
would hold hands and run past his
home. We were afraid of something,
and did not know what.
The good women of our little
church, always willing, were helpful.
In relays they were at Aunt Libby's
bedside and the farmers stocked the
place with vegetables in abundance
and filed the shed with hard maple
flrewood. The mortgage was a diff
ferent story and a tragic one. -Four
| hundred and fifty dollars loom as
high as the Alps in a community
such as ours was. 1t was proposed
to send a committee to Squire
Thorndyke, but I think even the
grown folks were afraid, and so the
plan fell through.
Christmas time came and ours
was a white world. My! My! how
it showed, and word came from the
cottage that Aunt Libby still was
smiling; that she must see the chill
dren, and that all her life she had
yearned for Christmas tree of her
ofa1 Tint cJS e+i
convinced that God was in His
heaven and that all was right with
the world.
To be sure, she should have her
Christmas tree, and what fun we
boys had when we went for it into
the depths of Cochrans woods. If
it had been the only evergreen in
the township, Aunt Libby would
have possessed it. The tree was set
by her bedside, and she was like
a child in her tremulous eagerness
to see the candles placed on its
branches. She wanted to help, and
the best she could do was to lay on
her pillow and smile.
There was open house on Christ
mas day at the cottage. Every per-
son who could walk or hobble paid
their friend a visit, and old Mr..
Alvord, who had not been out of his
home in years, Ii1nped in on
crutches. Few of the visitors came
empty handed. Outside was cold
and snoWdrifts. Inside warmth and
good cheer.
Aunt Libby looked as sweet as a
child in her lace cap. When some
cautious person would have stopped
the flow Of visitors, she said: "Let
them all come in, especially the
children. I must see them and touch
them with my hands" She knew
all of the names, the Boobies and
Tommys; the Doras and Elizabeths,
and she said: IF the Good Lord
should call me tonight, it would be
like stepping from one heaven into
another"
MIGHT had come and the lamps
l ' were glowing and the candles
on the tree had been lighted. 1 was
standing by the bed and Aunt Libby
had kissed me and was holding my
hand. The door swung open, admit
ting a blast of cold air-and Squire
Thorndyke. He Looked neither to
the left nor right, and We shrank
back as he approached the bed. He
appeared bonier and thinner than
usda;, and his great eyebrows fairly
bristled.
Got you down at last, eh, Lib?"
he said. I'm a citizen of this COM
munity and while no one invited me,
why shouldn't I come to your
party?"
No one spoke. think we we're
dumb with establishment. We felt
that something tremendous was
about to happen--and it did.
From the depths of his long black
coat he drew paper, cleared his
throat, and then began reading. I
was too young to know that he was
covering, in detail, line by line, a
first mortgage that dated back I
don't know how many years; a
mortgage on the white cottage and
the woodshed and the morning glo-
ries in summer, and the very room
in which the invalid was belfast,
and that it was in favor OF Squire
Thorndyke and signed by Elizabeth
Josephine Whaley, spinster.
did understand, family, when
he turned the paper over and read
these words: THE notes secured by
the within mortgage. both principal
and interest, have been paid and