The Coolidge examiner., 1933-08-11

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shallow brown stream-HOwe brook,
Il Is called-an occasional rocky
ford across its bubbling surface,
ana willows sweeping their long
branches down over its waters.
The green and pink Of blooming ap-
PIE trees on the slopes OF the stone
cleared farms. Zigzagging old gray
rail fences marking the ancient
boundaries, or straight, wide, old
gray stone walls, sometimes as
wide as the span Of a mans arms.
And. cradled in the green trees,
small, old white clapboard houses,
with green blinds and faded red
brick chimneys. Not big houses,
for Howe Hollow has never support
ed a rich population. But comfort
able houses, that have been kept
in good condition by generations of
comfortable people.
II you had seen Howe Hollow as
&c lay in the soft twilight Of an eve
ming in late May, with the sun
just leaving the treetOps and the
thruShes singing their sweet spring
song in the gathering dusk, you per
haps would not have wondered at the
love Martha Howe bore 1t. Her IA
ther. and her fathers fathers be-
fore him-her husbands ancestors,
too. had lived there through the
years The blood Of old Joshua
Howe. who had founded the settle
ment two centuries before, flowed
through the veins of her son. VIII
liam. And Martha Howe. a widow
few years after her marriage, had
seen to II that William knew and
venerated Howe Hollow and all that
IL stood for
Put, dear me. Anna Pratt" she
said. rising stiffly from her knees
before her Sweet William border,
where she had been ruthlessly root
ing out weeds, 81 don't mind be-
cause William went to the city. OF
course not. Young people today
aren't content with the things that
made life complete for US when we
were young" She spoke slowly and
carefully as she busted her hands
against each other to free them
from the soft earth of the flower
border.
No, it appears they aren't" Mrs.
Pratt spoke acidly. Il know times
change. Martha. but I've always said
Howe Hollow was good enough for
anyOne-leastwise and more spe-
cially for a Howe-and I'll always
stick TO ii. And what your VIII
liam can find any better down In
New York than we can find right
here don't know"
Mrs. Howe said only. Come on
up on the porch and sit down, Anna.
I'll just run in and wash my hands
and get a shawl and then come
back and sit here a while love
these spring twilights."
But perhaps If you had seen
Howe Hollow in the soft, sleepy
twilight Of that late May evening
you would have wondered how flesh
and blood could endure 1t. Per
haps you would have sympathized
with some OF the younger Howe
Hollow inhabitants, who gratefully
shook its dust from their feet, as
lightly as Martha Howe shook the
dust OF her Sweet William border
from her fingers. Howe Hollow 7"
said one young wit, yeah It's Hol-
low. all right And howl"
Martha never blamed William for
choosing the city instead of his an
ceStral home for his work. VIII
liam had developed real talent, as
boy, in painting. She had con-
served the family resources TO the
utmost that she might give him
good education-including two years
work In Paris. Now that he was
a successful magazine illustrator
she took ii quite for granted that
he should elect to live In New York.
Naturally that was the place for
him. But in spite of her careful re-
fuSal 10 discuss the situation with
her old friend Anna Pratt, Martha
was troubled.
Times were bad-everybody knew
that. William had been, graciOusly
and generously, sending something
to Martha each week to help keep
up the old house. He had done it
more as a matter of repaying her
for his expensive training than as
a filial duty. He had been care
full in making Martha feel that. But
even now a successful illustrator
might find himself a bit short of
funds. 1t was not surprising that
William had less money than he
had had. And William was in love.
He had written his mother of his
engagement to Felice Leeways
Felice had made a good beginning
toward real success as a motion pic
ture actress, when a fall had lamed
her-Slightly, but permanently, in
such a way that she could not hope
for a future as a screen star. VIII
liam and Felice were to be married
tomorrow. Then In a few days
they were coming to visit Martha
And Martha knew from Villa m :