The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-09-07

TO MIN! That was an interesting bit
of biography Mr.. Puffer volunteered
about our neighbors. I'm willing to
wager my first crop Of chickens that
shall detest the Gerard heir. Rich
playboy. have no illusions about his
type. If I meet him, I'll be colder
than an electric ice-box running OH
high. Also something tells me that
Mrs. Walt and will be antagonistic
from the start. Maybe, though, I
won't meet her; maybe she won't see
her farming neighbor even as dot on
her social horizon"
Miss Prue, I'm ready to go up
now" lean, lank Jane Mack announced
from the threshold. Mrs. Puffer
showed me where to find the supplies.
| guess she'll be good neighbor. Wish
+ hadn't seen that procession In my
tea cup, though"
Nov, Macky, don't look for trouble
in tea grounds; haven't we had enough
fairly sitting in our laps these last
weeks without hunting out more?
Come on up, let's see the rest of the
house."
Interest in Prue's eyes glowed into
excited anticipation as they went from
room to room.
"Macky, think Of having a whole
house in which to spread out after
years in an apartment Well make
it a dream. We will warm it with
color till 1t makes hearts glow just to
come into it."
A faint pink crept under the wom-
ans skin. Her washed-out eyes shone
with lovely light.
you'll make hearts glow all right,
Miss Prue. Your brother said to me
just before we left the apartment,
I'm not afraid for Prue She'll make
home wherever she is. She's like
her mother"
Prue slipped her hand within the
crook Of the woman's thin arm and for
an instant pressed her cheek against
her hard shoulder.
II suppose there isn't person in
this village who doesn't know that my
brothers wife ran away with my sis
ter's husband" she said in a muffled
voice.
"There, there, Miss Prue, suppose
they do? 'Twasn't your brother
Davids fault nor your sister jules.
If folks here know about it at all, they
know that. If you make too much Of
it, they may think there's something
back of it all you're ashamed of. I
know folks"
Prudence smiled and patted the
woman's bony hand before she entered
the room she had selected for herself
Long after she had extinguished the
light, she lay with wide-open eyes
staring at the fog which hung like a
curtain of gray gauze before the wide
open window. She watched the steamy
fringe of water dripping from the win
dow as she lived over the last weeks.
AS If his heart had not been sufficient
ly uprooted by the desertion and tragic
death of his wife, David. whose health
had been undermined by service over
seas, had been ordered to give up work
and live in the country.
The country! The inexorable COM
mand had staggered her at first. How
could they go with no money for liv-
ing? When the crash had come in
their fortunes six months before, she
had opened a studio and had worked
professionally at what had been de-
lightful avocation-the craft Of de-
signer and maker of jewelry and silver
boxes. Each month had seen an In
crease in the number and Importance
of her orders; then had come the COM
mand to go to the country, which had
meant that she must give up her shop.
While she was struggling with her
problems and doggedly assuring her.
self that she would find way to re-
lieve the situation, way opened, but
not from her effort. Her fathers
brother, Austin Schuyler, had invested
part of his small fortune in an an
nuity, then had made the dream OF
years come true by buying and stock
ing a Maine farm with the remainder
For the first time in his life, he had
said, he had what he wanted-and
then one morning he didn't waken. He
had willed the Maine property and
five thousand dollars in cash to his
nioco Prudence