Carbon County news., 1936-12-04

| IoE PROBATE before SATURDAY. l saw
both Doctor Marden and Caro-.
II wish you hadn't felt obliged
to go to this funeral, Aunt Mary, I"
Hopestill greeted me, when I re-
turned.
II didn't feel obliged" I nm.
swered, ''but I wanted to 60. Ace
was one Of my Oldest and dearest
friends"
''Was Caro- there?"
eyes," answered.
''She wasn't intending to CO."
Hopestill explained. I'VE were
planning to go places and do things
together this afternoon; to get this
horror out of our minds. But
after luncheon, she telephoned me
that her grandfather insisted on her
attending the funeral"
'They sat together" said.
Doctor Marden looked frightful-
ly exhausted. This terrible thing
has worn on him as much as any
body"
II don't see why he made Caro-
co." Hopestill grumbled. "She says
she hates funerals. She knew Ace,
of course, but not awfully we'll"
'Well, I suppose he has the
French point Of view," explained.
''He's lived many years in France.
There they make so much of death.
Funerals and burials are extreme
ly important events"
The telephone rang and Hopestin
answered it. eyes, she's here.
Yes. Yes. Come right DOWN." Still
holding the transmitter, he looked
over at me: "Caro Prentiss is
coming here"
.'That's nice. She'll be just in
time for tea"
It seemed to me that there was
an air of suppressed excitement
about her; for as we drank our
tea, her foot tapped the floor. Once
I intercepted an interrogative~look
in HopestilPs direction.
The instant I put my cup down,
Caro- and Hopestill put their cups
down. Hopestill arose and came
toward me. AS though unconscious
ly drawn, Caro- arose too, walked
to Hopestill'S side, stood with him
looking down at me.
"Aunt Mary" Hopestill said,
"Caro and I want to take you
Now don't get weepy and don't
say move want to take you down
into the Spinney. We want to show
you something"
Caro's lovely voice reinforced
him. "Please, Mrs. Avery, please,
please come! It's something love-
ly."
'I'n go, children" I agreed.
And then, MAY Sylvia come too?"
eyes," they chorused, 1--WE want
Sylvia to come"
"Caro and I will 60 first" Hope
still declared. ''And you and Syl-
via walk DennQ us.
I followed those two about the
piazza, down the steps at the side,
over the path into the shade of the
Spinney.
Uncontrollably I began to trem-
BILE.
I fixed my eyes on the two beau
tiful young creatures ahead. Light
and shade poured a checkered
stream upon them. That stream
flowed over their figures and
poured into the earth. My trem-
bling grew. Suddenly they stood
aside from each other, stationed
one on either side of
the path. Between their sentinel
figures, I glimpsed-
What a transformation!
My path had ceased to take its
regular turning; it curved into a
great loop to the left. And on the
spot where Aces body had lain
was
did you two children d. this?"
asked.
They nodded. I think l shall
never forget the look on Hopestill's
face; its anxious wistfulness. But
Caro-, more confident, smiled.
II picked up two bravas to help
with the rocks" Hopestill added.
':And Caro- went around to all your
friends and begged flowers from
heir gardens. She did all the |
planting"
Some tensity within me loosened |
and slid off, like monster mental
andslide, into oblivion.
To the right Of the new path and
opening directly on it was a rock
garden. Field stones-the round, |
ichen-covered stones Of New Eng |
and-made the four walls, made
1t the back a triangular rock gar
len whose top surface slanted to.
wards the entrance. Tiny grassy
,aths Of new-laid sod divided the
'est Of the walled space into tiny
lower plots. And those plots were
He'd, crowded with petunias, deep
purple, pale rose and white; snap
lragons, wine colored, pink and
awny; phlox, fiame-colored, pink
md white; zinniaS Of every zin-
ia color; the star-1ike Pride Of
)xford: borders everywhere Of
.geratuIn.
''It's beautiful" I gasped. "Its
xquisite. How on earth did you
10 it?" took a swift mental foray