The Coolidge examiner., 1936-12-31

Il wish you hadn't 1elC Obliged
to go to this funeral, Aunt Mary" "
Hopestill greeted me, when 1 re-
turned.
Il didn't feel Obliged" an.
swered, but l wanted to go. Ace
was one of my oldest and dearest
friends"
WAS Caro- there?"
EYES," l 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" I said.
Doctor Marden looked frightful-
ly exhausted. This terrible thing
has worn on him as much as any
body"
Il 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 Hopestill
answered it. Yes, she's here.
Yes. Yes. Come right down!" Still
holding the transmitter, he looked
over at me: caro- Pren.iss is
coming here"
That's nice. She'll be just in
time for tea."
1t 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
intercepted an interrogative look
in Hopestilrs 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" Hopestin said.
Caro- and / 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'll go, children" agreed.
And then, May Sylvia come too?"
yes" they chorused, I'VE want
Sylvia to come"
Caro- and l will go first" Hope
still declared. And you and Syl-
via walk behind u.s.
1 followed those two about the
piazza, down the steps at the side,
over the path into the shade OF the
Spinney.
Uncontrollably 1 began to trem-
BILE.
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
themselves one on either side of
the path. Between their sentinel
figures, 1 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?"
1 asked
They nodded. | think l shall
never forget the look on Hopestill' S
face; its anxious wistfulness. But
! Caro-, more confident. smiled.
Il picked up two bravas to help
with the rocks" Hopestill added
And Caro- went around to all your
friends and begged flowers from
their gardens. She did all the
planting"
| Some tensity within me loosened
and slid off. like a monster mental
landslide, into oblivion.
To the right of the new path and
opening directly on it was a rock
garden. Field stones-the round,
lichen-covered stones of New Eng
handmade the four walls, made
at the back a triangular rock gar
den whose top surface slanted to-
wards the entrance. Tiny grassy
paths of new-laid sod divided the
rest of the walled space into tiny
flower plots. And those plots were
filled, crowded with petunias, deep
purple, pale rose and white; snap
dragons, wine colored, pink and
tawny; phlox. fiame-colored, pink
and white; zinnias of every zin-
MIA color; the star-like Pride of
Oxford; borders everywhere of
ageratum.
Its beautiful" I gasped. "It's s
exquisite. How on earth did you
| do it2O took swift rnental fnrnu