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About The Athena press. (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1911)
LIGHTS OF HOME By PHIL I P JC E A N ' (Copyright, M10, bj AMOciated Literary Press.) Stephen did not mind the dark. The night was tempestuous and back of him the sea moaned. He was sure, . however, that in a little while he would see the lights of home; that had always been the Joy of his re turn. His mother had kept a candle In the window, and after a long voy age the steady flame was Stephen's welcome. A Jutting rock hid the cot tage until one was almost upon It, but he knew that the obstacle once passed he would see the starlike gleam. It was with a feeling of In tense disappointment, therefore, when having rounded the rock, he faced blackness. Following the disappoint ment came fear. Why had the light sTone out? The house when he reached it showed, a locked door and closed hutters, the forlornness of an unin habited building. " Stephen sat down weakly on the front steps. He was sure that some thing had happened to bis mother. In his voyage of two years It had not been possible to recelvo letters, al though he had written regularly. Many things might have happened In that time MnesB, death. With a feeling of deep foreboding he rose, uncertain where to go, but with the remembrance of a former schoolmate, little Anne Martin, who had comforted his mother in her loneliness. . He went down fe path with heavy steps, then stopped short and turned as a sudden flicker of light illumined the darkness. With the light life came back into the empty house, the From Outside the Window He tailed the Girl: "Little Anno!" hutters in the sitting-room were opened, and the candle could be Been Straight and tall oa the table. It was not the candle at which Stephen looked, however, but at a girl who stood behind the table, her hand shielding the flame. She was tall and fair with a blue ribbon band ed around her shining curls. The room behind hor had the dreary look of a place not lived in There was no fire on the hearth,, no work basket on the window ledge, or purring cat on the cushioned bench. There was an unreal air of tidiness which chilled him. From outside the window he called the girl: "Little Anne!" She came and looked into the dark ness. "Is it Stephen," she asked, breathlessly, "at last?" He caught her hand In his. "Where , is my mother?" he de manded. "Ohl" she walled, "has nobody told you?" "No, but the room tells me," he aid, heavily. "She was very ill," the girl said, softly, "and at last she went to sleep and I promised to keep the light al ways In the window for you. Tonight I was late because I stopped at the wharf to watch the ship come In, never dreaming that you were on It." She opened the door and let him In. "It Is a sad home coming," she said, "but you must let me get your sup per. I bought mine In town and I will cook it here and then I wont have to eat alone." "Alone?" he questioned. "Father is out fishing. There's Just the two of us left." In the basket which she brought from the steps were a loaf of bread, bacon and eggs. "There Is tea left In your mother's canister," said Little Anne, "and If you will build the fire I will soon have things ready," With the fire burning steadily In the stove, he watched her flit from room to room. Her presence rested and comforted him. In his wandering life he had felt little need for domestlo Joya. The little New England village had not provided enough excitement to satisfy him, and he had traveled to the end of the world socking adven ture. He had found It, and what after all was It worth? He had a sense sud denly of utter forlornness. With his mother dead, there was no one who cared. No one but little Anna. He bad a vision of what life might be If he could make himself settle down In some quiet place with this girl as his wife. Surely there would be much that was pleasant in an existence with suph a wpman by his" side. While he was not conceited, he had little feai; that he could win her. They had been friends, always, and he did not doubt that he could rouse a deeper feeling. , He voiced some of his feeling when, as they sat down at the table, he said, "I wish your face might be always opposite me, Anne." She was pouring his tea and she smiled at him brightly. "You must stay with father and me until you go away again." "Perhaps I shall not go away," he said. She shook her head at him. "You could never stay in one place long," she said. ; "PerhapB if there was some one to keep me," he said, significantly. But she refused to take his mean ing. "You could never settle down," she Insisted. It was not the time or the place to press hla suit, but when he had been home alweek he asked, her to marry him, and she refused. "The spirit of the wanderer will come upon you," she said. ."Your ship sails next week, you will want to go with It, and I could never live the life that your mother lived, waiting with the candle in the window," ' "I would stay with you," he said ardently. "You would hold any man." But she persisted' In her refusal. "You will want to go with your ship," she repeated; "you will grow restless, and I shall feel that I am second In your thoughts." "I shall not want to go," he de clared, but, when the time for sailing came, he found himself drawn irre sistibly to the dock. The great steam er was ready for her voyage, fresh with paint; and there was about her the atmosphere of mystery which be longs to vessels that sail the tropic seas. The other end of her voyage would find her where dark-skinned people stood on white Bands to wel come her. Back of them would be waving palms, where bright-hued birds made their nests a land of indolence and allurement He realized that his love of Little Anne wbb a thing of recent growth, while, all his life, his passion for the sea had held him. Was there . any thing about this fair-haired girl which would keep him contented in a future of inaction? Even aa he thought of her, she came and stood beside him on the dock. "I want you to go away, Stephen," she said, "and if, when you come back In two years, you still care for me, I will believe that you know yourself better than you do now." It was not easy for him to go, yet he realized when he was once on his Journey that it would not have been easy for him to stay. The spell of the sea was on him, and he was, be fore everything else, a sailor. , But he realized, as time went on, there was another spe'J upon him the tropic country, the lazy life did not satisfy. He found himself buying, not as he had bought before, useless trlnk1 ets, but things which would beautify a. home, a carved chest, embroideries and linens things that a woman would like. And when he bought a ring of curious workmanship, of beat en gold, with a dull blue stone, he knew that he had made up his mind. He knew, toq, that' be had made his last voyage. On the return trip his heart failed him. What if Little Anne had not been true? What If her love were not waiting, for him? Other men knew her charm, and other men had not sailed away and left her. She was not on the dock when the boat came In, and fearing to face the things he dreaded he took his way to his mother's cottage. As he rounded the Jutting rock he looked for the light And It was there I Anne was waiting! "I shall never go away again," he said, as she welcomed him. "But won't you long for the sea? I am Jealous of it" He shook his bead. "I know now that nothing has for me the charm of the lights of home. There is beau ty to be found elsewhere and wonder and adventure, but these things do not count when weighed in the balance with such women as you. I have found that out, and 1 know my mind now. Little Anne." Dress and Costume THE first is a smart style for in or outdoor wear; it Is made up In terra-cotta face cloth and has a plain skirt trimmed with two rows of Russia braid at about the knees and one at the ,top of hem. Silk is used for the yoke which Is cut In points on shoulders and at front and back; this Is edged with braid and has a button sewn in each point. The chemisette is of nlnon. The sleeves are cut In one with bodice; they are set to a band below elbow. Hat of black velvet trimmed with large white wings, in the prevailing mode. . Materials required: 5 yards cloth 48 Inches wide, 4 buttons, 1 dozen yards Russia braid. TABLE LINEN FOfTA BRIDE Some Few Things Worth Remember ing In Conneotlon With the Dower Chest The girl who Is starting a dower chest will be particularly Interested in her table linen. She may well choose either Dresden or Irish linen or both, as both are said to wear indefinitely. Where one buys the napery In sets, these include cloths of two yards wide by two and a half and three yards long, and nap kins of breaklast and dinner size. If possible, buy these sets in their natural color, and bleach them in the sun. Chemicals used for whitening are likely to destroy the texture of the linen. Luncheon sets come In both Irish and Dresden woven napery In all white. The newest luncheon sets, however, are made from Austrian linen, and consist of a round cloth and 12 nap kins. Each Dlece carries a damask thistle design in pale green, maize, blue or rose on a white ground. The second would look well in serge; the skirt is made with a slant ing wrapped seam down front on up per part; the lower is quite plain and Is Joined to the upper under a ma terial strap. , . The semi-fitting coat has the fronts arranged in two parts; the Inner or side front Is braided at the edge, the center fronts then wrap over one an other in a slant and are continued to panel at back, this forming the lower edge of sides. Satin forms collar and re vers; a bow Is worn where fasten ing comes. f Hat of silk with a large rose at the side. I Materials required: 6 yards serge I 46 Inches wide, 3 buttons, dozen I yards braid, yard satin. SMART FOR THE AFTERNOON Blue Eollnne the Best Material for This Exceedingly Effective ' Dress. A very smart little afternoon dress in nattier blue eollnne Is shown here. The skirt has a panel front and a plain piece round the lower part of sides and back; this Is headed by a band of embroidery, the slight full ness of the upper part being gathered to it The bodice Is cut round at the neck, the opening continued with a deep BlaJ Gas Recent Product Blau gas Is a r scent German prod uct akin to ordinary Illuminating gas. although the proportions of the ingre dients differ, ind It is similarly man ufactured. It Is liquid under ordi nary atmospheric presur and there fore easy for tranBport Hence, it la a convenient substitute for ordinary gas where this Is unobtainable, and is Invaluable for heating, welding, metal cutting and high-speed solder ing. Its range of explosion is one twelfth that of acetylene and one-third that of Illuminating gas. The cost of production though somewhat great er thun that of ordinary coal gas, Is less than that of aceteylune. As It con tains no carbon monoxide It is nut poi sonous. America. Short Trains for Dinner Gowns. While skirts continue to be very short in almost all day dresses, the eouturleres have had to lend ear to the cry of the women who absolutely refuse to give up trains In their even ing gowns. I have seen several very smart dinner dresses lately cut with short slightly pointed trains, and I have no doubt that there will be oth ers before the winter is over. One that was worn recently was of ochre- colored satin, but the rather vivid yel low was very much subdued by an overdress of dark aluminium-gray net The satin underskirt had the short train I spoke of, but the tunic, of course, was short It was gathered in a little at the top and its waist line was raised somewhat above Its nat ural DOBltion. The bottom of the tunic dropped into points at the sides and was hemmed with a deep band of the yellow satin, which drew it in a trifle without giving it any appearance of awkwardness or constraint The De- Mneator. , : Did Not Know Him. , Wadtlghter (who has Just bosn asked lor the price of a night's lodg ing) I wish those beggars would leave me alone! ' Mclnttnmtte They would If they knw you as wall as I da A Muff Holder. Reverse the wires of a coat hanger, making them curve upward Instead of downward. (One can got wire and press It into shape If no hanger Is available.) Make a long casing of satin ribbon and slip it over the wires until it is gathered neatly, then fasten with ribbons. This will conveniently hold the muff and kyep It In shape, and the fur collar can be thrown over the other side. Newest Letter Paper. Some of the prettiest note paper has a very narrow border of blue, pink, erav. lavender or red. and one Initial at the top set In a ring of color the exact shade as the border. Corre spondence cards also are thus bor rtered and are very pretty. WEDDING CAKES FOR RENT Showy Confections May Bo Hired for About $3 Each and Are Re-Iced After Each Occasion. There was something wrong with the cake, the baker said; it looked all right and it smelled all right, but hla artistic Bense told him it would not taste all right "Then fix It up with an extra coat of Icing and we. will keep It for a renter," said the proprietor. , "Who In the world would rent a cake?" some one asked. "Wedding parties," said he. "They want a big cake in the center of the table for show, but a cake of that size good enough for a wedding would cost' more than they can afford to pay, so they order fine cake put up in Individual boxes for the guests and use the bride's cake Just as an orna ment They don't buy it, they rent it Sometimes a cake is rented a dozen different times. After each wedding it is freshened up with a new coat of icing and looks as good t as new for the next occasion. A good renter fetches about $3 a wedding. point In front to show a yoke of lace embroidery, and button with cord loops form the trimming. . The under sleeves are of lace to match the yoke. Tagal hat to match the dress, trim med with velvet and feathers. Materials required for the dress six yards 46 Inches wide, one and one half yard lace, about four and one-half yards trimming. " , ,', For Paper Patterns. , Get a large Japanese lantern, hang It in the sewing room or any other convenient place and use it to hold light paper patterns. A lantern is durable and will hold a great many oat terns. ASK THE SALVATION ARMY That Is What Many Do When They Want Anything, Even a Bonnet for the Horse. A teamster who needed a bonnet for his scrawny horse applied to the Salvation army. "Why did you go to them for such a thing as that?" someone asked. "Because I knew they had them," he said. "I saw one of their wagons go down the street with two strings of horses' bonneta stretched from the top of the cover to the tailgate, so I hustled down and asked for one bo fore they were all gone." "His case is typical of hundreds of others," said an army worker. ' "Our collection wagons are veritable curi osity shops on wheels. Household goods and clothing comprise the bulk of the load, but it is topped off by curious odds and ends. Penurious or poverty-stricken souls keep an eye on the most conspicuous contributions and when they see anything they want they simply follow the wagon down to headquarters and ask for It" "Con" Knew His Duty as Usher. The congregation of a certain church is not "exclusive," but some of its membess were surprised at the ap pointment of a new usher. They said that he might be, a very good young man. but he had not belonged very long to the church, and, besides, it seemed unlikely that a street car con ductor would suit the etiquette of a house of worship. But the trustees said that he had been chosen for that very reason, adding: "We need a man of that kind to deal with the end seat hog. He Is a greater nuisance in the church than in the cars. Early in the service he plants himself at the aisle end of a free pew and later comers who are ushered Into that pew fall all over him taking their places, It takes a man with grit to make him move along. - This former conductor has the grit, and he has tact gained from experience. That is why we made him usher." . ... Odd Wireless Telephone. Writing .from German Africa, a tourist says: "We found here in the dense forest, among people who know nothing of modern scientific discov eries, a good and practical wireless telephone. The natives have for the purposes of ceremony, peaceful and warlike, drums of various dimensions made of wood, and these, when beat en, emit sounds of about an octave in range. Aside from the ceremonies the drums are used also as a means of communication. We had a proof of it one day. Our caravan was ready to start when our head servant stop ped suddenly in his work, listened in tently and then gave unmistakable signs of pleasure. We learned later that the Indistinct sounds conveyed to him the. news that a bey had been born to his brother in a neighboring village." No Such Goats Now. They must have had 'Bonn pretty savage goats- In Connecticut a nun dred years ago. Under an old law If a boy was driving a goat along a high. way and they met a traveler and the goat Jumped on to the traveler and threw him down and bit him and oth erwise harmed him, that boy could be sent to Jail for three months and his father sued for damages. The goat has Improved in temper since those days. If one Is being driven along now and meets a traveler he simply winks and passes, on and he boy Is safe. 1 , : The Cost - Seymour I don't believe that Wall man has a single enemy among all his neighbors; every one of them speaks of him as if he were the best man in the world. . Ashley Well, I guess that's right; but Wallman has to pay pretty high for their good opinion; every year he has to Invest in a new lawn mower. . A Terrible Creature. "Father," said the small boy, ",1m there any animal more terrible thaa a lion?" "Yes. my son; a cow. If she isnt kicking you In the neck or pursuing you over the pasture to hook you. she's trying to send germs around to your house In the mOk." CAP and MAN MAKES AWFUL MISTAKES Old Not Recognize Cook on Street Car, Allowing Her to Stand Wife , Afraid of Criticism. , , "Why didn't you get up and glv her your seat or permit me to give , her mine?" said a woman to her hus band. : ' 1 ' They had Just got off a car. The woman's face expressed great anxiety , of mind. -" ' 7 "Why should we give her a seat? the husband asked. ' "Just because she was so richly dressed, I suppose," he added. ' ' . 'Is it possible that you did not know her?" the wife exclaimed. "Of course; I am not supposed to know, every well-dressed woman who comes along." V - ' ' 'Oh, James, 'she Is our cook, and I'm afraid she will treasure up against us our lack of courtesy." . ' v- "Why didn't you tell me?" the bus- band exclaimed. . r 1 The woman did not reply, ' but. trembling violently, leaned heavily upon his arm, ,, According. . ' Mistress (to prospective servant) And what wages have you been get ting? - v -v Servant Well,; you , boo, , ma'am, wages vary according to what you do. , Mistress You mean that the more you do the more wages you would ex-, pect? " ;'' : "..:,. Servant Oh, no, ma'am. That's what you might think, ma'am, but my brother Is a student of political econ omy and he said -It's Just the other way: The more you do,' the less you get. And so, ma'am, if I take charge of -the whole house and do the wash ing, I get $3 a week. If I Just cook and help with the upstairs, I get $5. If I do nothing but the cooking I get 97, Llpplncott's. Real Considerate. The aeroplane, was stranded in the top of the apple tree. 'Help! Help!" shouted the air pilot 'Can't you see I am hp here in the top of your apple tree?" The;old farmer blew a quid of to bacco at a wide-eyed grasshopper and chuckled softly: "I see yeou, bub," hi drawled, "an I was Just wondering." "Wondering what?" "Haow much yeou would charge to pick them thar apples, being as yeou are so close to them. The hired man has the rheumatism an' can't climb a ladder." ' ' - . AWFUL HOT. She Do you believe In the theory that the sun is losing its heat and eventually will be burned out He Sure. The sun is losing lta heat and we are getting it Beyond the Styx. "I believe you were called the fath er of your country,"' remarked the shade -of Bonaparte. "Did you like the title?" 7 "I did," answered the shade of Wash ington, "but between you and me, Pd hate to be even a stepfather to some of the cities therein today." Proof of Her Ability. i -The One I can't understand why you imagine she has wonderful conver sational powers, when, as a matter of fact, she talks extremely little. The Other That's Just It She shows remarkable discretion in the selection of thlnp-a n ha lot i,n..u lust Asking. Bobby I say, dad Dad What la it now? Cant you let ma Kt O mtnnra'a .a.m - , Bobby I only wanted to ask yon tt a near-sighted man could have a far away look in his eyes. London Skettf '