“THE TINDER BOX”
(Continued troni first page) ____
wnlk with its rows o f blush peonies,
nodding along either edge. The two
old purple lilacs beside the front steps
have grown so large they seemed to
be barring my wuy into my home with
longing, sweet embraces, and a fra
grant little climbing rose that has riot
ed across the front door ever since I
fould remember bent down and left a
Rlss on my cheeks.
The warm, mellow old moon flooded
a glow in front o f me through the big
front door, ns I opened i t and then
hastened to pour into the wide win
dows as I threw back the shutters.
Logs lay ready for lighting in the
wide fireplace at the end of the long
room, and father’s tobneco Jar gleamed
a reflected moonlight from its pewter
sides from the tall mantle shelf. The
old books melted into the dusk of their
cases nlong the wall, and the portrait
o f Grandfather Shelby lost its fierce
gaze and became benign from its place
between the windows.
I was being welcomed to the home
o f my fathers, with a soft dusk that
other hour us I spent putting things in
order in father's room, which opens off
the living room, so I could go to bed
by candle light in the bed in which he
and I were both born. 1 wanted to
sleep there and didn’t even open any
other part of the grim old house.
And when 1 put out the caudle and
lay in the high, old four post bedstead
i again felt as small as I really am,
and 1 wus in danger o f a bud collapse
from self depreciation when ^ny humor
came to the rescue I might Just as
well have gone on and slept between
Henrietta and the wall, as was becom
ing my feminine situation, for here mv
determination to assert my masculine
priviliges was keeping a reul man do
ing sentry duty up and down a m«ftu-
llght road ull night— and I wauted It
"A fte r this. James Hardin, you can
consider yourself safe from any o f my
attentions or intentions.’’ 1 laughed to
myself as I turned my face into the
pillow that was faintly scented from
the lavender in which mother had al
ways kept her linen. " I'v e been in
Glendule two hours, and one man is on
the home base with his fingers crossed.
James, you are free! Oh, Jane!”
CHAPTER
III.
A F lin t Spark.
IIE greatest upheavals o f nature
are thus» that arrive suddenly
without notifying the world days
beforehand o f their intentions of
splitting the crust o f the universe wide
oi>en. One is coming to Glendale by
degrees, but the town hasn’t found out
about it yet. I’m the only one who
sees it. and I ’ m afraid to tell.
When Old Hnrpeth. who has been
looking down on a nice, peaceful, man
ordained, built and protected world,
woke Glendaie up the morning after
my arrival and found me defiantly
alone in the home o f my fathers—also
o f each o f my foremothers, by the eour
tesy o f dower—he muttered and drew
a veil o f mist across his face. Slight
showers ensued, but ho had to come
out In less than an hour from pure
curiosity. I found the old garden heav
only In its riot o f neglected buds,
shoots and blossoms, wet and welcom
ing with the soft odors o f heaven it
self.
T
A T a ll, G r a y F ig u re P acing S lo w ly Up
and D ow n th e Road.
was as still and sweet as tin* grave.
SwtH't for those that want It. but I
didn't Suddenly 1 thrilled as alive as
any terror stricken woman that ever
found herself alone anywhere on any
other edge o f the world, and then as
suddenly found myself In a complete
condition of fright prostration, crouch
ed on my own threshold. 1 was fright
ened at the «lark and could not even
cry. Then almost immediately, while
i crouched quivering in every nerve. 1
seemed to hear a man's voice say com
fortingly:
"You «ion't need to be frightened."
Courageously I lifted my eyes and
looked down between the old lilac
bushes and saw Just what I expected
I would a tali, grny flgur«» pacing
slowly up ami down the road. Then
It was that fear came into me. stiffen
ed my muscles and strengthemsi mj
soul—fear o f myself and my own eon
elusions nb«Hit destiny and all things
pertaining thereto.
1 never want to go through such an
It was well 1 was out early to enjoy
it. for that was to be the day o f my
temptation and sore trial. I am glad
1 have recorded it all. for I might have
forgotten some day bow wonderfully
my very pliant, feminine attitude rub
bed in my masculine intentions as to
my life on the blind side o f all the
forces brought to bear on me to put me
back Into my predestined place in the
scheme o f the existence.
"Y ou r Cousin James' home is the
place for you. Evelina, and until he
explained to me how you felt last night
I was deeply hurt that you hadn't come
straight, with Sallie, to me and to
him.” said Cousin Martha, in as severe
a voice as was possible for such a plac
id individual to produce. Cousin Mar
tha is completely lovely, nod the Moss-
back gets his beauty from her. She
is also such a perfect dear that her
Influence is something terrific, even if
negatively expressed.
" I have come to help you get your
things together so you can move «>ver
before dinner." she continued with gen
tle force. "N ow . what shall we put tu
the portmanteau first? 1 see you have
unpacked very little, and I am glad
that It confirms me In my feeling that
your coming over here for the night
was Just a dutiful sentiment for your
lost loved ont»s ami not any unmalden-
ly s. use or lndependt'iice in the matter
of choice where It is best for you to
live. O f course such n question as
that must be left to your guardian,
and o f course James will put you tin
der my care."
“ 1—1 really thought that perhaps
Cousin James did not have room for
me. Cousin Martha,” I answered meek
ly. “ How many families has he with
him now?” I asked with a still further
meekness that was the depths o f w ili
ness.
“ There are three o f us widows,
whom he sustains and comforts for
the loss o f our husbands, and also the
three Nortou girls, cousins on his fa
ther’s side o f the house, you remem
ber. It is Impossible for them to look
after their plantation since their fa
ther’s death robbed tbem o f a protec
ts- at least, even though be had been
paralyzed since Gettysburg. James is
a most wonderful man, my dear, a
most wonderful mau. though, as he
is my son. 1 ought to think it In si
lence.’’
“ Indeed he is." I answered from the
heart. "But—but wouldn't it be a lit
tle crowded for him to have another—
another vine—that is. exactly what
would he do with me? I know Wide-
gables is wide, but that is a houseful,
isn’t It?”
1
“ W ell, all o f us did feel that it made
the house uncomfortably full when
Sallie came with the three children,
but you know Henry Carruthers left
James his executor and guardian o f
the children, and Sallie. o f course,
couldn’t live alone, so Mrs. Hargrove
and I moved into the south room to
gether and gave Sallie and the chil
dren my room. It is a large room, and
it would be such a com fort to Sallie
to have you stay with her and help her
at night with the children. She doesn’t
really feel able to get up with them a;
all. Theu Dilsie could sleep In the
cabin, as she ought to on account of
the jimson weed in Iter phthisic pipe.
It would be such a beautiful Influence
In your lonely life. Evelina, to have
the children to care for."
I wondered If Cousin Martha had
ever heard that Blue Bunch Indulge
in such heartfelt oaths as had followed
that train dowu the track last night!
" I t would be lovely." I answered,
and the reply was not all insincerity,
as I thought o f the darkness o f that
long night and the Bunch's offer o f a
place at her sturdy little back “ next
the wall.”
“ Blit I will be so busy with my own
work. Cousin Martha, that I ant afraid
I couldn’t do justice to the situation
and repay the children and Sallie for
crowding them."
“ Why. you couldn't crowd us. Eve
lina. honey.” came in Sallie's rich voice
as she sailed into tiie room, trailing
the pup and the kit at her skirts and
flying lavender ribbons at loose ends.
“ W e’ve come to help you move over
right aw ay."
“ Well, not while 1 have a voice iu
the affairs o f my own husband's niece!
H ow are you. Evelina, and are you
crazy, Sallie Carruthers?" came iu a
deep raven croak o f a voice that sound
ed as if It bad harked partly from the
tomb as Aunt Augusta Shelby stood in
the doorway with reproof on her lips
and sternness on her brow. “ Peter
and I will have Evelina move down
immediately with us. James Hardin
has as much In the way o f n family
as he can very well stand up under
now."
And as she spoke Aunt Augusta
glared at Sallie with such ferocity that
even Sallie's sunshiny presence was
slightly dimmed.
“ Are you ready, Evelina? Peter will
send the surrey for your baggage,"
she continued, and for a moment 1
quailed, for Aunt Augusta's determina
tion o f mind Is always formidable, but
( summone«! my woman's wit and
man's courage and answered quickly
before she fairly snatched me from
under mv own rooftree
••That would I m > lovely. Aunt Augns
ta. and how nre you?" 1 answered and
asked In the same breath, as I drew
near enough to her to receive a bus!
nesslike peck on my ctmek. “ 1 expect
to have you nnd Uncle Peter to look
after me a lot. but somehow 1 fee! that
father would have liked—liked for me
tQ live here and keep my borne—his
home—open. Some way will arrange
Itself. I haven’t talked with Cousin
Jnrnes yet,” 1 felt white feathers
sprouting all over me, as I thus in
voked the masculine dominance I had
come to lay.
“ You’ ll have to settle that matter
tvlth your Uncle Peter, then. for. fol
lowing his dictates o f w.hich l did not
approve, I have done our duty by the
orphan. Now, Evelina, let me say In
my own person that 1 thoroughly ap
prove o f your doing Just as you plan.”
And as she uttered this heresy she
looked so straight and militant and al
together commanding that both Cousin
Martha and Sallie quailed
I felt elat
ed, as If my soul were about to get
sight o f a kindred personality, or, rath
er a soul relative o f yours. J-ane.
“ Oh. she would be so lonely, Mrs.
Shelby, and she” — Sallie was ventur
ing to say with trepidation, when Aunt
Augusta cut her short without cere
mony.
“ Lonely, nonsense! Such a busy wo
man as I now feel sure Evelina is go
ing to be, will not have time to be lone
ly. I wish I could stay and talk with
you further about your plans, but I
must hurry back and straighten out
Peter’s mbtd on that (piestion o f the
town water supply that is to come up
in the meeting o f the city council to
day. H e let it be presented ull wrong
lust time, and they got things so mud
dled that it was voted on incorrectly.
I will have to write it out for him so
he can explain it to them. I will need
you in many ways to help me help Pe
ter be mayor of Glendale, Evelina. 1
ant wearied after ten years o f the
strain o f his office. I shall call on you
for assistance often in the most im
portant matters,” with which prom
ise that sounded like a threat she pro
ceeded to march dowu the front path,
almost stepping on Henrietta, who was
coming up the same path, with almost
the same emphasis. There was some
sort o f an explosion, und 1 hope the
kind o f words I heard hurled after the
train were not us«*d.
"That old black crow is a-going to git
in trouble with nte some day. M arfy,”
Henrietta remarked as she settled her
self on tiie arm o f Cousin Martha’s
chair after bestowing a smudgy kiss
ou the little white curl that wrapped
around one o f the dear old lady’s pink
little ears. 1 bad felt that way ubout
Cousin Martha myself at the Bunch's
age. and we exchanged a sympathetic
smile on the subject
"W eil, what are you going to do,
Evelina?" asked Sallie, and she turned
such a young, helpless, wouderlug face
up to me from the center o f her clus
ter o f babies, that my heart almost
failed me at the idea of pouriug what
seemed to me at that mouieut the poi
son o f modernity into tin* culm waters
of her and Cousin Martha’s primitive
placidity.
"Y ou ’ll have to live some place where
there is u man." she continued, with
worried conviction.
My time had come and the tight was
on. Oh, Jane!
" I don't believe J really feel that
way about it.” i begun in the gentlest
of manners and slowly, so us to feel
my way. “ You see. Sallie dear, and
deurest Cousiu Martha. 1 have bad to
be out iu the world so much—alone,
that I am used to it 1- I haven't hud
a man’s protection for so loug that 1
don't need i t us 1 would If I were like
you tw o blessed sheltered women."
” 1 know it lias I kh u bard, dear.” said
Cousin Martha gently looking her sym
pathy at my lorn state, over her
glasses.
(To bo continued)