Mary Ware in Texas

ference. She had built such lovely dream-castles of their winter i

ould hardly wait to taste it, and just as you put out your hand it was suddenly snatched away? That's the way I feel about leaving here. And I've dreamed of getting letters, too; big, fat letters, th

n have a boat. There's a creek running through the town and the Barna

want! It's girls, and boys, and something doing! Being in the heart of thi

e for her. Besides, she had to acknowledge that the creek and the ranch did hold out some compensations, and she was deeply grateful to these two kind old people who had come to

Mary was in the next room, repacking her trunk, for it had been decided that she and Norman were to go to Bauer on the early acc

them so rattling good to us

d and quote

the lamb lo

er chil

ves the lamb

cher di

's disgusted answer. "I don'

nd his mother, who had stayed to help him pre

t the man who would have friends 'must show himself friendly.' And that's what you and Mary did the first night you

heard such Indian stories as he can tell,-true ones that he's been in himself,-and

are, she's just an old dear! She's thought of so many ways to save us expense since she found out that we have to economize. She even o

and new roses were opening to take the places of the old ones that the storm had beaten off the day before. Mary's spirits seemed to have pas

Mary would have enjoyed keeping close to the old ranchman, as Norman did, hopping off the car every time they stopped on a side-track, to investigate everything along the way,-the lime works, the rock quarry, the station where the mail wa

trides forward that morning. Part of the time Mary chattered along just as if her listener had been one of the Warwick Hall girls, and part of the time she listened to elderly views and confidences with the seeming sympathy of middle age. A bit of

iming cordially, "I declare, it's been a real treat to have you along." And Mary, as she helped Mrs. Barnaby struggle into her coat, responded, "Well, I've enjoyed every inch o

es has some business at the court-house that will keep him in town for an hour or so. As soon as we

ned carriage drawn by two big gray mules, with much shining nickel-plating on their stout black harness. The station was half a mile away from the village, and as they swung

blue barns and flashing windmills nestled against the background of misty

ey passed a group of little flaxen-haired Teutons on the roadside, who were ca

ing to their language and customs. They don't want any disturbing, aggressive Americans in their midst, so they never call on new-comers, and never return their visits if any of them try to make the advances. They

sappointed tone. "One thinks of it as being young and crude, and with the proverbial hospital

which I hope to get for you will be good neighbors, and if you were to live here a long time there are others who would be friendly. Then there are several American families who have found a foothold in the town, and as I said, English-speaking people on the ranches he

he rode past the carriage, calling out a greeting as she passed. Norman turned around exclaiming, "Did you

. Barnaby. "She's his deputy, and meets the tr

t here. I was beginning to have such a foreign, far-away feeling, seeing all these picturesque little German gardens with old women

ather, while on each side chrysanthemums and roses and a host of old-fashioned autumn flowers made the little plot a tangle of colors and sweet smells. There were some bee-hives under the bare peach trees, and at one side beyond them, a smal

rs. Barnaby, preparing to

ight walk to the door, "and this is just like one of those lovely old-master, Dutch interiors," she a

nd repose about the room that Mary could not help exclaiming aloud over it. As she glanced around with admiring glances her bright face showed i

r each of them, culled from her garden borders and edged with strong-smelling mint. In the center of Mary's was one of her handsomest coxcombs. Mrs. Barnaby smiled meaningly when she saw it, and when they had climbed back in

d were already piled on the table in the kitchen. A load of wood was on its way. The new mattresses they had bought at the furniture shop (kept by the undertaker of the village) were promised for delivery early in the afternoon, and they had bee

Mrs. Metz herself had attended to the scrubbing after the last tenant left. But Mary decided that she would feel more comfortable, moving in after strangers, if she should give the furniture

y one o'clock, and I'm too hungry to wait. I've found a cup I can boil some

haven't any time to lose if we are to get everythi

ting the premises while he ate. Mary followed his example, and wandered from the open doorway to the open windows, looking at the view from each, and exclaiming over each new discovery. The house

long at the gate. I'm glad we've got a windmill. It'll save me a lot of pumping, and it makes such a fine watch-tower. Y

into her apron pocket, she ran out to the windmill and began to swing hersel

going to come up here often. It gives you such a high-up-above-all-your-earthly-ills feeling! There's St. Peter's," she called, "ov

e windmill, swinging there below her by on

ch she pointed. "That's the Sisters' school. I asked P

ly fascinating!" she declared. "There's something beautiful to me in the thought that the little town we

n door. The kitchen was in an ell of the house, and from its front window she could see the road which ran in front of the house. Just across it, half hidden by a row of bushy umbrella trees, stood two little blue

arranged. I'm not afraid with neighbors so near, and I'm sure mamma wouldn't care if she could see how quiet and peaceful it

d cancel the arrangements Mrs. Barnaby had made for them, when he went for the milk which Mr. Metz had promised to sell

g a kitchen cabinet out of two old boxes, whi

ime that Joyce and Jack had getting settled in the Wigwam. I felt so defrauded then because

out of this last week than I did. I fairly revelled in all the luxuries we had as Mr. Robeson's guests. It comes so easy to be waited on and to be the fine lady. And on the other hand, it is a real joy

cot was made up for Norman in the room which he was to share with Jack. Later, while she waited for the biscuits to bake and for him to come home with the milk and honey, she wrote a letter to Joyce. She did not take time to go to the bottom of her trunk for writin

but Joyce, who could read her little sister like a book, read between the lines and divined the disappointments she had conquered, and sa

on the windmill tower. I had gone up again to watch the sunset,-for just a minute. The glow on the roofs of the town and the hills beyond was so lovely! If Norman had had any sense h

the most tempting basketful of good things you ever saw. There was orange gelatine and charlotte russe, and some delicious nut sandwiches. The rector had walked all the way up here and carried the basket himself. You know I've always stood in awe of clergymen. At first t

n the white road that leads from our place into the town, thinking how lonely and foreign everything was, and how hard it would be to live all winter in a place where nobody wanted to be neighborly, and where the only people

elcome changed everything. Now as I look through the open door at the same road leading to the town, it doesn't look lonely and foreign any more. It makes me think of a verse that dear old Grandmother Ware taught me on

gh yesterday. But now everything is being smoothed out for us so beautifully. I have j

ter's, at the other the square gray tower of the Academy of the Holy Angels; and just between, swinging low over the hills in the faint afterglow, the pale golden crescent of the new moon. After all, it's a good old wo