Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 271, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1918 — Among the Lilacs [ARTICLE]

Among the Lilacs

By Virginia Leila Wentz

(Copyright, IMB. by McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) It was a warm spring evening, so warm that they had ventured to sit out on the little wooden veranda. There was a suggestion of approaching summer in the breeze and the air was redolent with lilacs. By glancing toward the right it was not difficult to see where the fragrance came from. On the other side of the hedge, in the deepening twilight, was a purple forest of plumes, and beyond that, white in the gray twilight, rose the old Howard house —the oldest in the tiny village, as well as the largest. Selden Howard was the only living representative of the family. t Presently the group on Mrs. Jones veranda began to speak of Selden, leading up to the subject from the fragrance of the bushes. "Thein lilocks is sicklishly sweet,” observed Mrs. Jones herself. “Really nausearting, acquiesced the boarder, who had been spending the winter here in this little cottage among the Berkshire hills. “By the way, I saw a strange man at the post office this morning, and I overheard some one say he was Mr. Howard. Very good-looking man he was, and seemed to know a thing or two.” “That’s him.” confirmed Mrs. Jones. “But why shouldn’t he know a thing or two? He don’t do nothin’ but travel and trapse ’round the country. Hardly ever home, and won’t have a thing to do with the people in the village.” The moon was beginning to show red and low in the warm dusk, and the lilacs made superb black shadow effects on the lawn. The little tiredout city girl who sat on the lowest step of the veranda and who had just arrived that day had nothing to say. She was filling her whole soul with the beauty of the coming night. Pretty soon, carrying her lamp, she went upstairs to her bedroom. She looked at the high mound of feather bed, and at the small window, at the foot, into which was already flooding the spring moonlight. For a moment she stood irresolute. Then she lowered the shade, slipped on a cheesecloth kimono, drew the pins from her hair, letting it fall about her shoulders, blew out the lamp and followed her whim to lean from the casement. It had been a very long while since Katherine Hope had looked from a window over a garden when the moon was shining. True, from the window of their stuffy city lodgings on Eleventh avenue —her mother’s and her’s • she had leaned out at times when her head was hot and aching with too much work, and caught a breath of outside air. But that was so different From that window she could look only on clotheslines, sheds, the back windows of the boarding houses on the next street; and there, whatever restful thoughts might come to her were made havoc of by an accordion, cheap coon songs, or the caterwauling of feline creatures on the fences • below. And now—oh, the feathery, pale florescence of the lilacs over yonder! Katherine drew her breath in with de-light-as their dormant scent came up to her. If only her dear little mother could be with her to enjoy the beauty of it all 1 But that had not been possible. When the physician had shaken his head gravely over his young patient’s worn-out condition, and commanded an immediate change in the country, it had been all that mother and daughter could do to scrape together the meager savings for Katherine’s rest of a fortnight. And Katherine was not one to mew and whimper over impossibilities. She was here now—and she would mpke the best of every' moment to grow strong and well again, 'that she might go back with new life to her office work and the companionship of her sacrificing little mother. The mild ,country air and the thousand, odors of the spring played upon her face, and lifted her loosened hair, gilded by the moonlight into the likeners of an aureole. Her white kimono fell softly around her; from the. position in which she held her arms, l»ei soft elbows were plainly visible, ■ and her exquisite face leaning back a bit against the dark-painted frame of the window stood out like a cameo. The girl was little conscious of anything except the wonder of the night; nor was she aware of one who watched her a moment from the shadow of the lilacs in the garden beyond the hedge. Selden Howard was returning from his dog kennels,< whence he had gone to look after a sick collie, when his eye had chanced to fall upon the figure in the casement, and in sheer artistic appreciation, had rested there. “She’s like some young princess,” he thought to himself, pursuing his way toward the big house, “or a goddess , . . her hair’s like the silvery floss around corn. Her name ought to be Perdita, Marpessa or Ariadne. How-

ever in the world did the Jones family stumble across such a creature?” The glamor of the girl wove Itself into his dreams, and in waking intervals- he pondered on plans for an acquaintance. “Ah-ha, I have it!” at last laughed he. Early the next morning he went afishing. As luck would have it,he secured a well-filled creeL On his way home, without ceremony, he lifted the itucfa of Mrs. Jones’ low back gate and

entered. He walked right up to the .kitchen window, for there stood Mrs. Jones rotting the dough for breakfast biscuit “Good-morning, Mrs. Jones," said he. *Tve got such a jolly big creel full of fish here that I don’t know what -to do with them. There’s no one' over there” —nodding toward the big white hoqse—“but my housekeeper, and she’s sick this morning; so I’m wondering if you’ll accept these?” With the gallantry of a knight he held out to her his creeL

“Oh, Mr. Selden J" exclaimed the good woman, a bit flustered, but smiling with unmistakable appreciation. (Would the heavens fall next?- When had Mr. Selden Howard last honored her humble dwelling like this? Surely ndt since his mother died, -»poor soul.) "Acept them? Well, I just guess I will! And so Mrs. Patch is sick? Well, you’ll Just stay here to breakfast; it’ll be ;all ready in fifteen minutes." This was as much as Howard had hoped for.

“You’re awfully kind, Mrs. Jones,” he said, affecting surprise, “and—yes, I believe I’ll stay. I’ve a sick collie over in the kennels —Pll go and look after her, then Til be back to acept your hospitality." When Katherine Hope entered the dining room, Mrs. Jones, of course, presented Mr. Howard. “How do you do, Mr. Howard,” said she conventionally, with a smile a little tired in spite of the play of childish dimples. But Selden was looking down admiringly on the fine, white parting that separated the braids of purest flax. “And how d’ye like them, Mr. Selden?" asked Mrs. Jones a bit laterreferring to the biscuit. “I love them,” answered he —referring to the girl’s dimples. Of course, that was only the beginning. After that, Selden Howard managed almost /daily to meet Katherine —or, at least, to catch a glimpse of her. Her lovely, -tired eyes, and little quiet yays appealed to him in an infinitely more tender and real fashion than had those of many a pampered beauty whom he’d met in the course ol his varied travels.

One morning Katherine was reading, “The House of Mirth” out oh the veranda. At least, she was supposed to be reading it. In reality, she had closed the book, keeping the page marked with her slim forefinger. She had only two days more here in God’s green earth, and the lilacs seemed to be calling her imperatively. She had been breathing in lilacs to that extent that her thoughts seemed to be fairly scented with them. All at once an impulse of yielding came to her. Why in the world should she not step over the low hedge and go into the lilac garden? She did. Bees hung above the purple. bloom, and a little attenuated fountain tinkled in the distance. Oh! it was altogether enchanting. Just then a golden-eyed sable collie came leisurely down the curved walk to meet her. “You beauty!” cried the girl exultantly, stooping to pat the dog’s queenly head. The collie, with slowly swishing tail, gently kissed her behind the ear.

A commanding whistle from around the turn of the walk, and then: “Mollie, Mollie, old girl, where are you?” Mollie sat with one ear up, the other down, as collies will when perplexed. She loved her master —but, also, she loved her new-found friend! “Ah!” cried Selden, coming upon them unexpectedly. “But It is beautiful to find you In my garden!” he said, looking gladly upon Katherine. “Do you know, last night I dreamed you were here. You are very, very welcome, little lady.” “You see,” she explained helplessly, trying to hide her telltale blushes, “it was the lilacs. They called me.” Suddenly he took both her hands in his and drew her toward the bushes. “Dear-lilacs,” he whispered whimsically, “she Is here now—on enchanted ground—and we must keep her. You belong to my garden,” he added masterfully, turning full upon Katherine, “and I will not let you go. The house yonder is very lonely and waits for you. Will you stay?” Her answer? Well, she was a girl and very tired, and he was a man and strong—and it was spring—and they were among the lilacs!