| Show the tradition held good by CLARISSA MACKIE copyright old arost house stood in its ann loneliness on tho little hill beyond the methodist church in beira gone by the frost family had been very prominent in littlefield the men had been judges doctors and the real family tradition might have been called viar came and took toll of the frost young judge frost and his good wife both died during that period and an only daughter who had been a nurse in flanders had returned to her empty home ti he married to an english army officer ahn locking up the house she gave it into the I 1 of lose frost a distant cousin who lived nearby and sadly said just before she sailed for angland e have nee heard from our jock rose it we were convinced of his death something could be done with the house but if you will look after it perhaps per some day jock will come home again no one believed that jock frost would come home again and yet one morning alg far away cousin rose awoke with the sun in her blue eyes and with a thrill in her heart I 1 just have a feeling that jock may come biome today and it will neer do to ignore the family bradl ion and let him knock and find the house closed 1 I 1 will tell mother at breakfast if she does not need me I 1 will go over right away and get reada for jock so rose brighter than usual confessed to her mother I 1 do not need you rosy and you may take hester if you want her there Is not very much to do today said the mother so rose and hester spent the day working in the big house at five the two women could say that the house was ready for any returned wanderer or any casual guest that might appear there were pleasant fires burning on the hearths and the of light and firelight spiraled spir kled on the brightly polished window panes in the small sitting room was a gateley table spread with a linen cloth on which were placed the old chelsen china and polished old silver you must be terrible sure miss rose said hester 1 I do feel sure said rose confidently and for that reason I 1 an going home to change my dres I 1 will be back in half an hour if anybody comes roae there aint much for era to eat contended hester 1 I will bring something over per naps sam will kill a chicken and I 1 will bring a loaf of fresh breid hester hurried around during the absence of her young mistress and had a good fire in the 1 itchen range when rose returned with a large bas ket mother has put in all sorts of good things hester and I 1 know that she thinks ira crazy I 1 she thought you was crazy the night vou dreamed that some one was robbing the hen roost and when your pa and aam went out sure enough they caught that from the river bottom remember les indeed laughed rose and her laughter continued as the front door knocker pounded smartly ell here he ast 1st declared lies ter whipping off her kitchen apron and disclosing a frilly walte one beneath it then she hurried to the front door she did not notice that rose frost had fled to the large front parlor where she sat shivering behind the great fire screen hester opened the front door and discovered a tall bearded man wear ing a large gray coat and a hat pulled low over his dark eyes oh howdy do mister john said the woman cheerily e been look in for vou I 1 guess the stranger entered and removing his felt hat hung it on the rack and then turned to her A room if you have it please the man said sharply and then start pd up the front stairway hester trail ing after when they reached the top of the long stairway the man paused as it to let hester pass ahead of him and in doing so faced the large oil portrait of judge frosts wife for an instant he paused there ai if uncertain staring at the dignified white haired old lady of the picture and then with a strangle tf cry of mother mother I 1 he tell forward down the stairs to the very bottom hester rushed away for the nearby doctor while rose brought restore alves she was working tenderly over the v alte faced man when doctor weed arrived with his chauffeur they carried the fainting roan up to the room that used to be jock frost s and laid him on the freshly made bed then the doctor wrote a prescription sent cyrus to the drug store and then went out and spoke to rose ita your cousin jock all right think ha must have had a shock dur ing the war falling down was a restorative shock he woke up a few minutes ago and said hello doc t I 1 then he asked for his father and molet so guess its up to you to tell him rose the frost tradition still nolda good the doors are always hospitably open and jock t rost one of the leading alt eizens often saya to his afe rose we must keep up the frost tradition my dear if I 1 had found an empty house that night goodness known what might have happened V A |
