Show vol K 5 0 s n f L A tc art 7 ka v kr i fa A uman HOME 0 everything very thing else she tried and failed but her last 1 trick won success f I 1 A I 1 by ELEANOR PORTER 1 author of PI pollyanna lyanna just david etc f by 7 elnor eleanor IT porter t i i if F THADDEUS CLAYTON came atly into the room and looked eyes uron upon the little a a la in the rocking chair br be ye e dearle dearie yer ter faint IN 1 ter fr lao thin now have ye 7 she 4 ifa thing harriet lie returned r EL im beelin real pert too jerd lots there an did parson siy y ii n heap 0 fine things clayton dropped into a chair belled listlessly at the blade black ot of her bonnet lai tas a beautiful fundal fu nral thad ly U beautiful fundal fu nral I 1 I 1 most 1 lt was mine I 1 1 let I 1 I 1 to kiive ave ft n shamed faced laugh a did then jehiel and han tie would a come an I 1 could jein ein 1 0 look on the old mans ive way to a broad smile rH harriet arriet nai letl lie chuck tow ow could ye seen been em cm if you ou iad mut V 7 well I 1 thaddeus lier ase sharply in the silent room 1 st single r gle one of them tin in perkins boys ianiere ere and annabel too only that hat poor mis perkins would a dwter ter seen eni em tore fore slie she went ey waited waited thaddcus Thadd cu everybody does docs till their foll folks s 5 harriet demurred the old iBn surely rely a had them boys W their own mothers fundal fu nral en el id a feasted her eyes on tthaddeus tl haddeus sirs mrs clayton rose to egand stretched out two gault longingly thaddeus haddeus 1 I 1 get to so sometimes for jehiel and ilan bane seems as though I 1 jest itt Y stand enow BOW I 1 know dearle dearie quavered i man vigorously polishing ills his 1 if years ago my first baby carlie came jd d the woman in tremulous j i then another came and fill an allt id six I 1 loved ern cm an 1 em an cared for em cm an pi thought but was fer them L four died iier her voice broke tent on with renewed strength ise got jeidel jehiel and a 1 id hannah jane nit it least ive got tn two 0 bits of paper bines debbe once a month ah an I 1 tf lems ems signed your our dutiful son 1 an all the other from your loving lovan jeri eroll Hannah arinah jane I 1 I 1 harriet they r write letters ventured mr steral Ster t ra sl walled wa hi his wife 1 I cant gi kiss letters though I 1 try to aies es lwell wife vate bobbe ahll cume be come tins this surn summer mer mows aws shook tier her head dismally allye iye said that evry year forthe teen summers nn they lint faint it et belliel went west eiore than years ago an hes never heen toce ince why thaddeus weve N elve got gor idson most eighteen that we ven seen reen hannah janes been est once since she was married it wag nigh on oil ter sixteen years ches hes always whitin of her tom sl nellie but I 1 want ter see addems pad deus I 1 want ter see lem cm i yes well well ask em hir har galu 11 well ask em real v t debbe tte fabe fetch tin cola coin ahe he old man well we ll 11 ask eni eat here the fourth eight eft it yet an I 1 ahall lie be real smart a letters letters that were certainly certa luly ure left the new england farm he next morning one was nd ad to a thil western city the chattanooga Tenn estee urge arse of time the answers came janes appeared first and was balth with shaking blinking lingers fingers mother eller read sirs lies clayton claylon aloud etter r cattle came two or throe three days ago abo havn ve hurried round to an answer anmer mer it 1 seemed to ba so anxious to bear tl sorry but I 1 dont see lio how ue ac it away this summer nathan la ia y lit at tile the store and some way I 1 acm tin to 9 get t up energy enough to k of 0 fixing up the children to eni so far thank you tor for the inn though and we wa should enjoy avery very much but I 1 guess wo we can cant et at of 0 course 1 if anything isei lous t ome ime up that made it nece ebsary beary t would be different but I 1 know and will A ill estand how Us pi la is well but business busine cs has hag been risk and he la Is in the store eally eaily f As ad long as hes heb matting making money mind but I 1 tell him I 1 think he pent eat a little sometimes and lt let n 0 elso else do tha ills things he does doca ins i a a big boy now smart in hla bla jand d with a good head for or figureid figu reis es her books too and tor for it a 11 of 0 ol eleven clerven erven does pretty well wo we 1 at close now wo all send love ayou B you are ara getting n long along all right id to hear father ather was gaining so BO your loving daughter HANNAH JANE etc letter tier dropped from mrs clay agers ers and lay iny unheeded on the the 0 woman covered her face pr r hands aid abd rocked her body gd d forth e i there dearle dearie soothed the huskily debbe Jehl els will rent ent there therel there 1 dont take dont t I 1 just know come fr A week N eek later mrs clayton found another letter in the rural delhery box bos YM yes it was from jehiel she drew a long breath her eager thumb was almost under the flap of the envelope when she hesitated e eyed tile letter uncertainty uncertainly and thrust it into the pocket of tier her calico gown all da day it lay there save at times which indeed w were re ot of frequent occurrence when nilen bile ahlie took it frum from its hitting hiding place pressed it to her didek or gloried in every curve of the boldly written address at night after the lamp was lighted slie she said to tier her husband in tones so low he could scarcely hear thaddeus I 1 I 1 had a letter from jehlen today you did and never told tile me why harriett harriet what lie ile paused helplessly 1 I I 1 faient read it thaddeu thaddcus s slip stammered 1 I bear to someway I 1 dont know why but I 1 you read itt it 1 she held out the letter with slinking shaking hands lie he took it giving her a sharp glance from anxious eyes As he began to read aloud she checked him no ter herself yer self thaddeus ter yer herself self then tell nio me As lie he read she watched his face the light died from tier her eyes and tier her chin quivered as she saw tile hie stern lines ines deepen around his mouth A alil NOW 11 4 A fundal its murders Mur derl he gas gasped bcd ute more and he be had finished the letter and laid it down without a word thaddeus ye dont mean lie he say read it I 1 I 1 cant choked the old man she ren clied slowly for the sheet of paper aud and spread it on the table before her dear mother mollier jehiel hail had written just bust it a word to tell you we ue are ill all 0 1 IZ and doing finely your letter reminded me n that it aras w 9 about time I 1 was writing home to tl it folks I 1 dont mean to set so eo many weeks go by without a letter from me but somehow the time just gets away from me ma before I 1 know it minnie Is well and deep in spring serring and house cleaning I 1 know because dressmaker a bl 13 aro beginning to come in and every arnt tn I 1 go home I 1 find a carpet up tip in a new place our boy fred Is eighteen Jor tomorrow you d be proud of him I 1 kow if you yet could see him business Is rushing glad to hear bar youre all right and that fathers rheumatism Is 19 on the iraln gain As ever your affectionate and dutiful son bon on oh by the way about that visit enst east I 1 reckon well hae to call it off this berr too T oo 00 bad but cant seem to seo sea my way ay clear bye byo harriet clayann did not cry tills this time she stared tit nt the letter long minutes with wide open tearless tc aress eyes eye then she lie slowly folded it wid and put it buck back in its envelope debbe began the old ann timidly dont ahn d deus pl please ease dant I 1 abe 1 I I 1 dont want ter ier talk and site she rose unsteadily il y to tier feet and moved toward the kitchen dorr for a time mrs clayton went about tier her work ork in ia a silence quite unusual while tier her hubband hu eiband watched clied tier her with troubled e re aft ills his lecuit grieved over the bonca lend head and drooping shoulders and over the blurred eyes that were cre so often surreptitiously wiped on a corner of f the ging gingham lium apron but at the end of a week the little old woman accosted acco illin him with a face full of aggressive yet anxious determination thaddeus Thadd eui I 1 want ter speak tor ter you about eo methin ive been th chinkin inkin it all out tin an ive decided that lve ive got ter kill one of us off 11 harriet I 1 well I 1 have A fundal Is the only thing that will vill fetch jehiel and P harriet are ye gone crazy have ye yc gone clean mail mad she looked at him appealingly now thaddeus dont try ter hender me please you see its the only way A fundal Is the 11 A funeral its murder mur derl I 1 lie shuddered d e r e d oli oil not ter make believe as I 1 shall she protested eagerly its 11 make believe why yes res of coarse have I 1 ter of he t he one ter do it cause im coln I 1 ter be the dead one an 1 I larriet I 1 there there please thaddeus Thaddeu sl I 1 ive got tor ter see jehiel and harilah janeford Jane fore I 1 diet die but they come lf it no they wont come weve tried it over an over again you know we lime haie hannah jane herself said that hint it if anything liny any thiu thin serious came up it would i bo be dIf frent well im coln ter have sorn ethIn serious come up but harriet now thaddeus bogged begged the woman abao almost t crying you must help me dear ive thought it all out an its easy ni al can be I 1 shant tell any lies of course coure I 1 cut my finger today 17 I 1 why yes I 1 believe so he ac knowl eged dazedly but what has lag that to do 10 the accident thaddeus Thad deug youre toure ter send two felegi telegrams anis at once one ter Jeli jellel lel an one ter hannah jane tile the telegrams will say accident to your mother funeral saturday afternoon come at once jest ten words now ow all true aint it she asked anxiously the accident is this cut the fundal fu nral Is old mis ills went I 1 heard erday that they have it until saturday so give us plenty oi of alme ter get tile the folks here I 1 say whose funeral it Is goin ter be je on saturday thaddeus I 1 I 1 want yer ter hitch lit up nn an drive ocr ter tor ter send end the telegram the mans new over there tin an wont know ter you send em from here of course thaddeus clayton niver never know knew just how he allowed himself to be persuaded to take its his part in this crazy selic scheme nic as he termed it but persuaded he certainly was it was a lils miserable rable time for thaddeus then hen first there was that hurried drive to though the lay day was warm warin lie fairly slivered ns as lie he handed those two fateful telegrams to the man behind the counter then there was the homeward homi iward trip during which like the guilty thing he was he cast furtive glances from side to side even home itself came to tift be a nils cry for the sweeping and the dusting and the he baking and the brewing which lie he encountered there left him no place to call his own so hit lie he lost lit hl patience at last find and moaned seems ter me harriet youre a pretty lively corp corpse sel 1 ills 1119 wife smiled and flushed a little there there dear dont fret jest think how glad well be ter see lem em she exclaimed harriet was blissfully happy both bothi the children lint promptly responded to the telegrams and were now on their way hannah jane with her husband and two children were c expected on friday evening but jehiel and hl his wife and boy could not possibly bly pet get in until early on the following morning all this brought scant joy to thad acus there was always owl ayi hanging over oer him the dread horror of what ahat lie he had lone done and the fearful I 1 questioning ax as to how bow it was all going to enil end friday came but a telegram tit at the last moment told of trains deloyed delayed and connections missed annitah would not reach home until the next morning so it was with a four seated carr carryall vall that tant thaddeus Thad doua clayton started for the station on saturday inor morning nina to meet holli both of his children ildren cli and their families the ride home was a silent one but once inside the ube house jehlen and hannah jane a storm of sobs and cries besl besieged eged their father with queR questions linns tho the family flin illy were all in the alie darkened sitting room till all indeed save alive Tl arriet aiho ho sat eat in soll lary iary sante sant in in the chamber above tier her face pale and her heart heating beating almost to suffocation it tin lind d been armin arranged ged vint she was not to be seon seen until sonic some sort of explanation had been given father what was lt it sobbed bobbed ann nah jane how flow tild did it happen it mut must have been so sudden faltered jehiel it cut me up tip completely ely 1 I cant ever forgive myself moaned hannah jane hysterically she wanted us in it come bast ast and I 1 r my belfi heH Mines tam easier to stay where I 1 I 1 was and now now belie been brutes 1 rather ut tit in jelilee Jeli lel aith a shake 11 in ills his fill all of us I 1 never thought I 1 never dreamed father crin can cau call we see her in the chamber above a woman sprung sprang to tier lier feet harriet had quite forgotten the stove love pipe hole bole to the room inlow in low and every sob und and moan and walling waiting cry had been woefully distinct to tier lier ears cars with streaming streu ming oyei eyes and quivering lips she hurried down the stairs and threw open the sitting room door jellel Jehl Jeb lel fl hannah janet jane im IID here right here alive she cried an ive been a wicked wicked woman I 1 nev r thought how bad t was coln ter maki make you feel I 1 truly never ner did twits only myself I 1 wanted yer so BO oil oh children children rye ive been so wicked so un aw fill wicked I 1 jehiel and hannah jane were steady of head licad and strong of heart find and joy it Is eald never kills otherwise the th results of that sudden apparition in the tha sitting room door doorway tray might blight have been disastrous As it was a wonderfully happy family party gathered gatli ered around the table an hour later and as jehiel led a teemu lous ciny haired woman to the seat ol of honor lie looked into tier her shining eyet eyed and whispered dear old in mu nisey now that weve found tit th way home again I 1 reckon well be ai every yom donl you your |