THE HOUSE OF HAPFY HOURS 



21 



"IT WAS A VERY LOVELY GARDEN SCENE" 



quisite life the world had ever known was 

 the barest of environment, except such as 

 his influence and personality created. 



Mr. Waring at once plunged heart and 

 soul into the establishing of a business, 

 and, at his wife's request, left the choos- 

 ing of a home entirely in her hands. After 

 they had been in ^Yimbledon but a short 

 while she came by the office one evening, 

 and asked him, in a significant tone, to go 

 home with her and the children. Her eyes 

 were bright, and the weary little droop 

 quite gone from the corners of her mouth. 



"Why, I did not know that you had 

 found one yet !" he exclaimed. 



"We've kept it for a surprise for you, 

 father !" cried little Anita, dancing up and 

 down before him, and then she clung to his 

 hand as they went out, and the boys raced 

 ahead with baby sister between them. 



They soon came to a small cottage on 

 the outskirts of the town, separated widely 

 from other houses. Tw^o great oaks shaded 

 the little veranda, and the mocking-birds 

 were singing their vespers in their spread- 



ing boughs. It was the same ripple and 

 trill which had fallen on their ears that 

 last evening, and husband and wife, re- 

 membering, sought each other's eyes. 



"The birds have named it for us, Gril- 

 bert," she said, gently and gravely. "This 

 is the new "^House of Happy Hours.' " 



"Can you really feel so, Edna?" he 

 asked, eagerly, and at the note in his voice 

 and the brightening of his face Mrs. War- 

 ing realized afresh that his happiness and 

 even his success depended largely on her 

 own cheeriness, and as she unlocked the 

 door she thanked the Divine Providence 

 which had made it impossible for her to 

 desert on the eve of battle. 



"It looks all mightly little bit !" com- 

 mented small 'Ned, as they all went to- 

 gether from room to room. He was twelve, 

 and beginning to "take notice" very 

 acutel}^ He had helped his mother 

 bravely, but all the while protesting in- 

 wardly against the plainness of all as 

 compared with the other home. 



(To he continued.) 



