The last I saw of Julia Templeton, that hard-favoured woman, she was
standing, an angular figure, in the midst of the wreck of the luncheon
dishes, one arm wrapped in her apron, the other hand shading her eyes
while she watched the company, in wagons and automobiles, trailing away
to the westward, and the towns....

The sale was over; but the most valuable antiques of all found no
purchasers: they were left behind with Julia Templeton: only she could
use them.



CHAPTER XII


A WOMAN OF FORTY-FIVE

We have an Astonishing Woman in this community. She acts in a way that
no one expects, and while we are intensely interested in everything she
does, and desire to know about it to the uttermost detail, we are
inclined to speak of her in bated breath.

Some Woman to Talk About in a country neighbourhood is a kind of public
necessity. She fills one of the stated functions like the town assessor,
or the president of the Dorcas Society; and if ever the office falls
vacant we have immediate resort to one of those silent elections at
which we choose our town celebrities. There are usually several
candidates, and the campaign is accompanied by much heated argument and
exemplification. We have our staunch party men and our irresponsible
independents on whom you can never put your finger; and if we are