American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-06-24
A TRUE STORY.
BIZ ROSE TERRY COOKE.

By ROSE TERRY COOKE.
Mrs. Magus was Judge Magus's wife
and she lived in Hockanum. Hockanun
was little village, but Mrs. Magus was
a large woman. She was portly and
fair, with fresh color, big blue-gray
eyes, nose always held high up in the
air, and large mouth, that opened and
shut with snap. She Thought she
knew more than any body else in
Hockanum, and perhaps she did, but
the people did not like her any the bet
ter for that. Besides having this good
opinion of herself, she was a very de-
cided woman, and despised every body
who did not know certainly what they
meant to do, or what they had done, or
what they ought to do.
81 hate people who have no decis-
ion," she used to say. "When know
q thing 1 knowit; and 1 don't go doubt
ing and guessing about. It's too shift
less for any thing"
One day Mrs. Magus found there was
q swelling coming on the back of her
left hand. 1t panied her a little, and
troubled her more.
MY DEAR" she said to the Judge
her misunderstanding very loudly, and
startling that worthy man so that he
dropped the knife from his mouth just
as it was conveying thither large
bit of fried pork" My dear, my mind
is made up. 1 am sure this thing on
my hand is a weeping sinew, and am
going into the city on the FIRST train to-
morrow to show it to DIR. BRETT
"very wen, very well. 1 think
would, - mumbled the Judge, who had
by this time recovered his pork, and
added to it piece of potato.
81 know I shall, - tartly replied the
lady. and the Judge said no more.
Why should he? Mrs. Magus did as
she pleased in that house.
So the next morning, with big bum
die in her arms, full of sundry things
to be matched, dyed, or exchanged
for Mrs. Magus always had plenty of
errands into the city-this good lady
WIN ACA way W INC StdtiOu, III the
Judges pretty sleigh.
She looked very fine, indeed, with her
velvet cloak and hat, her long black
plume, her seal-skin tippet and muff,
and her dark blue silk gown. Highly
respectable all her dress was, and the
fresh. frosty air gave her bright color.
She put her big bundle beside her on
the car-seat, and very soon found her
self in the city.
She decided to do her errands first.
So the Judges vest was left at the clean
er's, and her old blanket shawl at the
dyer's, to be blackened for the Widow
Hodge, who had no shawl at all (for
Mrs. Magus was a benevolent woman,
as far as food and clothing went). Then
she took some shoes to exchange, and
bought herself q new morning dress.
By this time it was ~ O'Clock, and
she knew DIR. Brett's office opened at
IL; so she hurried ON to Peter Street.
The Doctor was busy just then,
the pretty Irish girl who opened
the door said, but if she would
walk into the waiting-room, he would
soon be at liberty. So
Mrs. Magus, a little vexed at being
late, went in, and met in the parlor,
where patients took their turn, an old
acquaintance, Mrs. Basil, who lived in
the very extreme end of the city, and
had come to ask the Doctor about her
dreadful headaches. Shewas very glad
to see Mrs Magus, and chartered like q
blackbird, but had to hurry away and
do some shopping, after which she
would come back, she sale, see the Doc
tor about her ailments, and perhaps
meet Mrs. Magus again.
Pretty soon the up stairs patient left,
and Mrs. Magus had her turn. The
Doctor examined her hand, prescribed
for it, showed her how to bandage il
properly, and set q day to see he1
again. Much relieved, the good lady
put on her other glove, and rose to go,
looking about for her muff, now more
than ever needful to hide the bandaged
hand, which no glove could go on.
But no muf was to be found.
"I must have left it in one of the
stores," said Mrs. Magus, and off she
went to look for it, tying up her hand in
q little scarf, which happily she had
bought for her cook at a cheap store on
her way from the train. It was an ug.
ly red and yellow thing, and disturbed
Mrs. Magus very much, as it showed
against her black velvet cloak. So she
was quite sharp at all the stores where
she went to find her muff But though
she used great plainness of speech with
clerks and masters both, yet no one had
seen the lost muff.
Very red in the face was Mrs. Magus
when she found herself at DIR. Brett's
door again.
"Did you find the muff left hereP''
she said, sharply, to pretty Norah, who
answered the bell.
Norah blushed to the roots of her
dark hair. She was frightened at the
sharp look and tone, for she was only
just come from Ireland, and was home
sick and lonely enough.
No, mann, didn't see any thing at
ALL
Mrs. Magus glanced at her with her
hard gray eyes, and pushed on into the
parlor. There was Mrs. Basil, just
come down, and the Doctor with her,