Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1877-11-24

y
scribe to the B. family, she knew tn
Phebe Ann; she was an old maid, to-
but not bit like the Green Mountai
one.
She was over forty years of age whe
she came from the east. with her oil
: and feeble parents to settle near friend
in a little, kind, quarrelsome, gossip
western village. With all the busy pry
ing and poking, nobody knew VIII
Phebe Ann had never changed be
name. To be sure she was sallow an,
sharp featured, and angular, but Their
was picture in the parlor that told whel
she was young and charming. 1t wa
hard to realize it, for she always ha,
the same set look on her face, and di,
her thin, silver-streaked hair i'm tn,
same tight twist, with a stingy littl,
comb atop of it. One old philosopher
said he had seen her face change to tn,
beauty of an angel, when she was hand
ing cookies through the fence to hungry
street urchins (she always made the
cookies for the churce picnics, etc., anG
they were the incest in the world). She
was an unbending Presbyterian. Like
Hannah mending shoes" she always
sat by the same window, doing patch
work, or family work. The time came
when there was funeral in the house,
then another, and after that Phebe Ann
lived alone
One mild May afternoon, when the
earth was moist and warm, and the air
redolent with the perfume of new leaf
and opening bud. the dearest friend of
your humble scribe-the one she wrote
criss-cross letters to when she was
.'away to school," and vowed to love
for ever and ever-came in quietly for
her, upset basket of stocking-darning
rocked against the window, and said
1--WE must go and sit up with Phebe
Ann tonight. She is sick and wants
us; ma said So"
In those roseate DAYS to have sat I'D
with Gloria for a week upon the slight
est provocation would have been rap
ture.
Gloria bought stack of Ledgers-
we were reading "Self-NIade" and
were deeply in love with Ishmael-and
with cordials and kind messages the
watchers turned down back Streets"
as villagers say, just as the house lights
were twinkling Ike stars in the win
dows. Phebe Ann didn't look much
sick: there was the same prim smile that
the lips to stretch just so far
and no further. After all, Gloria said,
her eyes didn't look natural and she was
afraid to stay without Mrs. Mills or
somebody. Her friend said "pooh,"
and arranged the pillows and laid the |
palm of her hand against the sick wom-
ms cheek, professionalism, to see if |
he had fever.
The roosters were exchanging mid
light salutations; the wind blew fu-
iously and the bough of a sprawling
,each tree tapped against the window
ike the fingers of a speculative ghost.
iloria sat in an old ancient rocking
hair, cushioned with banana-trees and
curtain calico. She
poke in awed whispers and looked too
cared to stir. Some way, Ishmael had
Dst all his charms; if he sank into
the depths,'' who cared? AH
"Girls," called Phebe Ann, softly,
nd motion and speech came back. h
II have had good sleep and nice ,
ream, and now won't you bring that !
air trunk out of the closet and put it
n the floor before my bed?"
SIS she crazy?' asked Gloria, in {
'agic whisper, as the two went stum- /
ling over each other into the darkness
the deep closet. u
" There; open it and take every thing I
ut clear TO the bottom; unfold that v
men sheet, l want to tell you now, Q
lille l can, about it, a
A creamy white silk gown, with low t
eek and lace sleeves, was shaken out;
bouquet was pinned to the bosom of
e dress-it was only the dust of roses. O