The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-10-03
WHO Is MY NEIGHBOR?
BY ANNIE A. PRESTON.

|
Is it possible they are for me?" I ex-
claimed, to tiny, brown-eyed girl who
placed fragrant bouquet of the gold
and purple dewey blooms in hammock
i'm which I was idly swinging under the
big maple.
ssAuntie Lee sent them," said the lit
tie child, 'sand she hopes the mountain
air will soon make you well, and she's
your neighbor down under the hill.
s'Who is this neighborly Auntie Lee?"
asked the woman with whom board |
ed, when next day she came within hear
ing of my voice.
"Oh, then, she's sent you some |
sposies?" replied the talkative Mrs. Evans,
coming briskly from the garden and sit
ting down on the steps OF the little porch
SO that she might entertain me while she
was shelling the peas, thus s'ki1ling tew
birds with one stun, - as she said. 81 was
a-wonderin' not tew minutes ago how
long 'twould be afore she'd find out
about ye an send ye suthin'. can't see,
for NV part, how she can afford to do as
she does"
sWhy. what does she do?" asked.
ssOh, she says she aims to be neighbor-
1y, and if anybody happens to be sick
anywhere around she sends 'em little
things to eat and flowers to cheer 'em up,
as she says, and she always has her knit
ting work in her pocket, and her odd
jobs of knitting, as she calls it, grows out
like magic into gloves and mittens and
wristlets. and stockin's that she gives
away"
s'To her friends-people fully able to
buy them, I suppose?"
"Oh dear, no. To poor children and
to ole men and women that I s'pose are
really needy, and that set great store by
her warm and handsome presents, for
her yarns are as bright as her flowers,
and I've told my man a good many times
that the color went half toward maxim
her little gift so welcome. An then she
has so much comp'ny."
erich people from the city. whose Wis
its she returns?"
'tOh land sakes! no; poor folks that are
tickled almost to death to get an invita-
ton to her pleasant little home. Yes,
her home is an amazin pleasant one,
though her man is only poor mechanic.
She's always sayin' that she'd rather do
little good every day as she goes along
than to be a-waitin' tew do some great
thing when she gets able, an then, per-
haps, lose her opportunity and never do
nothin'. I told her one day last year,
says I, Miss Lee, I should ruther be
putin somethin' in the bank for a rainy
day than be givin sway all the time
And says she, Mrs. Evings, that's your
way, and it's good way. don't ind
no fault with it, but all these things that
I give away would never get into the
bank, and so you see they'd be lost, an
should pass away without ever doin' any
to go to bed at night without thinkin'
that have tried that day to brighten
some fellow-mortal's burden, brought a
smile to some face or streak o'ssunshine
to some heart, if its only givin' bunch
O. posies in the right speret.
''And those flowers cost her good
deal, at first and last, suppose?" said ]
,aressing my pansies.
"Oh, 'twould cost me a good deal to
run such garden as she does, but Miss
Lee says she's not stong, SO she gets
fresh air, sun baths and exercise in her
garden and spends her time workin' in
there instead of visitin. She returns all
her calls by sendin' her compliments
with bunch O. posies."
'tShe hires some one to carry them
about, I presume?"
''Massy, no. There isn't child in
the village but would run it's legs off fo1
Auntie Lee," and having finished shell
ing her mess of peas, my talkative little
hostess trotted off about their work again
saying, as she disappeared through the
doorway
'sIts well enough to be neighborly
of course; but Miss Lee might see the
time when she'd wished she had a little
somethin' out at interest"
The Vermont air agreed with me, my
health gradually improving, and I staid
On and on, week after week spending 6
part of my time, when the weather die
not positively forbid, in my hammock
under the naples.
Asyet had not once seen my neigh
Dor, Auntie Lee, but grew to love her or
account of the pretty nosegays that con
tinually found their way from her han6
to mine by one and another of her child
rem messengers.
One night, late in August, there was
heavy thunder-shower. The sudde1
downfall of rain swelled the little rive1
that skirted our village to veritablt
mountain torrent. A milldam some
miles up the stream had broken away
and the angry food came rushing down
sweeping all before it.
s'Auntie Lees husbands shop is gone,
shouted my hostess, Mrs. Evans, as sh,
knocked at my door in the early morning
after the storm; ssand that's not the wors
ont, for her garden is all washed ou
and undermined, so that'l take pretty
pile O. money to fix it up again. won
der now eff Miss Lee don't wish sh
hadn't been SO neighborly, and so had
little somethin' out at interest,"" and j
really seemed to me as if the little WON
an was chuckling to herself as she pate,
down the stairs.
In less than half an hour she cam