Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-11-13
MADDY,

SAT 1t again!" muttered Farmer Grant
under his breath. II declare, it does
beat all It's regular hornets nest!
Catch me DING in there nowy''
At that instant the noise broke out
anew, and the fresh young voices sound
ed almost demonia; in the war of words.
Then, after a slight pause, something
seemed to fall or to be thrown against
the wall with great force, and shrill,
feminine voice exclaimed, passionately +:
''Now, suppose you had struck me!'
''Then it would have ended you, that's
all, was the deep bass reply.
Il expect you'll kill me yet" said the
other voice.
II know shall. I've been tempted
to thousand times, and if you-"
The rest Of the sentence was lost, the
speaker seeming to have gone suddenly
into another room, and Farmer Grant
turned away.
II tell you what, mother" he said, as
he entered his own home, and met his
comely, smiling wife, I'm afraid there'll
be sore trouble up to Uran's some day.
Those two children do quarrel so despr.t-
ly."
''Poor things" murmured Mrs. Grant;
they're to be pitied."
! swell, I don know as they exactly
are" said the farmer, hanging up his
straw hat.
"Oh, yes, they are. Just you think of
their bringing up. Their father and mo-
ther were both drunkards, and when they
were alive, there was nothing but vio-
lence and wretchedness at home from
morning till night. Maddy is so pretty,
too, poor child! And Jed has such a
femper. Did you hear what they were
quarrcling 'abont9"
mo; just wanted to get out Of the
way. He said he had been tempted to
kill her thousand tines, and I'm dread
ing foul play there some day.
| 'sShouldn't wonder. If 80, it will he
pretty bad for jed, for the folks around
about here hate him. and would like to
seo him shut up, for the sake of the COM
munity. His influence is terrible, but
poor souls, what better could yon ex-
pect2"
Meantime, tie quarrel ragged fiercely
in the miserable house occupied by Jed
Uran and his sister. Their parents had
been dead three or four years, having
left them for heritage both poverty and
disgrace.
Jed supported himself by doing odd
jobs for the farmers and whoever would
employ him; but his reputation was not
good, and his temper led him into many
difficulties.
The cause Of this dispute, a portion of
which the farmer had heard, was in the
beginning, trlhing one. bIaddy served
milk to few families for farmer Grant,
for MIS-. Grant was almost the only per
sonal friend the poor girl had.
The day before sudden and ter
rible storm had ovcrtakcn Maddy, and
Mrs. Grant had detained her, in consc-
quence till near dark, when Frank Grant,
the farmers oldest son, had happened to
z1cet her on the road and had gone home
with her as far as the gate.
| Now Frank and Jed were mortal enc
mics. When the latter learned this fact
on the following day, through Madey's
lrrepressiblc vanity, that Frank had
walked with Maddy, it reused all the
latent hatred OF his soul, aud he visited
his wrath on his sister in the manner
spoken of Ivy the farmer.
The quarrel had nearly eliminated
N1addy stood in the middle of the floor,
her eyes sparkling and her face the coun-
terpa1t of beautiful fury, returning,
with interest, Jed's irritating language.
At last Jed kicked with great force a
pail that stood in the doorway, and it
flew to the opposite side Of the wall,
bounding up against the window and
crashing some of the lower panes.
Maddy returned the angry act by
hurting broken case-kn1fe at him; and
then seeing him run up stairs, she felt
that she had made him furious. His
pistol was in the room above. For the
first time in her lie a mortal fear over
took her.
Hastily boiling the door through
which he must return, she pulled down
her sleeves, adjusted her dress, snatched
an old sun-bonnet from the wall, caught
up an old tin pail, and promising herself
a day in the woods, berry-pieking, she
sprang through the kitchen into a little
patch OF ground behind the house, and
ran till she had put mile or two be
tween herself and the wretched place
that she called home.
Here she picked berries and sang frag-
ments of merry songs. If now and then
a sense of ng-doing came over her,
she stifled it by harboring evil thoughts
of Jed; but, bye-and-bye, when she sat
down to eat her berries, conscience awak.
ened, and she was led to review her con.
duct.
II needn't "a told him." she muttered
"and wouldn't if l had't wanted tc
make him mad. But what's the use2 II
4 it hadn't been that, it would a. been
somethin' else. Jed and me can't live
like other brothers and sisters. There
amt one mite of love between us, not one
mite.
"But then, he's good sometimes she
added, with contemplative look at bel
stained fingers. "Cos when I was sick: be
WAS pretty kind. Yes. he wac. and I did
not know him, and struck at him !; but he
didn't mind it. I wonder if it is my
lfault7 zss'}. .sr> rts<@s@
i II wish I didn't git mad SO quick, 2
} she said, with sigh. "1'm always
a-wanting to fling it back to him.
4 Not long after, Maddy fell asleep
When she awoke the air was chill and
the sun was going down. In some anxiety
she snatched up her pail, still only hall
Il full Of berries, and started for home.
I But as the twilight came on, with itt
: frightening shadows, she lost the path
In what direction to 60 she did not know
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