The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-01

Stin Patty didn't hear. $50 Miss Pa
thence went to the cellar, brought out
a basket of the pure white, chocolate
colored and speckled eggs, broke the
whites In a big blie platter and dropped
the yelks In a bowl; then, sitting down
by the table, began to pile them up in
white masses by her steady strokes.
Every little while she looked up at
Patty's dreamy face and misty eyes.
@Come, child" she said, at last,
ayou've been there long enough. Beat
up those yelks till they foam. There's
HPatty, took the bowl and wooden
spoon; but she moved languidly and as
if her heart was somewhere else.
why don't you hurry?" Miss Pa
tience said. sharply. "There's your
Uncle Eben coming on the 8 o'clock
train, and Aunt Maria in the morning,
and AL this cooking to be got out of the
way
whats the good of it all, auntiep ?"
Patty asked. S@Don't they get enough to
eat at homer"
Miss Patience redeemed with indig-
nation and dropped her forkin the
midst of the white foam.
sThe land sakest" she exclaimed. 81
guess there never WIS a Bright yyet but
[ hada hSeould eat, and more tooi"
What do they do with the more
too2' Give it away?s Patty asked.
ciously. What are you thinking
about, child?" she said. "Speak it
OUT
EARLY In the morning Patty had gone
6ut On an errand and, while she was
gone, she had seen something which
had stirred her childish soul IS nothing
had ever done before; and ever since
she came home she had been trying to
think of the best way to present a petit
ton to Aunt Patty, and, now that the
opportunity had come of Its own will,
| her heart tfembled and her shirt failed.
But Aunt Patty Was waiting, with her
fork in the air and her eyes on Patty.
So, with her cheeks burning and her
voice tremulous from hope and fear, she
said:
. "Aunt Patty, do you remember the
Brewers? 2"
i""Shiftless setlp she said, setting her
lips very firmly and beating her eggs
more iercely than ever.
" They may be shiftless, aunt; but I
know they're hungry" said Patty, wax
ing holder.
Hungry, in this land 5of plentyi"
seid Aunt Patty, contemptuously. I'D
like to know what put such nonsense in
your head. How did you happen to
see them, anyway"
@IIl tell you all about it" said Patty,
feeling drawer every minute. ct was
going by this morning to tell Mary
Jane to come up in the morning and
pick the turkeys, when Mamie Brewer
knocked on the window and beckoned
to me to come in. And, auntie, If
you'll believe it, she sat in the rocking
chair, whitman old bed-quilt around her
and hardly q speck of fire in the stove.
wanted to putsome wood in; but she
looked SO nervous and said no. Then
she asked me to go-to the closet and
bring her a glass of water. couldn't
help looking around, %auntie; and there
was only half a loaf of bread on a plate,
and the least little scrap of butter in a
broken tea-cup. I took her the water
but I felt every minute as if I should
cry, she looked SO white and hungry.
Then she asked me to go down the
cellar and see If her kitten was there.
1t took me a good while to find the
kitten; and, Aunt Patty, there wasn't
a thing in that cellar to eat, but a few
potatoes and beans and a little piece OF
pork-not one can of fruit or an apple.
[ couldn't say a word to Mamie when ]
came up, I had such a big lump in my
throat. So I just put her kitten in her
lap and ran.I And I couldn't help
thinking, Aunt Patty, that we might
Just as well send them enough to last
EN- a week. And what's Thanksgiving
good for, if you can't make other people
have it, too?"
Patty stopped, trembling and excited
with her long speech, andlooked eagerly
at Aunt Patty.
But, if she expected her to throw
open cellar and pantry doors, and tell
her that all she had was also hers, and to
take what she wanted for Mamie, she
was greatly disappointed.
Aunt Patty did nothing of the kind
She only marched to the cellar with
her platter of snowy foam, and marched
back again with a pan of red apples, and
set them down before Patty.
dIo OH duu buCo CHI, bu0 Sa1Q.
Patty's heart sank way down, and G
great tear dropped of from her eye.
lashes IS she took up the knife and be.
gan to cut off the rosy skins.
Miss Patience saw the tear, but she
didn't say anything, and, if she felt any
thing, she kept it to herself.
All day long she kept Patty flying
When there were no more eggs to bt
beaten or fruit to be picked over, there
was silver to clean, mirrors to brighten
pillows to beat up and pitchers to FL
with fresh water.
But Patty had @bailded better thar
she knew" for, after the last little
cousin had been tucked up in bed, an6
she herself had gone to sleep, tired out
but not too tired and sleepy to have ar
ache in her heart for Mamie, Aunt
Patience sat up alone, grim and silent
before the open fire, thinking, thinking