Arizona weekly citizen., 1881-11-13
Blsek-Eyed Peas.

| apron vlclOusiy, and with her nose t1ltet decidedly upward, and her eyebrow ' drawn decidedly forward, she looked ; ! perfect vixen, as she scOwled and sulkeC at the great clothes-basket before her brimful of " black-eyed peas, unshelled
 the long dry pods twisted and tangled ! together, looking very hard and Obsti nate and discouraging. indeed. l won't shell 'em-I won't sbell Onep vowed Clover, putting out her little foot and GiAlng the basket a kick clear under the kitchen table
 "CIpver Fleetwood, you will. You'll shell the last oner'
 ClOver's aunt was thin and limp. and languid of motion, but very determined withal, and now she shut her mouth like a steel-trap, and pointed an uncomprO- misIng finger at the peas, after which she trailed her limp skirt out to the back yard, where a big. black kettle of soap was bubbling.
 And sulky little Clover, left alone, confronted by the terrible peas, bit big hole in the corner of her apron, and kicked the basket over on its slde, and stamped her foot, and bit her lip, and finally got a tin pan and chair and began the hOpeless-lOOking task with impatient, savage little fingers.
 Poor Clover was only seventeen, not wise, not prepared for the hard phases of life, not even the small, unpleasant tasks by the strength and patience and faith that must come sooner or later, especially with tender, cousiderate guidance But at present, with the good yet undevelOped, and all the little sharp points of temper and cOntrariness rub bed up the wrong way, with little, half unconscious and unsatistied longlngs for help to grow upward into brighter and better atmosphere than she knew, and with an admixture of real faults, Clover often appeared a decided little vixen.
 There was one who, she felt instinct lvely could help her if he wOUld-the gentleman who boarded at her aunt's and who possessed the broad hberahty and sympathy Of a truly wise and holy nature. BIt be spent the greater part of his time in his own room, writing treaties on entomology.
 e He cares a heap more for bugs than he does for me. said Clover disContent- edly. IT he ever looks at me at all 1t IS in a way as if he was thinking I won- der what kind of an insect that is2 Is 1t new sPecimenY l hope he won't take notion, some time, tO send me to the State entOmologist in a bottle"
 Just now, these dreadful black-eyed pens were almost too much for Clover. The shells of some were tough, and re- fused tO open, and some were stiff and brittle and snapped open unexpectedly, and the peas flew all around the room. Her fingers were sore and her shoulders ached.
 IL was late in the afternoon; her aunt was busy emptying her soft-soap into stone jars, and carrying 1t tO the smoke house. 1t was sO hard to resume the tiresome shelling, that at last a dark temptation assailed Clover. The basket was yet half-full of the dreadful things, and there, just few feet away, was big, empty fireplace, with tirebOard before it. Now, it could very easily swallow mp all these peas, without injur- ing it's digestion in the least; and these shelied peas, put away in the attic, in the big bag with the rest, could tell no tales. 1T the Unshelled peas were at last discovered, she would at any rate have respite.
 W lht IS llc cullu up 10!
 Mr. Clarendon stood in the doorway, viewing, with curious amusement. Miss Cl0yer's performance of dumping a great heap oT ruStIng peapods in between the two big andirOns. She banged the fire board up into its place with a spiteful, defiant little motion, and then gazsd at the interviewer with unhinching eyes, although the blood was in her cheeks.
 I'm hiding 'em, so l won't have to shell 'em," she said That's what I'm up to-"
 But, dear Miss Clover" he began, half-puzzled.
 "You needn't lecture me-" she broke in. ''I won't touch one of them, not if you tell Aunt Beth, nOw."
 "I wouldn't think of telling Aunt Beth" he answered. II only appeal to you. Does your conscience approve"
 Glover looked at him sulkily from un- der her fringy. fia1en topnot.
 Maybe, if your fingers were sore and your shoulders were lame, and you de- tested the sight of black-eyed peas as do, you would not ask the advice of your conscience, either she said, with faint tremor in her voice.
 He smiled, but it was a gentle, plying smile.
 Poor httle-' perhaps he was going to say "Insect;' but limp calico dress, with a limp woman inside of it, came languidly mp the steps and dropped into a chair as if they had suddenly melted together at that point
 "Clover." spoke her aunt, in a voice which was in violent contrast to her manner, If you've got them everlasting peas ont of the way at last, you better get that coffee a-rOasting.'
 For once, NIT. Clarendon was guilty of a great nonsense in the very first sen- -erra to his treatise, for he wrote:
 -'ilis new specimen k poor, over worked, simple, foolish, darling little duace."
 Whatever Clover pretended, the black eyed peas, hidden behind the fire-board, grew to be something of burden. She knew it would have been better for her had she gone through with the task, in- stead of shifting the burden from her hands to her conscience. But she would not acknowledge it; and when she found Mir. Clarendon regarding her with seri- Ous eyes, she grew defiant, and, taking a streak of reckless inconsistency, blamed him for it, and nerves and temper to- gether led her to q climax of bad behay- for, including the sins of kindling the fire with his treatises and glueing his specimens, upside down, upon the lid of a band-bOI, that might have made him believe in her total depravity had his in- sight been less penetrating and kindly than it was.
 Retribution came at last, though not at his hands.
 There was company at dinner. one day "a gentleman who had come down to buy some land of ClOver's uncle, and was going to build thereon. Clover re- fused to appear at dinner, because she would not be at the trouble of making herself presentable.
 She had taken her station at the kitch- eu table, just before the open dining room door, where she could hear the conversation and enjoy a little lunch all to herself at the same time.
 4 sentence from her uncle suddenly startled her;
 Just come out here. You can see the best site you'll have for a building spot square from the kitcbs r."
 And there was a sOundO Oi showing back chairs and of footsteps.
 Clover's dress was torn and her apron showed indications of an acquaintance with the sooty wash kettle. Her fla1en coil was escaping from the cont. and armed with the iron kitchen spoon with which, I am sorry to say-fOr II is very unromantic-sh had been eating rice pudding out of yellow earthen dish.
 She could not make her escape out of the kitchen-dOOr, because the dining room door commanded a full view O. t, and she would be detected by the in- vaders; vet it would not do to be found thus.
 Again the big fireplace came to the rescue, and in flash Clover was behind the board and among the black-eyed peas.