The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1882-11-04

was an old clock in the corner, an IRON
ing-table, a small cook-stove, the neces-
sary cooking utensils, and little else
save that in what would have been the
chimney-corner but for the ugly stove
sat very old woman. She was not
knitting; she was looking straight before
herand she took no notice ofour entrance
1--WE don't hardly ever use that knock.
er," went on our hostess, who seemed
really rather pleased to see us. "There
don't anybody hardly ever go to the
| front door, anyway. It's SO much hand
Ter to come right round here"
"Can we have glass of water" ask
ed, meekly; sits SO warm driving"
AS a matter of fact If was not very
warm driving, but neither of us thought
OF that. As she hustled off to draw the
water for us at the we'll, Dot said, with
an air of malevolent triumph:
II knew you would have to come To
it; was sure you couldn't think ofany
thing else. and drinks Of waterare always
! III order"
Like to have you set awhile" was
| the hospitable invitation extended to us.
Law sakes! no, you amt keepin' me
| from anythin! All chores are done long
| ago. Been workin' on this carpet more
! for suthin' to do"
That is your mother, suppose" said
Dot, respectfully designating the old lady
| in the corner.
mo, she's my grandmother. She's
eighty seven now. She's done a power
| of knitting in her time-'most always see
her with ball of yarn-but she amt
touched it now in over a week. She
can't hear we, nor me either-she's deaf
as an adder. You have to holler to make
her hear anythin', but hollerin' amt
done it lately. She's been just as you
see her now, hardly movin' sence week
| ago."
But aren't you anxious about herf"
| inquired Dot.
"No. Grandmother'll come round
pretty soon. It's nothln' but kind of a
shock she's had. She was always easy
| upset, grandmother was, sence she was
| a girl, and she never wanted anybody to
| take notice of her, and she always come
round. She was kind of shook up this
time, guess"
"Was this shock anything like paraly-
sis2" asked Dot, sympathizingly.
mo; twas suthin' she read ont of
newspaper, and it seemed to strike her
all of heap Just like that"
Dat and maintained discreet ST.
lence, but our curiosity was overwhelm-
ing.
"Cur'us, too, should strike her that
way. P'r'aps ye'd like to hear the
storyp"
1--WE should very much if yon wouldn't
mind tellin' us.
Law, mol 1 wouldn't mind tellin
ye, and grandmother wouldn't
mind hevin' me- Itain't much
of story, but it's sort of curious the
way it come out. / heard the first part
of it from my mother, and it's sort of a
pity she couldn't have known the endin'
of it. Wa'al, when grandmother was a
young woman-hev to begin quite spell
back, you see-she was handsome, they
said, as any picter you'd want to see,
and she had sight Of young men arter
her. She was pretty good friends with
,em all, | guess, and warn't in no partic'-
lar hurry bout pickin' any Oh EN- out.
Law sakes! why should she be- Ham
some and smartand run arter, no wonder
she want in no hurry!" And her
granddaughter sighed q little enviously;
and very likely had no such wide field
fol selection.
"There come time when she didn't
seem to wait no longer, though, and the
man she picked s'prised her folks and
most every body else. Likely enough
young Teller too, l guess, but he didn't
seem to be that much better than any
ofthe rest. He was real good lookin.'
and sort of capable too, and seemed
dretful fond of grandmother; bnt he
warn t-wa'al he warn't forehanded,
and didn't seem to be depended on
somehow; he'd never failed anybody as
| know on, but he seemed sorter on
settled. He warnt raised round here,
but he'd come hereto live without any
of his folks comm with him, and he was
always pleasant-spoken, and folks liked
him we'll senough-but after all they
was s'prised. But grandmother she set
great store by him, and after they'd
kept company for while they set the
dav for the weddin'."
It was very strange for us two girls to
be sitting here in this old-fashioned
kitchen. looking at this old silver-haired
silent looking woman, and listening to
the story. of her young romance, while
she sat by unhearing and unheeding
what was once the breath and be auty oil
her life.
"'Twas goin' to be quite weddin"
went on the practical woman before US.
who had taken up the rag carpet again:
and worked as she talked, while the
old clock licked away the minutes just
| as it had licked away the swift moments
of that courtship, when, in this very
| kitchen probably, those two figures Of
| the dim past were keeping company.
En- PEASANT, we would like to ask how il
Is that the temptation to me ralize about
clock is Irresistible. 'fQuite weddin'
as weddin's went then, and grandmoth-
er had new dress sentsaown from Bid
| deford, and there warrl't no end to the
homespun linen and things, and she was
dretful sot up about it all-seemed as
If nobody ever been married before.
Wa'al, the night before the weddin' day
he was here settin' in this kitchen and
talkIn' to her just the same as ever, bout
what was comm and long toward nine
he got up and said he guessed he'd be
gojn' along. "There warn't nothin' out
of the way with him that anybody could
remember, and | don't morn half be-
lieve there was then. .Wa'al, anyway,
and she's been like you. see her now
ever sence." Er
So that was the end of 1t. From twen-
tv to eightv-seven-what q lifetime!-
and then randmother-she'd been very
peart all the mornin'-gDt kind O. white,
and said perhaps suthin, had happened,
and they sent over to the place where
he lived, but he warn't there. It got la
ter and later, and then, they say, grand
mother kinker plucked mp and said she
guessed he warn't comm and took of
her white dress as quietas anythin', and
took cup of bot tea and went to lay
down-she'd been on her feet good
| deal gettln' ready. The only thing any.
| body could remember seem her do out
| of the common was to pitch little
branch of sweet-wiliams she had in her
| hand out of the window; his name was
| William Lucas" W
"And didn't he Gomez" asked Dot and
| I, brea hlessly.
mo, he didn't never come Just as
well he didn't, guess; 4 think he was
| kind of mean-spirited."
''But what was the reason? Was he
killee? What had become of him?"
Law sakes, no! he warn't killed.
| Twas found out he went off in the stage,
and you ken blieve nobody thought o.
runnin' arter him." and she gave little
toss to her head on the part of outraged
| womanhood.
"No, but why, why did he do it.