Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-10-05
A FAR.AWAY MELODY.

A RAR-AWAY MELODY.
The clothcs.linc was wound securely
around the trunks If four gnarlcd.
crooked Old applc.trccs which stood
promiscudnslyabout The yard back Of
the cottage. II was notwithstanding
time, but these were too aged and sap
less To blossom IT ely. AMI there was
only n white Dough h.'re and there shak-
ing itself trumphantly from amongst
tho rT which had only their pew green
lQaNcs.t Their was brpnch uccasiOn-
ely which lmd MT even these. but
picrccd the tender grccn and the nossy
white In hard gray nakedness. All over
the yard The grass was young and green
and short. and had not Vet gotten any
fcatlreryi heads. Once in while there
was "a dIhdelion set closely down
amonSstit. ....-.
The cuttagc wa low. of dark red
color, with white facings around the
Window, Which had no blinds, only
green paper curtains.
The back door was i'm the center of
The house. and opened directly into the
green ward. with hardly prctensc of u
stcls only q Tat oval stone before il.
Through this door, stepping cautious
" ON the stone. came presently two tall
lank women Ia choculato-culored calico
gowns, with u basket Of clothes be-
tween them. They set the basket IN
dCrncath the line Ou the grass. with n
Htlc clothes pin hug beside IL. and then
proceeded mcth. Ideally Ia hang out the
clothes. Everything 1T Kind went to-
Rctiicr. and the best things ON the out
side Tine, which could be- seen from the
strrrt in front II The cottage.
lie two women were Curiuusly alike.
They wcrr about the anne height. aud
moved in The same way. Even their
iaccs were 50 similar In feature aud cN-
prr~siol ID nlight have bcen a diff
llcuIt matter 20 distinguish between
them. All the difference. AMI that
would have been scarcely apparent ~
an ordinary observer. was "a difference
II degree, IL IL might bc 30 expressed
I'm oiIu face the features were both Ioid-
cr mi sharper IN outline. the eyes were
q tran" larger and brighter. and the
Whoic rNprr- sion more animated and
decided than IN the other.
unr woman -calty drab hair was "A
shade darker than thc others. and the
negative fairness IT complexion. which
generally accompanies drab hair. was
In one relieved by aslight tingc Of warm
red ON the cheeks.
Ih'-- slightly intensified woman had
been commonly considered the more At
tractivc Of the two. although i'm reality
There was very little 10 choose b,awcen
The prrsunal appearance Of these twin
siarrs Priscilla and Marx Brown. T'hey
movod about tie clothos-linc. pinning
the'swe,f white Hucn on sccureIy their
thick whitc-stockiugcd ankles showing
beneath their limp calicOcs rs they
slcpp9g aud their large feet iu cloth
slippcR tlaitcniug down the short green
gras.f 1hcir sleeves were rollsd mn.
displaying their long, thin. muscular
arms; Which were sharply pointed at
The elbows.
They wGTr hon,cly women: they were
iilty aud oyerh1,w but ticv never could
have been pretty In their teens. their
features were too irrcdrcuahlv irreo,l-
lnrfor that No Youthful freshness of
Son ptexion or cNprc sion could ever
nav possibly lone away with the i'm
preston that they gave. Their plain
n'ss hau probably only boon enhanced
by the contrast, AMI these women TO
people generally seemed better looking
than when they wcT, young. There
was "a Honesty and patience in both
ieceS thet showed ali the palmer for
thcfr humcliucss. ~
Ono, the sister with the darker hair
moved liitld quicker dian the other
and hftcd thc WET Clothes from thS
basket to the line moro frequently. She
was the iirsttp spcttk. too. after they
had been haueipg out the clothes for
solne llttlc time IN silence. Slle. sto,,ned
as sue did 80. with wet pillow-cass in
h'r nand' diooko'l MP rcilcctiycly at
the lowering applct boughs overhead.
anu tn' blue sky showing between.
while roe Swvct spring wind rufilcd.her
scahty hair littlo. 81 4 90 ll
wonder. Mary said shr--..if
mornE Ike me. saw bsSf 70 qo' S'1 bI'
llevcthervB gpple branches E..laugin'
ovaf them walls nnde out Of precious
stones. hkc th~e. only there aim. any
ucad limbs among 'cm, an' they're ali
covered thick With. ti6wcrtp An, I
wonder II II would SCUM such al awful
change tO 80 from This air into the mir
Oi the New JrrusalcHf.N Just then a
robin hil,len somewhere I'm the trees
began To sing. s'pOsc." she went
on, 'Fhat fhcrc's angels instead of
robins. though. AMI they don't roust rip
In trces 20 sing. but stand On the
ground, with lilies CROWN round thcir
feet, may be. up To their knees, or ON
tho gold stones in the street. an play
ON their harps TO 20 with the singin' y
The other safer gave q scared. awed
look no her. 4" Lor. don't talk that
way, sister," said she. What has
got into you lately? You. MAKE mo
crawl all over, talkin' 40 much about
dyin'. You feel wei. don't vouP''
Lor. yea replied the other. laugh
ing, and picking UP q clothos-pin for
her pillow-casC; II feel we'll enough.
an, ! don't know what has got me 10
talkin' so much about dyin lately. or
thinkin about n. guess IFS the spring
Weather. P'r'aps flowers CROWN make
anybody think AZ wings sprobtin'
kinder materially. won't ,alk so much
! about ~ II bothers you. an i don't
-'.A,A.As -hnh iissortcr material n should.
Did you get the potatoes before we
came out sister2"-with an awkward
anu kindly effort 10 change the subject
Nc" replied the other. stoooing
over the cl0thes-basket There was
such a film Of tears In her duu blne
eyes that she could not distinouis hone
article from another. =
wen, 1 guess you had better 90 in
an get en- then; they amt worth anv-
'ning' 'nis Tune Of year. unless they