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


"Well. pr APPS I'd better" the other
woman replied. staightening herself up
from the clOthes-basket Then she
went into the house without another
word; but down in the deep cellar, q
minute later, she sobbed over the pota-
To barrel rs If her heart would break.
Her sisters remarks had filed her with
n vague apprehension and grief which
she could not throw of. And there was
something n little singular about it.
Both these women had ALWAYS been Of
deeply religions cast Of mind. They
had studied the Bible faithfully. If not
undgrstandingly, and their religion had
strongly tiucturcd their daily life They
knew almost as much about the Old
Testament prophets as they did about
their ncighbOrs; and that was saving a
good deal Of two. single women in a
New England country town. Still this
religion. element in their natures could
hardly have been termed spirituality.
IL deviatcd from that as much rs any
thing of religion-which is in one wsy
spirituality itself-could.
Both sisters were eminently practical
in all affairs Of life. down To their very
dreams, and Priscilla especially so.
She had dealt in religion with the bare
facts of s'n and repentance, future pun
ishiuent and reward. She had dwclt
very little. probably. upon the poetic
\ splendors Of the Eternal City, and
talked about them still less. Indeed.
she hal always been rcticent about her
/ religious convictions. and had said very
little about them even to her sister.
lhe two women. with God in their
thoughts every moment. seldom had
! spoken Ills name Co each other. For
| Priscilla to talk in the strain that she
had to-day, and for u week or two pre-
viOilS, oil 'ud ON, was, from It's extreme
/ deviation from her usual custom. GER
tainly startling. E...
Poor Mary. sObbing over the potato
barre. thought il was sign of APP
pruach.ng dca.h. She had few super
stitious-likc graft, upon her practical,
commonplace character.
She wiped her eyes finally. and went
upstairs with her tin basin of potatoes,
which We're carefully Nvaslrcd and put TO
soak by the time her sister came In with
the empty basket.
Az twelve exactly the two sat down
TO dinner i'm the clean kitchen, which
was one OF the two rooms the cottage
bOasted The narrow entry ran from
the front door t. the back. On one side
was the Kitchen and liying-room: on the
other therOO where the sisters slept.
There were two small unfinished lofts
overhead, reached by stcp-la lder
through a little scuttlc i'm the cntry cell
ing, anil that was all besides. The sis
tiers had earned the cottage AMI paid
for il years before by work NJ a tail
dresses. They had quite snug sum i'm
thcibank besides. which they had saved
out OF their hard EARNINGS. There was
no nccI for Priscilla and Mary o. work
so hard. people said; but work hard they
did, amt work harl they would rs lony
rs they livcd The mere habit of work
had become rs necessary To them rs
breathing.
just u, soon as they had finished their
neal aud cleared away the dishes they
put on some clean starched purple
prints. which were their afternoon
dresses, AMI seated themselves nj the
two front windows with their work: the
house faced southwest. so the sunlight
STRAINED through both. IL was very
wa ui day for the sea on. and the win
dnws were open IN the yarl outside
great ciumpi IF lilac bushes stood close
To both They grew on the other side
OF the front door. too: n Iittlc later thc
low cottage would look half buried in
them. The shadows of their leaves
made dancing network over the
freshly washed yellow floor
The two sisters sat there ard scwed
ON some coarse vests all The afternoon.
Neither made remark often. The
room, with its glossy little cooking
stove. its cight-day clock on the mantel.
its chintz-cushiOnej rOck.ng-chairs. and
the dancing shadows of the lila. leaves
on It's yellow floor, looked pleasant and
peaceful.
just before six o'clock q ncirhbor
dropped in with her cream pitcher to
borrow some milk for tea, and she sat
down for a minutes chat after she had
got it filled. They had ecu talking n
/ few moments on ncighborhood toplcs.
when all of sudden Priscilla let her
work fall and raised her hand. 'IIush"'
whispered she.
The other two stopped talking. and
listened. staring ut her wonderinrlv.
but they could hear nothing.
Z" What is il, Miss PriscilaP'' asked
the neighb'T. with. round blue ewes.
She was a pretty young thing. who had
not been married long.
{" Hush! Don't speak. Don't YOU hear
that beautiful .musicp'' Her ear was
inclined toward the open window. her
hand still raised warningly, and her
eyes fixed on the opposite wan beyond
/ them.
Mary turned visibly paler than her
usul dull palcncss, add shuddercd. IL
] don hear any music" she said. .'Do
you. Miss Moorc?''
- Moo replied the caller. her
simple little face beginning to put on a
/ scared look, from n vague sense OF n
mystery she could not fathom.
Mary hrown rose AMI went to the
door. and lookcdcagcrly up and down
the street. There ain no organ-man
IN Sight anywhcre. said she. return
/ lng, ian | can't hear any music. an
Miss Moore can't, an we ~ both sharp
enough o hcarin'. You're jist imagin-
in il, Sister"
" never imagined anything in nv
lie, returned the other. LAM il amt
| likely m goin' 10 begin now. It's the
bcautiiuleSt mIgic. II comes from over
the orchard there. Curt YOU hear itp
! But iLsccms. 10 me fits growin' a lltlc
fainter like now. Irguess it's moyin'
of. perhaps ff-e-'
Mary Brown set her lips hard. The
grief and anxiety She had felt lately
turned suddenly to unreasoning anger
against the cause of IL; through her
very love she fired with quick wrath AT
| the beloved object. Still she did not
say much. only; II 4gbess 10 must be
moyin' off. with n laugh, which had
an unplcasaut ring in il. If4fFE
After the noighbor had gone. howcv-
or. she said NOR. standing before ber
sister with her arms folded sauarely
across her bosom. (" Now. Priscilla
/ Brown, " she cXclaiu,ed 81 tl;nl- g.