The Red Cloud chief., 1883-11-02
A FAR-AWAY MELODY

The clothcs-line wa wound securely
around the trunks Of four gnarlrd.
crooked cd apple-trccs which stood
promiscuously about the yard back of
the cottage. In was tr"c-blOS>uminy
time, but these were too aged and sap
less to blossom freely, and there was
only n white bough here aud there .hak-
ing itself iriumphantly from amongst
thc rest. which had only their new green
leaves. There was a branch occa$ion-
ally which had not even these, but
pierced the tcndcr green and the loS>y
white in hard gray n~akcdncss. All over
the yard the gras, Wa young and green
and short. and had not vet gotten any
fcathcry heads. Once in a while there
was a dandclion set closely down
amongst il.
The cottage was low. of n dark red
color. with whit" facings around the
windows. which had no blinds, only
green paper curtains.
The back door was in the center of
the house, and opened directly into the
green yard, with hardly a prctcn,c Of a
step, only a flat oval stone before it.
Through this door. stepping cautious
~ on the stone, came presently W. tall
lank women in chocolatc-colorcd calico
gown with n basket of clothes be-
tween them. They set the basket I'M
dcrnrath the line on the grass. with n
little clothes pm bag beside il, and then
proceeded mcthodically To hang out the
clothes. Everything Of a Kind went TO-
gethcr, and the best things on the out
side line. which could be seen from the
street in front Of tn" cottage.
The two women were curiouslv alike.
They were about the same height, and
moved in the same way. Even their
faces were =, similar in feature ami cN-
preston that il might have been a diff
iicult matter to distinguish between
them. All the difference. and that
would have been scarcely apparent To
an ordinary observer, was a difference
If degree, if II might hc 80 expressed.
In one face the features were both bold
or and sharper in outline, the eyes were
trifle larger and brighter, and the
whole expression more animated and
decided than in the other.
One womanS Scaniy drab hair was a
shade darker than the others, and the
negative fairness of complexion. which
generally accompanies drab hair. was
in one relieved 10y a slight tingc of warm
red on the cheeks.
This slightly intensified woman had
been commonly considered the more at
t~ractivc of the Two. although in reality
there was very little Ia choose between
the personal appearance of thcs, win
sisters, Priscilla and Mary Brown. They
moved about the clothcs-linc, pinning
--. .l:,. l-.. .T Ill.
thick white-stockingcd ankles showing
beneath their limp calicocS rs they
stepped, and their large feet in cloth
slippers ilattcning down the short green
grass. Their sleeves We're rolled up,
displaying their long. thin. muscular
arms. which were sharply pointed II
the elbows.
They were homcly women they Were,
fifty and over now, but they never could
have bcen pretty i'm their teens. their
features were too irredecmably irrcgu-
lar for that. No youthful freshness Of
complexion cor expression could ever
have possibly done AWAY with the i'm
, preston that they gave. Their plain
ness had probably only been enhanced
by the contrast. and these women "a
pcoplc generally seemed better looking
Than when they were young. There
was an honesty and patience in both
faces that showed ali the palmer for
their LONELINESS.
Opc. the sister with the darker hair,
!. moved a little quicker than the other.
and lifted the Wet clothes from the
basket Ia tin. line more frequently. She
was the first TO speak, too, after they
had hccn hanging cut the clothes for
some little time i'm silence. She stopped
as she did so. with a wet pillow-case in
her hand. and looked up reilectively at
the Towering app boughs overhead.
. and the blue sky showing between,
while the sweet spring wind rufled her
scanty hair a little.
Il wonder. Mary" said she. eli
il would seem SO very queer TO die 8
mornin' like this. say. Don't you be-
licve there's apple branches a-hangin'
over them walls made out OF precious
stones. like these. only there amt any
dead limbs among 'em, an they're all
covered Thick with flowers? An
wonder if il would seem such an AWFUL
change 10 60 from this air into the air
Of the New jerusalem" just then q
robin hidden somewhere in the trees
began to sing. IL s'pose." she went
ON, ..that there's angels instead of
robins. though, and they don't roost up
in trees to sing, but stand on the
ground. with lilies CROWN round their
feet, NAV he, up TO their knees. or on
the gold stones in the street. an play
on their harps to go with the singin'."
The other sister gave a scared, awed
look al her. "Lor, don't talk that
wav, sister," said she. What has
got into YOU lately? You make me
crawl all over. talkin' so much about
dyin'. You feel well. don't you?'
"Lor. YES" replied the other, laugh
,ing. and picking up a clothes-pin for
her pillow-case: II feel we'll enough,
an i don't know what has got me TO
talkin' S much about dyin lately. or
thinkin' about it. / guess it's the spring
weather. P'r'aps flowers CROWN make
anybody think of wings sproutin'
kinder materially. won't talk 50 much
, about it if 1t bothers You. an I don't
know but it's sorter material it should.
Did you get the potatoes before we
came out, sister?"-with IN awkward
and kindly effort to change the subject.
NO" replied the other. STOPPING
over the clothes-basket. There WAS
such a film of tears in her dull blue
eyes that she could not distinguis hone
article from another.
well l guess you had better 60 in
>sen' get 'em, then; they amt worth any
thing. this time Of year, unless they