The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-09-28
A PARKWAY MELODY.


The clothes-line was wound securely
around the trunks of four gnarled,
crooked old apple-trees which stood
promiscuously about the yard back of
the cottage. 1t was tree bloSsoming
time, but these were too aged and sap
less to blossom freely, and there was
only white bough here and there shak-
ing itself triumphantly from amongst
the rest, which had only their new green
leaves. There was branch occasion
ally which had not even these, but
pierced the tender green and the fossy
white in hard gray nakedness. All over
the yard the grass was young and green
and short, and had not yet gotten any
feathery heads. Once in while there
was a dandelion set closely down
amongst it.
The cottage was low, of dark red
color, with white 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 pretense of a
step, only flat oval stone before it.
Through this door, stepping cautious
ly on the stone, came presently two tall
lank women in chocolate-colored calico
gowns, with a basket of clothes be-
tween them. They set the basket I'M
derneath the line on the grass, with a
little clothes-pin bag beside it, and then
proceeded methodically to hang out the
clothes. Everything of a kind went to-
gether, and the best things on the out
side line, which could be seen from the
street in front of the cottage.
The two women were culiously alike.
They were about the same height, and.
moved in the same way. Even their
faces were so similar in feature and ex-
preston that it might have been diff
tcult matter to distinguish between
them. All the difference, and that
would have been scarcely apparent to
an ordinary observer, was difference
OF degree, if it might be so expressed
In one face the features were both bold
er and sharper in outline, the eyes were
trihe larger and brighter, and the
whole expression more animated and
decided than in the other.
One woman's scanty drab hair was q
shade darker than the others, and the
negative fairness of complexion, which
generally accompanies drab hair, was
in one relieved by aslight tinge of warm
red on the cheeks. M
This slightly intensified woman had
been commonly considered the more at
tractive of the two, although in reality
there was very little to choose between
the personal appearance of these twin
sisters, Priscilla and Mary Brown. They
moved about the clothes-lne, pinninp
the sweet white linen on securely, their
thick white-stockinged ankles showing
beneath their limp calicoes as they
stepped, and their large feet in cloth
slippers flattening down the short green
grass. Their sleeves were rolled up.
displaying their long, thin, muscular
arms, which were sharply pointed at
the elbows.
They were homely women; they were
fifty and over now, but they never could
have been pretty in their teens, their
features were too irredeemably irregu-
lar for that. No youthful freshness of
complexion OF expression could ever
have possibly done away with the i'm
preston that they gave. Their plain
ness had probably only been enhanced
by contrast, and these women to
people generally seemed better looking
than when they were young. There
was an honesty and patience in both
faces that showed all the palmer for
their LONELINESS.
One, the sister with the darker hair.
moved little quicker than the other.
and lifted the wet clothes from the
basket to the line more frequently. She
was the first to speak, too, after thew
had been hanging out the clothes for
some little time in silence. She stopped
as she did so, with wet pillow-case in
her hand, and looked up reflectively at
the Towering apple boughs overhead,
and the blue sky showing between,
while the sweet spring wind ruffied her
scenty hair little
81 wonder, Mary" said she, "if
it would seem so very queer to die a
mornin' like this, say. DON'T YOU be-
lieve 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 it would seem such an awful
change to go from this air into the air
of the New Jerusalem" just then a
robin hidden somewhere in the trees
began to sing. q s'pose,n she went
on, "that there's angels instead of
robins, though, and they don It roost up
IN trees to sing, but stand on the
ground, with lilies CROWN round their
feet, may oe, up to their knees, or on
the gold stones in the street, an play
on their harps to 90 with the singin'. 2
The other sister gave a scared. owed
look at her. Lor, don't talk that
way, sister," said she. .'What has
got into you latelyP You make me
crawl all over, talkin' SO much about
dyin'. You feel well, don't youp"
" Lor yes, replied the other, laugh
ing, and picking up clothes-pin for
her pillow-case; II feel well enough,
an | don't know what has got me to
talkin' so much about dyin' lately, or
thinkin' about it. l guess it's the spring
weather P'r'aps flowers CROWN make
anybody think of wings sproutin
kinder materially. won't talk so much
about it If it bothers you, an l don't
know but it's sorter material it should.
Did you get the potatoes before we
came out, sister," with an awkward
and kindly effort to change the subject
No" replied the other, stopping
over the clothes-basket. There was
such film Of tears in her dull blue
eyes that she could not distinguis hone
article from another.
"Well, | guess you had better go in
an get 'em, then; they amt worth any
thing, this tina Of year. unless thar