Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-11-07
A PARKWAY MELODY.

The clothes-line was wound securely
around the trunks of four gnarled,
crooked cd apple-trees which stood
promscuously about the yard back OF
the cottage. Ii 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 gre IN
leaves. There was branch occasion
ally which had not even these, but
pierced the tender green and the ilossy
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 u dandelion set closely down
amongst it.
The cottage was low, of II dark red
color, with white facings around the
windows, 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 yard, with hardly pretense of a
step, only a fiat 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 UNI
dcrneath the line on the grass, with a
little clothes pin bag beside it, and then
proceeded methodically to hang out the
clothes. Everything of 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 curiOusly alike.
They were about the same height, and
moved in the same way. Even their
faces were 50 similar in feature and eX-
preston that it might have been diff
iicult 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
CT and sharper in outline, the eyes were
trille larger and brighter, and the
whole expression more animated and
decided than in the other.
One woman 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 slight tinge of warm
red on the cheeks.
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-line, pinnino
the sweet white linen on securely, theil
thick white-stockinged ankles showing
beneath their limp calicoes as they
stepped, and their large feet in cloth
slippers llattening down the short green
grass. Their sleeves were rolled up,
displaying their long, thin, muscular
arms, which were sharply pointed al
the elbows.
They were homely women; they were
fifty and over now, but they never could
have been pretty in their teens, theii
features were too irredeemably irregu.
lar for that. No youthful freshness Of
complexion or 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 tc
people generally seemed better looking
than when they were young. There
was an honesty and patience in botl
faces that showed all the palmer fol
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. Sh,
was the first to speak, too, after they
had been hanging out the clothes fol
some little time in silence. She stopped
rs she did so, with n wet pillow-case il
her hand, and looked up refectively a
the Towering apple boughs overhead
and the blue sky showing between
while the sweet spring wind ruflled hel
scanty hair little.
81 wonder, Mary" said she, "i
it would seem so very queer TO die ;
mornin' like this, say. Don't you be
lieve there's apple branches a-hangin
over them walls made out of preciou.
stones, like these, only there amt any
dead limbs among 'em, an they're al
covered thick with ilowersp An
wonder If it would seem such an awfu
change to 90 from this air into the ali
of the New Jerusalem" Just then ,
robin hidden somewhere in the treeI
began to sing. 81 s'pose," she wen
on, "that there's angels instead o
robins, though, and they dop't roost W
in trees to sing, but stand ON thu
ground, with lilies CROWN round thei
feet, may be, up to their knees, OF OF
tho gold stones in the street, an pla,
on their harps to go with the singin'. :
The other sister gave q scared, awet
look at her. " Lor, don't talk tina
way, sister," said she. What hal
got into you latelyp You make m,
crawl all over, talkin' so much abou
dyin'. You feel well, don't youp"
:" Lor, yes" replied the other, laugh
Ing, and picking up clothes-pin TO
her pillow-case; II feel well enough
an don't know what has got me {,
talkin' so much about dyin' lately, o.
thinkin' about it. / guess it's the sprin.
weather. P'r'aps flowers CROWN maxi
anybody think of wings sproutin
kinder materially. won't talk so mucl
about Il II IL bothers you, an / dom
know but it's sorter material il should
Did you get the potatoes before w,
came out, sisterP"--with an awkwar,
and kindly effort to change the subject
" No." replied the other, stoopin,
over the clothes-basket. There wa
such film of tears in her dull blu
eyes that she could not distinguis hon
article from another.
well, I guess you had better go Il