The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-11-20
BRAKES AND WHITE vPLETs

HO aAbcLuoOh MARIN Lawson had
company to tea. There were three
women near her own age-she was
seventy Her withered, aged figure sat
up pert and erect at the head of the
table, pouring the tea from the shiny
britannia teapot into the best pink
china cups. She never leaned back in
her chair: there seemed to be a kind of
springy stiffness about her spine which
forbade it. Her black cashmere gown
fitted her long shrunken form as tightly
and trinity as a girls; she had on her
pest cap, made of pretty old figured
lace, with bows of purple satin ribbon
She wore her irOn-gray hair in two little
thln dancing curls, one on each side of
her narrow sallow face, just forward of
her cap.
In some other positions she would
have been called stately old lady; she
could be now with perfect truth. Her
old character had in itself true New
World stateliness and aristocratic feel
ing wholly Independent of birth or
riches or education.
Marin Lawson was not duchess; but
she was Marin lawson. The Marin"
itself was a title.
In more ambitious and cultured
town than this it would have been
Madami but the Marin proved Just as
Wei her simple neighbours recognition
of her latent dignity of character
Her three guests sat each at one of
the three remaining sides of the SQUARE
table Levina sat meekly, half trans
liked apparently. at a corner.
She was slender young girl. Marin
Iawson's granddaughter, her son
Charles daughter She had lived with
her grandmother ever since the death of
her mother, some ten years back. Her
fair cOlOrless hair was combed smoothly
straight back from her pale high fore
head; her serious blue ewes looked
solemnly out from beneath it. She ate
her warm biscuit and damson sauce de-
corously, never speaking a word in the
presence OF her elders; she had been
taught old-fashioned manners. and they
chung TO her. though she was important
fifteen.
Conversation did not flow very oIiblv
amongst the guests, though thew were
ordinarily garrulous old souls enough
When they spoke, it was precisely. and |
not like themselves. Every nerve in
them was branched up to meet the oc- |
casion with propriety. This state after |
noon, Marin Lawson's china tea-cups.
and company damson sauce and pound |
cakes, coming right in the midst of their |
common everyday, were embarrassing
and awe-inspiring. They were like chill, |
dren; they regarded Marin Lawson. rs
children will suddenly elevated pIav- |
mate, with feeling of strangeness and |
respect The one who felt this the least |
was a pretty, silly old woman. with a /
front piece of reddish-brown hair She /
crimped it every night. Here checks /
were rs fair and pink as a young girls. !
her china blue eyes as bright.
She ate her supper with a relish. and \
now and then eyed Marin Lawson with
a pleased consciousness Of her own
pinky old checks. How awful weller
she is!' she thought. But there was
never any evidence of the thought in
her placid blue eyes, nor about her tinv
thin mouth, into which she was stufIing
great pieces of cake like greedy baby
The one next her. wh BOXED Younger
than she was, from bt K heshy, and SO
having no deep wrinklr was a widow.
who lived with her m led daughter:
the fair old woman s- a widow, too.
and 50 was Marin Lawson; but the
fourth had an old husband living. Ho
was n deacon Of the orthodox church.
He had been asked TO tea. but had
been too busy planting to come. sI'm
dretful sorry the deacon couldn't come"
Marin Lawson had said. when
she was seating her guests at the
table. The pink old lady mentally re-
solved that She wouldn't have sat al
n corner if he had; she was Jealous.
and always on the lookout for Sights.
and careful of her own interests She
had fixed on the largest piece of cake
in the plate before il was passed; then
she took it, detiantlv.
After tea, when they all sat in the
north room with their knitting again.
hey felt more 40 ease. and their tongues
moved faster. Marin Lawson had
opened the north room to-day. The
south, on the opposite side of the en-
Try, was her usual sitting-room. The !
north one was shut up except on occa- {
sions. I
The china-closet, where she kept her
pest china, was i'm there. the best hair
10th rocking-c and Mrs. Hemans I
md Mrs. Sigourney in red and gold on Z
workable Everything Y
he hair-cloth furniture. the books. the {
lcaded lamp-mat-had peculiar. north s
Dom smell, not disagreeable, but char [
.cteristic. nc much the rooms own v
dor as flowers. IL chung 20 the
Kings when long removed from il. too 5
.evina, years afterward and far away. 7
iutting her face down to the red and v
,Old Hemans book, could smell the $
forth room. '
She overheard the old ladies speaking
Ter name several times as she went v