Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-21

awhile this evenin'."
Miss Martha only pulled her bonnet
further over her face, tied it tight to-
geether so that only her eyes were yisi-
Die, and turned to move away.
"Hold on, now, Miss Marthy. where
are you goin'P" demonstrated John.
I'm goin' to hunt for my %turkey-hen,
oohn Baker, since you won't tell me
Where she isl said Miss Martha. in a
severe tone, though if John had only
been observant he could have told from
the light in her eyes there was a smile
on her lips.
,"Why, Miss Marthy, 1 never see the
IKE! You don't talk about nothin' but
turkeys; you're just on the 90 mornin',
moor and night, chasin' after'm. Wish't
l was one."0
The light down the vista of Miss Mar
thats barrel-like bonnet sparkled still
more brightly, but she merely said:
"Ain' you goin' to tell mep"
"Well, Is'pose 1 must. You sec I
saw hGr and | knowed you'd be huntin'
all over, so | iast took and shut her up
IN one of mothers coops, SOS she
couldn't get away again, and to save
you the bother of huntin' her ar, and
then l thought that this evening I'd"
"Pm ever SO much obliged to YOU,
but you didn't need to do it," interrupt
ed Miss Martha. as she walked off brisk
ly toward Mrs. Bakers.
Thought John: ''Ihe darndest, pro-
vokinest woman [ ever sect"
Miss Martha's life was Il busy one: no
idler she. Besides her large house and
farm to look after, she had her brother,
older than she. with three motherless
children-a mar who had made ship
wreck of his life, and now, at the age
OF forty-two, weak, good-natured and
poor, came to his sister to be supported.
After trying various plans she found
that hiring him as one of her shands''
was the cheaFet way OF doing this. He
seemed contented:
Miss Martha had just brought out
upon the front porch her work-basket
and another containing the articles
from the laundry in need of repair,
seated herself in her little willow-rocke1
and commenced the campaign by a Wig.
orous assault upon a gray sock. The
willful southern breeze pushed aside
the trellised madeira vines and morn.
ing-glories at the end of the porch and
gaily played with Miss Martha's crinkly
black hair. AS she gently rocked and
darned and thought-who knows OF
what?-she looked toward her garden
and saw, swinging along the path-the
tall, sweet corn on tho n side, the del
icate-leafed red, berried asparagus on
the other-the yellow sun-bGnnet Of
her n%eighbor, Mrs. Baker. and knew
she was going to have a visitation.
That was n of the things Northern
Miss Martha couldn't understand, how
these Southern women could start out
every day and spend the whole after.
noon with never q bit of work. Mrs
Baker was a most estimable woman,
albeit much given to this practice.
Said she: sJust thought I'd come w
and see how you all wus," and she sai
down on the top step and famed her
self with her apron.
"Have a chair, Mrs. Baker"
"No, thank you, Miss Marthy; II
just as lief get here. Say, 1 want to
swap a settin' of my Brahmy's for
settin' Of your Plymouth Rocks. Lool
here" and she raised the lid o. a little
basket she had and showed q baker,
dozen large, creamy eggs.
Said Miss Martha: II shall be only
too glad to exchange; but 1 can't b.
positive that I can give you the pure
Plymouth Rock, my eggs nov are
miscelleous lot"
"What did you say? Miss Philane
GUS eggs? Who is she? 1 don't know
anybody by that name in this neighbor
hood"
"Oh, no, you misunderstood me;
meant to say that my eggs now were
not any kind in particular, but a col
lection OF all sorts"
"Oh, well, my hens are doing pretty
we'll just now," and Mrs. Baker went
on talking about her luck with chick.
ems, now hitching her sleeves a trile
higher, now shifting her seat from steE
to chair and back again.
Sitting there with the afternoon sun.
light g1inting her handsome, wavey.
iron-gray hair, with her fidgety, funny
ways. she formed a study. A woman
left destitute of husband and fortune by
the war; she had set bravely to work te
earn q living and a home. She and bel
son, now several years a man. had beer
fairly successful in their labors anc
oWleu Giie VI lalM HeAC MISS MIL
tha's. Injured to the "bone-labor q
the wash-tub, the ir%oning-table, the
churn and the garden" she could never
sit still. Nervous in action and speech,
she yet had a peculiar drawl about the
ends of words and sentences. 1t some.
times seemed as if, having gone briskly
two-thirds of the way through a sen
tence, she was suddenly struck with the
insignifcance OF it all, and, disguised
let it trail off into silence. She wa;
constantly in motion, rolling up hel
sleeves, cracking her finger-joints. fold.
ing together her ~sun-bonnet, or pulling
from their stitched grooves therein the
half-cylindered corn-stalks.
She and Miss Martha talked on, the
hum of their voices frequently broker
in upon by the strong, broad accents Of
Polly, who was leaning over the railing
with a basket of smooth, scarlet toma'
toes from the garden for supper.
"N1iss Marthy, did You know Tin
Rohi'son had uOt back?n