The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-08-13

met Mrs. Wheat's glance when the meet
ing broke up.
The two old ladies were left in the best
room alone for little while. Mrs. Thomas,
who was Mrs. Dips daughter, wanted to
see Becca about something, so she called
her out into the sitting-rOom.
"YOu an Mis- Wheat can visit little
while, while Becca an are out here,
said she.
Mrs. Dill looked at her daughter when
she said this, as if inclined to decline the
proposal. Then an expression of stubborn
| fortitude came over her face, and she set
tied herself solidly in her chair.
The two looked primly at each other
| when they were left alone.
"How is Mis- Thomas:" said Mrs. Wheat;
"an' how is Adonram:"
''They air both well, thank ye.'
81 s'pose AdOniram is to work."
| "Havin'"
81 thought l ketched glimpse of him in
the field over thar when l come in. Adon-
IRAN grows old, don't he:''
| 81 don't know"
~ sot lookin' at him in meetin' last Sab
bath, an thinkin' how dretfully he was
altered. l hope he'll be spared to you as
long as you live, Mis- Dill. It's considerable
| better on your account that he hain't never
| got married, amt it,"
Mrs. Dill reddened and stiffened her chin
a little. "Thar's good many folks don't
git married, Mis- Wheat; men, an women,
| too, sometimes"
"Becca could "a got married dozens of
times if she'd wanted to, Mis- Dill"
81 s'pose So"
''See here, Mis- Dill, s'pose we come to
| the pint. You're alters kinder fingin' at
me, an l know well enough what it means.
| You've alters blamed me cause you
| thought come betwixJ nv Becca an YOUR
Adoniram, an didn't as knows on"
go, no; course you didn't"
81 s'pose you don't believe it, Mis- Dill?"
"No; 'ain't forgot how Adoniram come
home from your house, jest about this time
o. year, matter o. forty year ago"
81 don't know what you mean"
Mrs. Dill sat up straight in her chair, and
talked with slow emphasis. Her eyes new
er winked.
"Jest about this time in the afternoon an
this time o. year, bout forty year ago,
Adoniram come home from your house.
They'd got the hay in the day before,
so he had leetle restin' spell,
an he went right over thar. I
knoYed where he'd gone we'll enough,
though he made up an arrant after a
rake to Deacon White. l knowed he'd stop
to Becca's before he got home. She'd been
off visitin', an he hadn't seen her for a
week. She'd jest got home that mornin'.
! Well, Adoniram went, an he come home.
l was a-goin' through the front entry
| when he come in through the settin'-room.
He was jest as pale as death. | asked him
| what the matter was an he wouldn't say
Inothin'. The door stood open in here, an
| he come in an dropped into cheer by the
table, an put his head down on it. l
coaxed an coaxed, an finally got it out
of him. He'd been over to Becca's, an
you'd treated him so he couldn't ever 90
agin. He said you didn't like him, an that
was the end ont. Becca couldn't go agin
! her mothers wishes, an he wasn't ever
| NJ fo cly tn II ho1
| joined the church that spring, an he'd Jest
as soon cut his hand off as to lead Becca to
| disobey her parents. He's alters had
strong feelin' that marriages made that
way WANT blessed. Pve heerd him say
so a good many times. So"
'I'd like to know what did to mistreat
Adoniram, Mis- Dill"
"He never told me the hull perticklars.
Thar was somethin' bout a butterfly"
"Lor, | remember. 'Twa'n't nOthin'-
nothin' at all. Young folks air so silly!
remember jest as well as eff twas yister-
day. Adoniram an Becca was out in the
ward in front of the house. Becca had it
all laid out in flower beds Jest as it is now,
an thar was swarms of butterflies round
'em. They was out thar in the yard, an 1
was in the settin'-room winder. They was
kinder foolin', an all of sudden Adoni-
ram he begun chasin' a butterfly. It was
one of them great blue-spotted ones. He
to Becca, when | said Somethin' out o. the
winder. don't know jest what twas. 1
thought twas dretful silly for him to waste
his time ketchin' butterflies, am Becca had
some sewin'I wanted her to do. l s'pose
twas somethin' bout that"
''You didn't think Adoniram was good
enough for Becca; that was the hull ont"
THAT want it, Mis- Dill. 1 don't see
how you come to think sech thing"
"You'd jest set your heart on havin' her
git that rich Arms feller; you know YOU
had. But she didn't; she didn't git any
BODY"
Mrs. DilI's thin voice quavered and
shook, and her little bony form trembled
all over, but the spirit within her mani
Tested itself bravely through shakes and
quavers.
'You air misjudgin' of me, Mis- Dill, an
you amt showin' Christian spirit You'll
be sorry for it when you come TO think it
over You'll see twas all jest the way l
said twas, an didn't mean nothin'. Let
alone anything else, it's awful cruel to
ketch butterflies, you know that, Mis-
Dill"
you've done a crueler thing than
ketchin' butterflies, Martha Wheat"
''Well, Mis- Dill, l guess we'd better not
talk 'boU< this any longer. 'Tain't Jest be-
comm after the meetin' we've Jest had to
git to disputin'. Thar's Becca."
Going home along the green-bordered
road and across the flowery field, Rebecca
Wheat noticed that something seemed to
have disturbed her mother. The nervous
old woman fretted and fidgeted. In the
middle of the field she stopped short, and
almost danced up and down with feeble,
childish wrath.
"Why, what is the matter. mother:"
"Them pesky butterflies" calculated
her mother, waving her trembling hands.
"Pd like to poison their honey for 'em."
LET me go on ahead, mother; then they
won't bother you 50 much. / kin kinder
brush them away"
"Well, you may, if you're a mind ter.
Say, Becca-speakin' of butterflies brings
it to mind. You never thought was ter
blame bout separatin' you an Adoniram
Dill, did you?"
The old daughter looked pleasantly into
her old mothers face. 81 didn't blame
ANYBODY, mother. 1 didn't think you used
to like Adoniram very well; but it's all
over now."
"You didn't take it to heart much, did
YOU. Becca?
"Not enough to hurt me any, guess.
Do you mind the butterflies so much with
me ahead?"
mo, guess 1 don't. I've kinder been
thinkin' ont over lately, an ef l was kind
er sharp bout that butterfly business, an
hindered you an Adoniram's maxim a
match ont, | amt above sayin' 1 might
neH Oeen dIeelle more keerIul. Au0nlram'S
turned out pretty well. Mis- Higgins told
me Yesterday that he'd jest bought that
ten acre lot of Deacon Whites | guess
he must hev been layin' up money. Well,
Becca, l dessay you air better off than YOU
would be eff you'd been married. It's
pretty resky."
Rebecea, plodding before her mother,
looked ahead at the familiar landscape,
with that expression of strong, pleasant
patience which the years seemed to have