Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-13
The Stury Teller.
THE PINK FEATHER.
BY ELIZABETH BIGELOW.

eyes, it is a pretty place as you say, tne
old Hathaway homestead, and it makes me
think of the Scripter promise about the
wilderness blossomin' like rose"
There was pleasant anticipatory pucker
about nv landlady's mouth that meant a
story. Her mind was stored with neigh
borhood chronicles, with which she delight
ed to regale me as soon as she discovered
that found them interesting. They gave
additional cheer to the rainy evenings be-
side the blazing fire, and charmed away
the melancholy of the long twilights, when
crickets chirped and frogs croaked dismally,
and it became doubtful whether the coun-
try solitude was the best thing for ones
nerves.
Now, it was sunshiny morning, and I
was sitting on the porch, in the pleasant
shade of the hop-vines, while Mrs. Dayidge
shelled peas in the doorway. l made no
effort to draw her out; that was unnecessary !;
I had learned that some of her neighbors
considered nv landlady "kind of tedious,
never givin' folks a chance to put in word
edgeWays," but I was willing to be lis
tener only, and Mrs. Davidge had assured
me that was "the best comp'ny she ever
found"
off 's'want exactly wilderness ten years
ago, twas the most run out farm in town.
Isr'el Hathaway was a well-meanin' man,
but he was one of the kind that can't seem
to fetch anything to pass. When women
are 50, folks say that they haven't got a
faculty; men are apt to be called unlucky.
And there does seem to be such thing as
luck, let folks say what they will; one hen
will hatch out every one Of her eggs, and
another one sittin' right beside of her on
eggs out of the same batch, and jest as dill
gent fowl, won't hatch but one or two.
Some folks call such things luck, and some
the doins' of Providence; anyhow, there's
no care nor forethought that helps or him
ders 'em. But whatever it was that run
the Hathaways clear'n down the hill before
Isr'el died, twas the Workin's of Proven
dence, plain enough, to my mind, though
the instrument was nothin' in the world
but jest pink feather!
"Of course, there was some little things
to help along: Tommy Streadley's bein'
thick -headed-on account of his bein' trip
let, some folks thought, but I must say l
never saw a Streadley but what WaS-and
Mandany Wheelocks bein' as vain as apea-
cock. But, there, I am dretful apt to begin
Il story at the wrong end"
Mrs. Davidge gave her pan vigorous
shake, which brought the unshelled peas to
the surface, and seemed to form like
kindly office for her ideas
GAS | said, the HathaWays was all run
seventeen, and had jest got to keepin' a
district school. John was about a year old
er, and he was gon' to the academy. If
there was anythin' in the world that Isr'el
Hathaway's mind haG always been set on
twas to give his boy learnin', so 'et he
needn't till the sill for livin'; and Mis-
Hathaway and Prudence was set on it, too.
Prudence calkerlated that she could keep
school and run the farm, too, and earn
Tnh f0 i'm
keepin' school between times, to help him
self along. And she did it; but it changed
her from pretty, pink checked, laughin'
Girl to a sober, careWOrn old maid before
She. was twenty-five. How that girl did
work She showed grit that never come
from the HathaWays, nor her mothers folk
as far back as I knew anythin' about 'em.
She'd got chance to teach IN the academy; /;
she taught Latin and mathematics, tittin'
young men for college, and she'd give her
self all the education she had except just
fetch enough for them to live on and more
out of that farm. John did pretty consider
able we'll; he didn't make much of fist at
school keepin'; he hadn't knack for it. l
was afraid he'd have his fathers knack for
kind of dwindlin' out of everything. and
1 never felt sure-nor hain't to this day
that he was worth the sacrifice that was
bein' made for him, or that us ever rlgnC
for one human bein' to sacrifice himself
it's apt to be herself, though l have seen 1T
the other way-to another human beln'
that's tests able-bodied or more. There's
sight of them things goin' on, wastin' the
lives of the very best and sweetest-minded.
-"Prudence always wore an Old. rusty,
black alpaca dress. l don't s'pose 1t could
have been always the same one, but 1t al
ways looked old and rusty, and she never
took the least mite of pains with her hair
more'n to keep it all drawed back, neat and
tight, into knob at the back OF her head,
which was pertickerlerly unbecomin' to her,
owin' to her having high forehead. She
never wore any ornaments but a gold breast
pin with her fathers hair in it, and little
mite of gold ring that had been her grand
mothers; and that had hair in it, too. Su-
zetty King used to say she looked jest US if
her beau had been sailor and got drowned.
But she looked sadder'n even than that to
me-like girl that has missed her chance
of the hopes and joys that come material to
women in the spring of their lives. Wheth,
er she ever thought of what she was mlssln'
or not, / can't say. I shouldn't wonder II
she had most forgot she was anything but a
merchine to make life easier tor John and
her mother.
"Well, John had got through college, and
,noct thrOuph the law school, too and was