The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-07-15
THE PINK FEATHER.
BY ELIZABETH BIGELOW.

3OoSs
There was a pleasant anticipatory
pucker about my landlady's mouth that
meant story. Her mind was stored
with neighborhood chronicles, with
which she delighted 10 rcgalc me as soon
as she discovered that found them in
teresting. They gave additional cheer
to the rainy evenings hc>ide the blazing
fire, and charmed away the melancholy
of the long twilights, when "rickets
ch;rpcd and frogs crooked dismally, and
it became doubtful whether country
solitude was the best thing for ones
nerves.
Now. it was a sunshiny morning, and
was sitting on the porch. in the pleas
ant shade of tfe hop.vines, while Mrs.
Davidge shelied peas in the doorway. |
made no effort to draw her out; that was
unnecessary; l had learned that some of
her neishbors considered my landlady
.'kind of tedious, never givin' folks 4
chance to put in a word cdgcways, but
was willing to be listener only, and
Mrs. Davidge had assured me that was
"the best comp'ny she ever found"
'If 't'want exactly a wilderness ten
years ago, twas the most run out farm
in town. Isr'cl Hathaway was we'll
meanin' man, but he was one of the kind
that can't seem to fetch anything to pass.
When women arc so, folks say they
haven't got 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
settin' right beside her on eggs out of
the same batch, and jest as diligent a
fowl, won't hatch but one or two. Some
folks call such things luck, and some
the doin's of Proverduncc; anyhow,
there'sno care nor forcthought that helps
or hinders 'em. But whatever it was
that run the Hathaways clear'n down hill
before Isr'el died, twas the workin's of
Proverdunce, plain enough, that brought
'em up higher'n they ever was before.
Proverdunce, 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 Streadlcy's
bein' thick -headed-on account of his
bein' triplet, some folks thought, but
must say I never saw Streadley but
what was-and Maudany Wheelocks
.bein' as vain as o peacock. But, there,
am drettul apt to begin story at tine
wrong end"
Mrs. Davidge gave her pan vigorous
shake, which brought the unshellcd peas
to the surface, and seemed to perform q
like kindly Office for her ideas.
"As said, the Hathaways was all run
down hill when Isr'el died. Prudence
was seventeen, and had jest got to keep
in q district school. John was about a
year older, and he was goin' to the aca-
deny. If there was anythin' i'll the
world that Isr'el Hathaway's mind had
always been set on twas to give his boy
learnin', so 'et he needn't till the sill Tor
livin'; and Mis- Hathaway and Pru-
dence was set on it, too. Prudence cal
kerlated that she could keep school and
run the farm, too, and earn enough gh to
send John to collegc-with him keepin'
school between times, to help himself
along. And she did it; but it changed
her from pretty, pink-cheeked, laugh
in girl to sober, careworp old maid
bafore she was twenty-five. How that
girl did work! She showed grit that
never come from the Hathaways, nor
from her mothers folk as far back as I
knew anylhin' about 'em. She'd got a
chance to teach in the academy; she
taught Latin and mathematics, fittin'
Soung men for college, and she'd give
herself all the education sne had except
jest one year to the academy. And she
did fetch enough for them to live on,
and something more out Of that farm.
John did pretty considerable we'll; he
didn't make much of fist at school
keepin'; he hadn't knack for it.
was afraid he'd have his fathers knacll
for kind of dwindlin' out of everything,
and / never felt sure-nor hain't to this
day-that he was worth the sacrifice
that was bcin' made for him, or that it's
ever right for one human bein' to sacri-
fee himself-it's apt to be herself, though
Ihave seen it the other way--to another
human benz that's iest's as able bodied or
more. There q 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 it
could have been always the same one,
but it always looked old and rusty, and
he never took the least mite of pains
with her hair morc'n to keep it all
drawed back. neat and tight, into o
knob at the back of her head, which
was pertickerlcrly unbecomin' to her,
OWN to her having a high forehead. She
never wore any ornaments but n gold
breastpin with her fathers hair in it,
and a little mite of a gold ring that had
been her grandmothcr's; and that had
hair in it, too. Suzetty King used to SLY
she looked jest us if her beau had been
a sailor and got drowned. But she
looked saddcr'n even than that to nc
like girl that has missed her
chance of the hopes and joys
that como material to women
in the spring of their lives.
Whether she ever thought of what she
was missin' or not, l can't say. I
shouldn't wonder if she had most forgot
she was anything but merchinc to
make lie easier for John and her
mother.
"Wcll. John had got through college,
and most through the law school, too,
and was goin' to graduate that summer,
and set up rs a lawyer for himself.
He'd got pretty good opcnin' with a
clussmate that had a lawyer for father,
and Prudence must have felt uncom-
mon easy in her mind. for she took
somebody's advice and went and had
Mis- Plympton make her new summer
bonnet. Mis- Plympton had jest come
here from the city then, and some liked
her bonnets and some didn't; but old
Miss Cressy, who had mndc bonnets Tor
forty years, was paralyzed, and folks
that couldn't make their own had to
have Mis- Plympton's.
"I'm certain twas as much as foul
wears since Prudence Hathaway had had
q new bonnet. Tommy Streadley's
mouth and eyes must have opened even
wider'n he commonly kept 'em when
Mis- Plympton said to him, late ono
Saturday nj ght (she'd hired Tommy fol
extry help because her little errand-girl
was all beat ouD, This green bandbos
goes to Miss Prudence Hathaway, up by
the Three Corners
"At the same time she gave him s
brown bandbox for Mandany Wheelock,
the squire's daughter.
e d" i can't stop to mark 'em. but YOU
can't make mistake, OWN to the diff
runt colors. Now, remember, which il
which, says Mis- Plympton.
Tommy promised that he would, and
he always declared that he kept sayin
goin' along, Green, Hathaway; brown
Whcelock'; but if he did he was like
hotel-boy that I was readin' about in the
paper, that was sent with some boots tc
lord that was stoppin' in the hotel, and
they told him to say, My lord. the boy
has brought your boots, but sayln' II
over:n and over to make sure, he go'
mixed up, and, says he, My boy, the
lord has brought your boots" AND
Tommy Streadley by the time he'd go'
to the Three Corners was sayin', Brown,
Hathaway For he left the brown band
IL onrr,nI thf