Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-11-11

other neighbors, she HE'D herseb across
the field to Mr.. FreW's and made priev-
ious and fearful COMP aint of the treat
ment she had received, for Mrs. Hatch
could drop into tears as easily AZ
MIR. Wegg into poetry; and the fact
that she and her daughter were clone,
unprotected females" was often i'm.
pressed on Ler listeners.
Mr.. Frew endeavored to mollify her
resentment with the plea that they
were only in fun, and that bows would
be boys, though on their return home
he reproved them for their ipdiscretion
in a manner that Solomon would have
approved of. -........ .......
Poor Mrs. Hatch was not the only
occupant of the tall thin red house in
the edge of the little country village;
her daughter, Almira Sophia shared it
with her, and never was the old adage,
Like mother, like daughter more
strikingly verified; the same inverte-
brate spine, sallow complexion, stony
eyes, colorless hair, and worst of all
the same jealous, suspicious nature.
Without question the poor girl was to
be pitied for the bli ghting atmosphere
in which she had grown up.
Perhaps, indeed, people of that tenn
perature are to be more pitied than
| blamed for the diseased state of mind
which fills their lives with such need
less misery; at the same time our COM
passion is usually bestowed On those
who suffer because of the jealousy,
rather than the ones who endure the
pangs.
From Almira Sophia's earliest child
hood she had been on the lookout for
sights and injuries-a search in which
they who engage seldom fail to find
their object. When little girl in
pinafores, she used to come home from
school with long complaints of the
teachers Partially, of the girls who
had made faces at her, and the boys
who had called her names. As she
grew older and her self-consciousness
Increased, if any one looked at her she
fancied they were criticising her ap-
pearance; if any one laughed where
she was, she was sure she was the OBJ
ject of their mirth.
Both mother and daughter were
members of one of the village church.
es, which they managed to Keep about
half the time in hot water with their
complaints. Each successive pastor,
down to the last young incumbent,
dreaded the sight of the widows old
white horse hating at the parsonage
for he knew he was in all probability
to hear of dereliction on the part of
some one.
Deacon Hall, who had to pass her
house on his way to the village, used
to hurry up to avoid being called in
and asked some such questions as:
"What kind of Christian spirit he
thought it showed in brother Gabriel to
sell sugar that fell short four ounces
in nine pounds?' or ''Did he think it
was the way one church member should
serve another, an a woman an a
widow at that, for Zenas Wise to buy
her calf for eight dollars, when he
knew Aaron Teeple got ten for his n,
and hers was worth every cent as
muchp''
But one week the Widow Hatch and
Almira Sophia were not in their accus-
toned places in the weekly prayer
meeting, and the following Sunday
their pew in church was vacant at
both morning and evening service, an
occurrence so almost unprecedented
that early in the week Deacon Hall
called to inquire as to its cause.
"Well, said his wife on his return,
which is sick, Mis- Hatch or Amelia
Sophia?"
'Neither of 'em,' was the curt re-
ply. and then the deacon sank into his
favorite chair with an audible groan.
mo, Lovila, the widow says somebody,
but she didn't tell who, had been SLAM
dering EN-, an she cried an said that
she didn't think after she and Almira
Sophia had lived here all their lives,
an tried to be respectable women an
always paid their dues to the church,
that they would be treated like this;
she said she knew there was some in
| the church felt above her but she hadn't
paid any attention to that, and that
she and Almira Sophia had been slight
ed and overlooked, and put upon time
an again, and she had overlooked that
but to be slandered by her own church
members was a little too much, and
not herself alone; she might have borne
that but her fatherless child-and she
and Almira Sophia felt that under the
circumstances it was impossible for
them to 90 to that church any longer,
and had concluded to ask for letters
of dismissal.
"And what did Almira Sophia sayp"
Il suppose she'd have said the same
thing for she's her mother echo, but I
didn' t see her at all. Mis- Hatch said
she was completely crushed. She hoped,
but she was afraid she'd never be the
came arain she was hafOrn