The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-03-14

ever In this view the whole race ef De-
laneys were merely colony of vermin to
be endured only so long as determination
was impossible. And there had been NO
tradition of feminine grace and gentle
ness to mar Mehetabeps exultation in the
deed of her own right hand. Had not
her forefathers been valiant in battle, and
had net a great-great-grandmother
Drained prowliug redskin with an axe
on her own threshold2 So Mehetabel
sat, gazing at her folded hands with eyes
which saw only the blood trickling from
the Delaney eyebrow, and with the full
desire of murder in her heart though her
mind held no purpose of such bloody sort
There was no attempt at excuse for
the rudeness to Eunice. Miss Benson
knew perfectly well that when Meheta-
bel retired to her own room in an I'M
gracious mood it was folly to seek her
there; and the two inhabitants of the
Pettigrew mansion did not meet until the
next day, and there was then no allusion
to the epithet which Mehetabel had APP
piled to her companion the night pre-
vious /; indeed some weeks passed before
the true history of the events of that fate
full August night came to Miss Benson's
knowledge. Meantime Miss Pettigrew
bought an ,ther dog, a small and active
cross of terrier and shepherd, which
spent hours in fruitless barking at the
goat, but killed every chicken which
vensured on the Pettigrew grounds, and
was the terror of little Teddy's life; in
this wild warfare the summer ended, and
the leaves of the naples turned crimson
and golden, and fell in the October
winds, without the occurrence of further
violence between the homes of Delany
and Pettigrew.
In early November fate overlook Ter
renee Delaney the elder, as in the course
of his regular avocatien of track repairer
he was riding with some half dozen
others of his kind on hand.car, in the
early morning through heavy fog. The
hand-car was struck by a locomotive all
of the track hands were injured and De-
laney's neck was broken. 1t hardly
seems possible that any woman could
rejoice openly at the death Of husband
and father who labored honestly for the
support and well-being of those who
looked to him for protection; but when
the news of this accident came about Q
of the clock to Miss Pettigrew, as she
and Miss Benson sat at the table partak-
ing of substantial breakfast of fried
pork, sausages, fried potatoes, fried
doughnuts and Two kinds of cake, with a
squash pie for Miss Benson's delicate
stomach, mince pie for Mehetabel's de-
location, and teapot at the side of the
former spinster, and co6ee-pot at the
right hand of Miss Pettigrew (no wonder
their tempers were sometimes uncertain y
when the news of this bereavement Of
the Delaney household was conveyed to
Miss Pettigrew, she said oval, it
does seem like the visible hand of provi-
dence, don't it Eunice?"
"'Taint much of a wind 4 dou't blow
good" replied Eunice, thawing
a hard doughnut in her tea ~ expect
it'll make putty hard sleddin' fer the wild
der this winter-'sno use as rebellin'
all got to take the thick
with the thin, IS 4 comes"
Probably the Delaneys III hev to 90
sommers else" said Mehetabel, AN for
one sha1't be sorry to hev that goat air
itself where shan't hev to smell it."
can that air pilferin' boy'v their'n, an
their chickens peckin' an a scratchin'-
though the dog hes got them putty well
thinned out guess; | hain't seen 'em
quite s thick s they was lately, an that
pipe offendin' the hui neighborhud.
expect they'll hev a wake inebby they'll
burn the shanty down when they'r drunk;
course they'll all be drunk at the wake"
said Eunice, who had fine imaginative
gift of forecasting the future.
81 wish't they would burn it down, pig
pen and ALL" said Mehetabe', helping
herself to mince pie. "Pd jest like to
see it a burnin' an the hui lot O. them Irish
Catholics in it. guess they'd think the
priest was fergttin' to pray 'em out o. pur-
gatory."
"Wall, don't see how NO one can be-
lieve such things; l don't know z I'd
care much if they could all be put some
WHARF WHARF | never d hear tell of 'em
again. Snuff to make any one sick Nv
livin' to hear such stuff"
guess we'll get rid the Delaneys
now, what thare's left of 'em dead n
alive-an' it can't be none too quick fer
me. Seems to me could enjoy nv
meals jest 5 we'll if they want none that
kind NY bein's on the face o. the EARTH"
said Miss Pettigrew, feeding her lovely
mouth mince pie with knife.
The wake, if wake there was, passed
in such quiet that view of the funeral
procession was all they had of it. The
first snow was falling, and the pail was
by the soft fakes as the coffin
was borne from the Delaney shanty to
the hearse standing in the cross street,
and made feathery crests on the hearse
plumes as that solemn chariot of silence,
followed by half a score of carriages,
passed the Pettigrew corner.
"'Pears to take it putty hard" whis-
pered Eunice to Mehe.abel, as the hack
which held the sobbing widow and the
orphaned Delaneys passed the window
where they stood, peering at the process
sion through the half turned stats of the
blinds.
81 expect she'll hev another man in
six months" said Mehetabel. "These
Irish make an awful fuss, but it don't last
very long, guess.
"Wal', dunno" said Eunice. "Must