Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1885-08-27
A PLAIN STORY.
What "Mess o. vittles" Came
Near Being Upset.

"An' nexs week I'll finish up them
puffs, an then I'll wosh that wooden
wrapper for Calsta, an hacH be
DONE" said Miss Jane, with emphasis.
as she remoJselessly wrung the last
drop OF water from her clots, and,
hanging the dish-pan on uail, vigor-
ously rubbed out the sink with bit of
flannel moistened with kerosene. There
was no one in the little ''butry" with
hor. lut she had a habit OF thinking
aloud. just as her father read his week
" paper aloud for forty years. 1t was
like telling some one what she thought
or what she saw. or did. or heard. As
she stepped briskly across the kitchen
floor voice from the back room
called:
"Ssterf"
The squeak in Miss James shoes
gasped hclplessly, and then died.
'Well?" said she. intcrrogaiiyely.
''Are you going out2'
"Only jes'to hang these dish-rags on
the fence. What is itP'
'Tll wait till you come back. said
the voice. and the old rocking-chair re-
sumcd its crcechy- -crawch, and Miss
James shoes tapped little more brisk
ly than before. for n minute had gone
out Of her lifetime while she waited to
hear what her sister had to say. "Looks
kind o'ketchn', she muttered. spread
ing her towels on the picket fence. and
10. -. fs,N
eye at n small black cloud that was
creeping up from the horizon. 81
b'lieve / must try for another mess
% them Strawberries, though; there's
noth:n' makes so rich sauce for me-"
and Miss Jane gathered up her milk
pans from the cellar door, where they
bad been lazily summing themselves
since five o'clock in the morning. and
went in.
She ANNOUNCED herself as ''goin'
down TO the SOU west corner o. the back
pastur'." when she appeared at the
back-room door few minutes later.
tying calico sun-bonnet under her
chin; ''that IS" she added. ''it YOU
didn't want nothin' that you wanted
me to keep in for"
The old rocking-chair creaked nerv-
ously few times. and Calista's fingers
ircmbled as she tried to coax the thread
into the eye of the needle.
Miss Jane waited.
"There" Calista laid down the
needle, and drew a long breath.
''Do you remember, sister, what the
minister's wife was saying yesterday"
'About that slack piece, Sereny Jack
ron, 60 ng 10 be married? Can't make
pudding saucel Not that Miss Chand-
Ter said anything about that, but la!
don't l know the whole kit?"
''No, not that, sister. What she said
about the poor children coming out in-
20 the country for a little vacation. Oh,
sister, laid and thought last night
Calista choked a little, and then she
spoke out brayely-''l'ye been thinking
why couldn't we take one for the two
weeksP'
The shot was fired now. aud the half
frightened gunner waited for the smoke
- clear away before she could reckon
the effect on the enemy. Miss Jane.
who stood for the enemy in this case,
certainly wasn't dead. but it was equal
ly certain she was pretty well stunned.
"Well, she said, recovering herself
q little after few minutes, II hadn't
thought nothin' about II, an / don't
believe you could stan II one day an
night, Calista;" and this tiny plant of
an objection being well sprOuted, il
grew with rapidity that almost
amazed the enltiyator heri.Jlf, and
Calista was informed that such "a
young one. bein' uneddicated an1 un-
hammered. would bang up the dishes,
eat the preserves, smash the eggs and
Hill the chickens, worry the cat, and
inally cry nights for its mother, If il
has one. which ! shouldn't be sur
prised il II hadn't" added the good
woman, grimly ''An' it's two chances
10 one but 'twould be foreigner when
we got IL, and sarsy at that; for you
know. Calista. as well as l do. that q
good part Of the city Is made up of
foreigners one kind and another"
Miss Jane had emptied her culver,
and paused. but Calisia was running
her needle slowly through the block OF
pink print, as If every arrow had flown
over her head
She laid her work on her knee now.
md looked through the window away
20 the blue hills that melted into the
horizon. II didn't sleep much last
night she said, gently a shade stole
over Miss James sharp face. but Calista
went on, quietly-''and / thought, as |
laid In my good clean bed, Just as the
light was coming. and heard the birds
singing everywhere, and the lay-loeks
brushed against the window, and they
fmelied SO prctty-I 1 thought how Mis-
Chandler said some Of them dear little
things neyer'd smelt a rose, nor SO
much As seen any green grass
The voice ended In sObs, and Miss
Jane felt her own eyes grow dim, aud
realized that her sirong-tower OF de-
fense would fall II she fingered here
much longer
She rose determinedly, and tied her
bonnet-sirings in a snugger knot
fTherel don't feel bad about it.r she
said. IN think Il over, and-we'll
see. j"
Dear Lord. do Thou be in her
thoughts, " sileatiy prayed the sister
LEFT at home but she only said, oheerily,
A. Mss James shoes creaked out across
the kitchen ilo0r; ''l'hey' re the Lords
lite ones. you know, but Miss Jane
Founhsaied no reply.
Newer saw no grass, she sniffed,
rubbing her nose.
what nonsensel as much grass as
thfre y 10 tho wor,dl An / wont have
sarsf young one here" But as her
shoes trod encfeetically over the short,
crisp moss and crushed the fragrant
pernyfoyaL she found herself wonder
ing vaguely how II would seem # this
Ware tho first time
No ono Int herself AMI her God knew
oI The warfare that went on down IN the
Southwest posture that afternoon, bat
ke'|.|n kueN who hsd lhp slclory when