Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-03-04
A NEWSPAPER FILE,

a NEWSPAPER Flhk
From Harper's Bazar.l
It was two days after Aunt Priscilla I
funeral, and Sue and were sitting to-
gether by the kitchen fire. with that
hush over our spirits still which fol
lows a. death and a. burial. All thu
afternoon we had been busy in getting
the house to rights, not meddling yet
with the things which had been hers
and were now ours, but by dint of oper
windows, sunshine, and furniture dust
ed and rearranged, trying to restore to
the rooms that familiar look which
they had lost during these weeks Of
anxiety and trouble. A few days moro
and We must face a future which was
full OF terrors. Meanwhile, custom as
well as inclination accorded a brief res.
pitc in which to think OF her who was
gone, and of each other, with the
clinging fondness of those whose lives
never before parted, were about to
separate.
Sue sat on a low stool, her head
against the chimney jamb. 1t was the
chimney OF Aunt Priscilla's youth
she never would alter tone of the
wide, old-fasihoned kind, with pot.
hooks and blazing logs, and bake-oy.
en- at one side. The soot-blackened
bricks and faint red glow made a back.
ground for'my sisters head, with its
great twist of fair hair and lily-like
slender throat. Sue is very pretty
prettier than anybody l ever saw. ]
recollect a picture as / looked at her
q picture OF Cinderella sitting in just
such an attitude by the chimney-side
She was equally picturesque at that
moment; sofar. as looks go, equally
worthy OF prince; but, alas! no fairy
god-mother was likely to emerge from
the apple-room for her benefit. Aunt
Pris, who in a small way had enacted
that part towards us, was gone, and
her big rockingham which we had nc
heart to sit in, swung empty in it's &C
customed place, type of @ like empti
ness which we were conscious of moth
er things, and would feel for q long
time to come.
Neither OF us spoke for awhile. W.
were tired and spiritless, and John
Slade was coming presently to talk
over things, so we saved our words.
DIR. Slade-John-Was Sues lover
Their poor little engagement had beer
formed two years ago. How many
years it was likely to last nobody
could guess; but they held ON to it
bravely, and were content to wait
Pretty soon, as we sat waiting, his
step sounded without on the gravel
and with little tap-courteous, but
unnecessary, for the door was never
locked-he entered, gave Sue a gentle
kiss, me another, and sat down be-
tween us in a,,nty's rockingham. It
was q comfort to have him do that
The house seemed less forlorn at once
"Well, children, how has the day
gomez" he asked.
"Pretty WE'LL" replied Sue. awe
have been busy, and are tired tonight
l think. Pm glad you are come, John
dear. We are getting lonely and dis
NAL, Cree and l."
Lucretia is my name, but Sue and
Aunt Priscilla always called me "Cree. .
John adjusted a stick on the embers
and with one daring poke sent a
tongue of bright flame upward before
he answered. Then he took Sues
hand in his broad palm, and pattine
it gently said:
Now let's talk over matters. We
ought to decide what we are to do, We
three
That "three" was very comforting to
me, but John always is a comfort. He
was "made so" Aunt Pris said. And
he certainly carries out the purpose Of
his creation.
"Did your aunt leave any will?" he
went on.
"Only this" and brought from be-
tween the leaves of the big Bible, where
we had found it, q half sheet of note
paper, on which dear aunty had stat
ed, in her own simple form, that she
left all she had to be equally divided
between her nieces, Susan and Lucre
tia Pendexter. Squire p Packard g name
and Sarah Brackets, our old washer
woman, were written below as wit
nesses.
every WE'LL" said John. "That't
good in law, fancy or, if not, you
are the nearest relatives, and it's
yours anyway. What property die
your aunt own besides this house?"
"Shd had an annuity of two hun
dred and fifty year, and fifty dollars
more from some turnpike stock
That's all, except the house and .furni
ture, and there is q mortgage of $500
on that. Squire, Packard holds it
The annuity stops now, doesn't it ?"
John looked as though he wanted
to whistle, but RETAINED.
"Your aunt was clever manager, ,
he said-"a capital manager. Sh.
made very little 60 great way
didn't she? l don't know any one elst
who could live on three hundred 8
year, with mortgage interest taker
out. You have always seemed coy
and comfortable.
eve always have been. But we hac
the garden you know, and the COW
that gave us two-thirds of our living
Aunty was a wonderful housekeeper
though. Isn't it q great deal cheaper
to feed women than men? She always
said 500
"Isupposeit is. Men are carnivorous
A diet OF tea and vegetables don't suit
them very we'll; they are apt tc
grumble for something more solid
Well, my dear. girls, our. summing .ul
isn't very satisfactory. Even without
the mortgage, you couldn't live on fit y
dollars year. u '<'
"No. And I've been thinking what
We could do. So has Cree, though W
haven't spoken 80 each other about it
I might teach ii district school, per
haps. and Cree = E{sFs#| z1
"I1coud take q place as plain cook
There isn't anything else l can do sc
well. Plaincooking, with dripping anG
soapfat by way Of perquisites;" and
gave a laugh which was meant to b.
merry.
1T is hard" said. John with q
moody look on his face which was for
eign to its usual frank brightness
s'How much q little money would
sometimes do for people who can't gel
it, and how little it is worth to othe,
,oo@,olo 1.,h1 Q:o~ - n~..o1~ W.T. ND ,