The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-07-23

vile-smelling caldron to keep the
stirrer going while she set about other
duties. Rilla honored pioneer custom
and her grandmother memory by per-
forming her soap lamentations in the
oldest, modest, most completely
shattered garment she possessed. This
was a red wood delaine, so abased
from its ruby tone that the drippings of
the I've gourd could find little remain
ing space to burn or spot.
They boiled soap in huge iron ket-
tie in the chip yard. The blue wood
smoke would envelop Rilla and her
furnished tatters as she ladled and
tested, until she looked witch-like to
passers along the road. Her unhappy
victim, the slim woman IN gray, with q
rope of roses wound spirally around her
from head to foot. burden Of roses on
her bosom, and roses studded thickly
along the band of her hat, sat on the
corded wood as far as Rilla would al
low from the soap, alternately inhaling
their odor and rejecting the alkali
steam. If Infant had to stir the soap.
she would have a long-handled stirrer.
The hot sun, beating on the chip yard
and her huge hat, smote also the roses,
and amidst their dying fragrance she
had sad thoughts on the disappoint-
ments of life So there was nothing
but the morning of rose day which
Rilla did not spoil.
But this fiftieth anniversary Infant
felt a sudden uplifting of courage with
in herself when her twin announced
the soap orgy.
my soap-boiling will not come any
more on rose day she put forth,
strongly. "And 1 think / viii pay
Enos Robb's wife to make up my
share of the fat and I've after this,
Rilla."
II would" said Rilla. sarcastically,
| particularly as EnOs RObb and his
wife and children don't batten on us al
ready. Give them the piano and the
| best parlor chairs and solid coffee ser
vice while you are about it.
''Why, Rilla, didn't propose to give
| her my share of the soap. But it would
/ be cheaply got rid of in that way.
Yes" exclaimed Infant with sudden
| recklessness, Il would rather bxg soap,
and pay out money to have this dirty
/ stuff carted off, than ever smell it again
while live. Let us make a new rule,
and give our fat and ashes to the RObbs.
| They have farmed for us ever since
| father died." Infant pleaded, ''and
| whatever you say, Billa, 81 know you
have the greatest confidence in them. F"
1.-The pOOr-house wagon is never
going to call for me-" said Rilla de-
| cidedly. "You can 60 and build a fire
under the kettle, while l carry some
more water to pour on the ash hopper.
| That I've is strong enough. to bear up a
setting of eggs, but we may need some
more a little weaker"
"Rilla, am as firm as the ash hop
per itself. You can't shake me any
| better than you could our brick smoke
| house. won't make any more soap
especially on rose day." added Infant
to herself Il don't see any sense in
| it.
But you can see sense in spelling
dozens of roses to load yourself up
with like a mad Ophelia. You feel
| above the associations of wash day,
| though the Princess Nausicaa didn' t. -
"Oh, Rilla, l don't feel above any
thing. / merely feel under that soap
/ kettle, and as if it would crush my
soul out, as the shields crushed Tarpeia,
| if I didn't throw it off. -
''Well, I am going to make soap, -
| said Rilla, whitening with intense dis
| approval of the liberty her twin pro-
/ posed to grasp. ''YOu are not minor,
| and if you were, I'm not your guar
/ dian. But if you propose to 90 to
/ yourself and leave me to myself, we
both know what belongs to US, and it
is easily done"
This time-wOrn hint, which in her
/ girlhoOd used to startle and distress
| Infant so much, made but the slightest
| impression on her hearing now, as she
| leaned over the veranda railing to look
! at the roses. There were such abundant
| stacks of them: she might cut and pile
| them into a pyramid almost as tall as
| herself. Such smooth, sweet tea-rOses,
| such crimson velvet-petaled Jacque-
minots, blush and white so fragrant
you would be willing to drown your
/ self in a sea of their scent; yellow roses
piercingly delightful, Prairie Queens
/ creeping all over the front of the
/ house, old hundred-leaved varieties,
having always in their depths a re-
minder of grandmother chests and
long, long past days. There were
| eighteen distinct families of roses, each
/ family a mighty tribe, marshalled be-
fore Infant on lawn and dewy stretch
of garden. 1t was rose day. She
would not let herself think of any thing
else. Rilla would not come to the EN-.
powered dinner table which Infant
prepared so carefully, and to which
she called her sister exactly as the
clock struck twelve. Rose day never
interfered with Infants duties. Hel
conscience acquitted her of Sinking
Often in dead winter-time, when the
snow piled up, and Enos Robb's family
settled down to the enjoyment of cold.
and rheumatism, she fed all the stool
herself.
Rilla turned her back on Infant,
several approaches, and dipped ly6
with a savagely noisy goUrd to quench
Infants voice. Slugs and ants in the
roses were no drawback at all to rose
day compared to Rilla. Habits of en-
durance become proof armor to one!
sensibilities in the course of life, how
ever, so Infant wandered off and alb
sorbed the beauty of that day almost a,
completely as if she did so with Rilla's
approval There was tremulous hea
over the meadows. The huge ant
strictly tended garden was a world by
itself. Beyond that stretched theil
orchard, having a run of clear water
winding through it, all thickly tufteC
along the margins with mint. Infant
stepped upon the spOngY lichens of the
fence and rested her arms upon the Tor
rail, while she looked along the'narroW
country thoroughfare. The sweet greer
world was dear enough to be pressed in
her arms. Mingled mint and rose
scents were satisfying. The noble
strength of their Norman colts pastur-
ing in the stock meadow was beautiful
to the eye. Infant loved TO hear the
pounding of those tufted feet, and tC
notice the brilliant blackness or gray
dappling of the young creatures coats
glistening in the sun. She did not ex
pect any thing more unusual to happier
on this rose day than her rebellion
against Rilla and the splendor of the
weather.
But who should come riding sudden