Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-07-17

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 abaScd
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 a huge iron ket'
tic in the chip yard. The blue wood
smoke would cnvelop Rilla and hel
furnished tattcrS as she ladled and
tested, until she looked witch-like ia
paSScrs along the road. Her unhappy
victim. the slim woman IN gray, with a
rope of roses wound spirally around her
from head to foot. a burden of roses on
her bosom, and roses studded thicklv
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. Ii Infant had to stir the soap.
she would have a long-haudlcd s%tirrer.
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-
mcnts of life. So there was nothing
but the morning of rose day which
Rilla did not spoil.
But this fftieth anniversary Infant
felt a sudden uplifting of courage with
in herself when her twin announced
the soap orgy.
"Ny >oap-boiling will not come any
more on rose day. she put forth,
strongly. And | think | will pay
Enos Robb's wife to make up my
share of the fat and I've after this,
Rilla,'
Il would" said Rilla, sarcastically,
"particularly as Enos Rohb and his
wife and children don't batten onus 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 chcaply got rid of in that way,
Yes exclaimed Infant with sudden
rcckleSsness. Il would rather bnY 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 rive our fat and ashes to the RobbS.
They have tarmed for us ever since
father died. Infant pleaded. land
whatever you say, RilIa, II know You
have the greatest confidence in hem. -
''The poor-houSe wagon is never
going 10 call for me- said Rilla de-
cidedly. 'You can 90, and build a fire
under the kettle, while | 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 Il 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. II don't see amy 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. | don't feel above any
thing, merely feel under that soap
kettle. and as if it would crush my
soul out, aSthc shields crushed Tarpcia,
if | didn't throw it OFF"
'Well, | am going to make soap"
said Rilla, whitening with intense dis
approval of the liberty her twin pro-
posed to grasp. "You are not a 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 timc-worn hint. which in hen
girlhood used to >tartlc and distress
Infant so much, made but the slightest
impression ON her hearing now, As she
leaned over the vcranda railing TO look
at the roses. There We're such abundant
stack, of them: she might cut and pile
them into a pyramid almost Il, tall as
herself. Such smooth, sweet tca-roscs,
such crimson yclyet-petalcd Jacquc.
minots. blush and white so fragrant
You would be willing to drown your.
self in a SEA of their scent; yellow rose,
piercingly delightful, Prairie Queen,
creeping all over the front of tn,
house, old hundrrd-leavcd varieties
having always in their depths a re
mimder of grandmothrr'S chests ant
long, long past days. There wcr,
eighteen distinct famiIic, of roses. cacI
family Il mighty tribe, marshallcd he
fore Infant ON lawn aud dcwy Strctcl
of garden. Ii was rose day, Sh,
would not let herself think of any thin.
else. Rilla would not come to the EN-
lowered dinner table which lnfan
prepared 80 carefully, and to whicI
she called her sister exactly as tn
clock struck twelve. Rose day nevc
intcrfercd with Infants duties. lie
conscience acquitted her of Sinking
Often in dead wintcr-timc. when tn
snow piled up, and EnoS Robb's famil
settled down to the enjoyment of cold
and rheumatism, she fed all the stoc
herself.
Rilla turned her back on Infant
several approaches, and dipped ly
with a Savagcly noisy gourd to quenc
lnfantS voice. SlugS and ants in tn
roses were no drawback at all to ros
day compared to Rilla. Habits of er
durancc become proof armor TO one
sensibilities in the course of life, how
ever, so Infant wandered off and al
sorbed the beauty of that day almost &
completely as if she did so with Rilla'
approval. There was a tremulous hef
over the meadows. The huge an
strictly tended garden was Il world b
itself. Beyond that stretched thei
orchard, having a run of clear waite
winding through it. all thickly tufte
along the margins with mint. lnfar
stepped upon the spongy lichens of tn
fence and rested her arms upon the 10
rail, while she looked along the narro'
country thoroughfare. The sweet gree
world was dear enough to be pressed i
her rms Mingled mint and ros
scents were satisfying. The mob
strength of their Norman colts pastul
ing in the stock meadow wa beautifl
to the eye. Infant loved to hear I'll
pounding of those tufted feet, and
notice the brilliant blackness or IRA
dappling of the young creatures Goa
g%listeninV i'm the sun. She did not %,
pect any thing more unusual to happe
on this rose day than her rebellio
against Rilla and the ~splendor of tn
weather.
d. .L