Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-28
CASS.
CHAPTER 4.

sap. lie By. and shrek shrily, take up their car
gors OF cxcursionists and baskets and buster out
SGan. with much hauling OF ropes. much shout
0G. and counter-shouting and osths tempered 70
IN ears OF polite pleasure parties. n the year
1850 the boatmen watched their rivals jealousy
AMI were eloquent In the language OF abuse.
Their rivals have multiplied; the 0oatnan OF to-
day Is gloomy and has longer the spirit TO rail-
II Is still a place OF mysterious Charm to the rag
ged, shoeless, cheerful town urcbins who cohgre-
gate hear the waters edge. The shops do brisk
trade still In Boiled Reef and ham, buns and
pastry Dannels aud printed c0ttons, shell nSh,
nautical instruments. aud beer ard stout drank
on the premises; and stiI., IEiCors and out Of
doors the wholesome o1Ors of rope and tar and
seaweed pcrvade everything. But the SHOPS near
est the have gone; after the fire IN 1850 they
pulled down the Two Old houses and built again on
their sftesl AMI Cas-, who used to stand Their,
with her brown arms bare 20 the elbow, her hands
on her hips fearless as the sailors, and as ready
with her laugh and jest and abuse-CaSs Is gone
with the old houses and the old times.
Cass was the beauty or the Hard, and knew IL,
and enjoyed the knowledge. She enjoyed IL as a
prince enjoys his title and an OLD poet HIS renown;
She would have scorned 10 let admiration futter
her. She sat on the doorstep OF the shop when she
was child ana looked up into the faces OF strange
ladies' and gentlemen who pointed her out TO one
another suddenly as they passed, and was una
dashed when they stopped TO survey her closely.
s sns G Saze bse HE nns Eenmen smiled at
her. the ine ladies lifted their gowns a little and
bent down 10 question her In simple language
"Apd what - your name, little giIi:'
.Cass Brady. what's yourn." she said, and
looked at her friends the boatmen TO approve and
The gentlemen would laugh as they strolled on;
the ladies would murmur something gently about
manners Cas- had sharp ears and clear young
voice. Her voice would follow the strangers on
their way.
Manners, An where's yer owne Manners's
good as yourn any day, reckon When pays me
OeDly week i won come your way. NO lear"
And the ooatmen aPpla1ded loudly; ,
Trust you, said the men, admirngly.
Cass was pretty at eight years old, and prettier
at eighteen Her skin was as warm brown as
that OF the young Italian girls who sang In the
streets IN picturesque attire; her eyes were as
brown as theirs and brighter and more fearless;
nom her brow; her teeth were white, her lips
rosy without being sensual; her head was well
poised, her ngure strongly yet slenderiy knit II
street, II her repartee was sometimes more rough
than decorous, her audience was not critical on
nignly; the young men liked a girl VINO could hold
her own, cap Jest with JEST turn the satire against
tho satirist, laugh indiferenty at compliments
and whistle and hum unmOved whrn the chapel
preacher and the temperance missionary came
down 10 the Hard 70 proselytize.
shop that sold cooked meats, hot and cold. po-
tatoes Drowned at the top, moist with gravy be
meath, steaming tea and coffee, home-mad cake
O. a 1ch and weighty kind, and many other deli
cacies-a shop which described itself yulgarly as
an ..ea;ing house." hard-featured, gray CON-
piexioned woman sat behind the counter, served
her customers deliberately with no unbecoming
eagerness, and served all alike without favor met
ing out the exact proportion Of butter to each
slice or bread, the Just amount OF mustard to
each plate. Her lips were straight, and opened
and shut without lending much expression 10 her
face her eyes rested shrewdly but without Interest
On her customers and acquaintances, on Emily,
her gentle niece, and on Cas-, her daughter. she
was woman who had seen trouble, and her
troubles had made her stolid.
Mrs Bradys was a well populated house; every
room had It's LOGGER. some more than one. The
dodgers were for the most part old, lonely,
weather-beaten men. who turned In at night and
out In the morning and made little work. They
took their breakfasts. and sometimes teas and
suppers In two dark little rooms Dehind the shop,
where the tables had oil-cloth covers which could
be washed down and dried on the spot at
moments notice. without expense. Emily, in a
patient. gentle way, brought the meals; Cass
came Ia and out and brought laughter 10 season
the meals. ana heard complimentary comments on
her bright eyes, her pretty lips and complexion.
and was In no way dlsconrerted. And when Jim
cross, the youngest LOGGER, with whom Cas- FOR
the last four years had been excepting company"
looked up sternly and DISAPPOINTMENT Cass stafd
longer and laughed more gayly 10 prove her
Things were going wrong between jim and Cass
Perhaps some enc was making mischief secretly;
perhaps the .preachings7 jim mad attended lately
clearer-Sishted about Cass and the ungody bent
OF her nature: perhaps-it Is useless specializing
sfins and too proud TO attempt 20 set them right.
And AZ last they reached a crisis.
IL was late In winter. The short afternoon was
almost over, and the gas. just lighted in the public
house next door 70 the Bradys shone out through
the red curt aims and made the wet str ct darker
and colder. Cass looked out at the gray water and
the moored boats and snivered and up at the star
less sky and shivered again: There was no one to
talk 70 and nothing TO LOOK at. The Hard was de-
serted Presently sailor passed Cass and sad
Goodnight, me DEAR" Familiarity.
Good night" said Cass, friendly ever whether
TO friend or stranger "How long have been yer
DEAR
Her mother, sewing in her shop. raised her eyes
from her work lust then, and called To her In nat
level tones TO come indoors and Cass at her leisure
what be dom theree You'm always in III.
was spoken, not ENORMOUSLY, not apxiously IN a
dull. grim, even way OF her own. take am bide
IN, can't zee: $ no good TO be got In tn streets
An Jun dol' IKE 10 see 'ee. Get an apern an sit
down decent"
Cass had some rudimentary notion OF f,lial defer
ence, but none OF wifely. Sue opened drawer In
the counter and took an apron and some needle
work tnererrom, and donned the former as a sym
Dol OF decency, whilst she threaded q needle with
ayard Of cotton. So much was In Difference to
her mothers pre1udices. but she protested against
III jim don't like my ways she said, leaning
against the wall TO sew, and putting visible
stitches In some cotton garment, and speaking
MARVIN with jim"
Hes a Study man. said Mrs. Brady, cheer
lessly, in an absent-ninded way, as one who
speaks In the present with her thoughts In the
quently, but 1ercely, II don't Jim's took up
with IN preachin now"-jerk, and a bigger stitch
than usual In the white calico-"he'd 6es' marry
one o. they"
Mrs Brady was sewing, too, slowly and monoto-
0ously, with an action as unlike her daughters as
was possible. There was yer father, she said;
he'd niyer good word fur tn chapel folk: an as
fur stiddlness he drinked nself 10 death an that
you know"
There was moral somewhere connected with
these "reminiscences, but Mrs. Brady was too de-
pressed 70 point IL clearly. Cas- pursued her own
line OF thought unchecked.
There's Emily" she said. 'If he wants Saint
neo oes' take up with Emily. I'm willin."
Conversation between Cass and her mother
tended 70 become sonloQuy. Mrs. Brady took up
the thread OF her own reflections, ''The life lead
with nj" she said. 'If tn Lord q sin NJ TO take
a twenty years afore He did, 'twould been all fur
IN best, al I'd been THANKFUL But therei I
lived with n: nobody else knows n In same way.
But Jim, he's Study man"
Cas- smiled little inyoluAtarily and drew out
ner cotton With more gentleness. IL was not
unpleasing 70 her 70 hear Jims praises sung
AN serious rhink1nI,T added her mother s'He
WAS fond q 'ee-A while back he was. EmIy,s
Qneter spoken an not so took up WI tn men,
AZ tnere were gaps In ner mothers train OF rea-
DninG cas- was Quick-witted and filled them up.
SIZE vas sezed with Q sudden restlessness and
sook ner oeediework 70 the door, where, however,
" was TOO dArk 70 sew. The wind swept In coldIy
from The sea, and blew about her hair and her
orea. ana increased her restlessnesa she pur up
nef erme ana ciasped her hands behind hdf head
and looked up the street, where the lights seemed
U19ntef Presently came Q step She knew and
sne turned quickly and locked out at sea into the
1Hs sep was nrm and heavy-noc a s,otnru, ano
noe . hurried step-the step Of q man with Sordix
Ie0xI0 AID strength limb IN afon,,a.S - o-