Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-04


out; tn mice gets to it. You needn' empty
tn jug; tn milk II be good by tn morn.
in" And after looking on for moment
lat the girls work she slowly lighted a
candle and went her way
Emily was washing up the supper things
Cass held damp, unlovely cloth, and
wiped the plates and forks as Emily took
them, one by one, from the water. For
some minutes there was no sound in the
room but the clatter of plate touching
plate and the hiss of the gas turned low.
Cas- stood upright at her task; Emily
stopped little, with an air of WEAKNESS or
weakness which was habltual to her.
Neither had spoken. Emily looked as
she always looked-her thin little face al
most colorless, her eyes cast down, her
light hair drawn tightly back into little
hair-pinned knot behind, her print gown
limp, her manner gentle, deprecating.
There was no obvious change in her to-
night. Yet, before many minutes had
passed, it somehow became clear to Cass
that Emily was excited, that something
unusual had happened, that Emily had
something on her mind that she desired to
tell.
"They'm most DONE" said Emily at
last. Although the remark referred to
the dishes, Cass understood that it was
IN some way preparatory to more inn
portant communication. 1t broke the ST.
lence.
But it was not an answer that called for
answer or comment.
"There's tn tumblers," added Emily
gently, after minute.
Yes" said Cass.
Best change tn water" said Emily
waveringly.
Cass, without word, took the bowl and
changed the water rapidly.
"Its funny" said Emily in a timid and
reflective tone, as she dipped the first glass
IN the clean water and bathed away the
traces of rum and sugar, its funny to
think how all the days is tn same-layin'
meals, washin' up, brushin' an cleanin' an
maxim beds-an' yet how difer'nt-sort O.
differ nt-some days seems"
Cass was wiping glass with needless
vigor Somehow she knew beforehand
what was coming. Emily raised two light
'timid, pathetic eyes, and looked at her
with sort of deprecating glance
"Pd like to tell zee somethin' Cas-; but
you'll be angered WI me-"
Not /" said Cass shortly "Angered ?"
Not likelyw
But the assurance did not convey much
encouragement. Emily bent again to her
work in silence.
It's you an Jim, spose," said Cass
after a minute, as the silence lasted.
Yes. DON be angered, Cass-don't be
vexed-not long wi me- He wouldn't
take no. and did say no to n at first.
An he was always difier'nt to tn other
men-kind about things-an' serious, an
no nonsense an jeerin.' Only was afeard
you might-might take it unllind, Cas-
an be angered."
There was long pause. Cas- was strlv-
ing after impressiveness, eager to tell her
lie with force, with truth-like intensity.
She put both hands on the table, and,
leaning on the downturned palms, bent
across and looked steadily and calmly at
Emily, whose eyes fell
! "1ou'm in love wi JIM she said, "an'
you think all tn worlds in love tn same.
If I'd been in love wi N, Emily, should l
have cast n up? Tell me that Do | look
as if was frettin' do 1? Why, threw n
up meself. II was tired of his preachin'
ways; we'd been keepin' company long
enough, an | was tired of it. It's all one
to me what he does, an where he goes an
who he marries An Pm glad he's took up
wi you; you'm made fur 'n-just his sort
an you've set yer mind on n fur tn last
two year. It's naught to mean Pm glad.
Don talk o my bein' angered. Angered ?
What about? Might marry a dozen wives
fur all 'twould fret Mcknight be brought
in drowned tomorrow an | shouldn' fast
meself"
Emily was crying in nervous, feeble
way. When Cass stood dramatically and
spoke forcibly Emily was always little
frightened. Perhaps, too, the picture of
Jim with eleven rival wives and the re-
minder of the daily jeopardy of Jims
life at sea seemed malevolent.
Pm goin' to bed, j" said Cass in gentler
| tone. Tears, in spite of herself, always soft
ened her.; her instinct, like a mans, was
to run away from them. YOU'D bes' come,
too, En-"
Emily followed obediently, wiping her
eyes in the sleeve of her cotton gown and
crying still because she had once begun.
Cass looked at her uneasiy, feeling CON
sclence-stricken, as though in cowardly
fashion she had struck a child
I'm glad if you'm happy, En-" she
said. "Not carin' fur Jim meself, | can
be glad, you see"
" An you don care fur'n ?' said Emily
obviously. She was not shrewd at gauging
others feelings; but Indifference to Jim
seemed an incredible, an impossible thing.
She was not sure now that she had wished
Cass to be thus Indifferent; she had
thought, perhaps hoped, that Cass would
envy her a little. "Didn' you ever care ~
she aided. Did you like tn other men
JUS TIL same? He ism like tn other men,
Jim ism; he doesn' think O drinkin, an
spendin', an layin' out all his money on
hisself in plays an drink. He's chapel
man, Jim is"
"He's saint" said Cass.
Emily was following YEARLY up the
stairs, and for mement or two was silent.
You don speak very kind O JIM" she
said presently, in tone of querulous,
vague resentment.
Cass laughed little as she reached her
door. Youm able to do that yerself,
En-" she said. "Speak kind and do kind;
that's fur you. What | say an dos no
Odds"
She entered the room where her mother
was sleeping and shut the door behind her,
and Emily went on to her little cupboard
like bedroom near the sky. Sleep came
quickly to neither tonight. Emily was too
happy to go prosaically to bed she was
tired with the days running to and fro
but sleep was far from her eyes. She sat
at the foot of her bed and leaned her head
against the wall, and in slow, happy fashion
her thoughts rehearsed the interview of an
hour or two ago-what Jim had said what
she had answered; at what point in the
interview Jim's grave, gray eyes had
smiled at her; how she had looked down
at her cotton gown and wished she had
starched it ON Monday how Jim had
kissed her and she had hastily pulled down
her sleeves from her elbows to her wrists
with feeling that it was not seemly to be
courted thus, without her holiday attire,
with bare arms and turned-up gown; how
Jim had kissed her again and she had
cried for happiness, and continued to cry
because it proved so sweet to be comforted
Her pale little lips relaxed in smiles at
the pleasant memories. On Sunday she
would wear her best drab gown, with the
zizzag trimming at the bottom. On Mon
day-but there her thoughts became con-
fused, and passed slowly into dreams in
which ambition was not bounded by sordid
probability, and her best gown was lilac
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