Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-10-11


was making Agnes life miserable. i was
prepared TO detest Miss Mamie, but was agree
ably disappointed In her. She was a spirited
brunette, whose only tendency to giddiness-
at least all / could dscovcr-was habit OF
laughing unrestrainedly and using schoolgirl
slang.
''How awfully much Becca is growing TO
look like you" she said to Henry one day
when she had been there nearly a week.
"Do you think soi Now think she more
and more resembles her santed mother every
day."
Mamie looked puzzled moment then burst
out laughing.
Fancy the Madonna with turn-up nose !"
she exclaimed.
~ don't understand you" said Henry.
''Didn't understand you 20 say she looked
like the VIrginl You said 'her sainted
mother"
~ meant her natural not her spirited
mother"
"Wel, reckon you wouldn't try to make
Mag out a saInti II you would what would
you call Agness" she asked, with frankness
that seemed to annoy her brother.
Agnes is a good woman, too" he replied,
gravely.
II should think sop exclaimed Mamie.
"Why II you had made remarks about the
pancakes to Mag as you did to Agnes this
morning, she would have thrown the whole
platoful into your face So would /, for that
matter. 1 shouldn't have been surprised To
hear you call heI a saint but think you
must be losing your memory II you imagine
Mag to have possessed any such thing as
salntliness My goodness, how she used to AXE
you over the Goals ~ ratified on the young
lady, greatly to my amusement and Hepry's
discontinue. ~ should think you'd miss
something out OF your life If Agnes Is always
like she is since Pve been here, Never a day
went over but you and Mag had a quarrel
when l was at your house during her life
time"
~ was entirely at fault" he said with a
very red embarrassed countenance. 81 have
tried to oe very different with Agnes"
"Wel," laughed Mamie, it does me good
10 hear a man acknowledge that he Is at fault
about anything, but l can't say entirely
agree with you in this case. Now there was
that time she hit you over the head with the
skillet because you insisted upon her wearing
heavy shoes in wet weather 1 don't really
think -
"Magge is dead, you must remember"
her rest peacefully in her gravel"
This same thought had sometimes occurred
to me, during my stay there, when he had
been constantly dragging her name into the
conversation in most uncalled for places.
II know it's customary to say nothing but
good OF the dead" replied saucy Mamie, 'but
couldn't help calling these things to mind
when you intimated that Mag was of an an
gelic disposition"
could have embraced Miss Name for
these utterances. However they may have
wounded her brothers. feelings, they were
balm to mine. / will even admit that they
were impudent and irreverent but | thought
they were deserved, and they had the good
effect to save me from the annoyance Of hear
ing anything more about the departed an
gel" for some days
One morning when Henry had gone to town,
sat In the sittlng-room reading. Agnes was
comblng Beccs's hair, and Mamie was idly
turning over the books and looking through
them.
What an odd creature you are ~ she ex-
claimed, suddenly turning to Agnes, Here,
you've got Msg's picture next to HenrJ's in
| your Bible"
THAT was hers. Henry gave 1t to me few
| that leave II just as IL was, " rep led Agnes.
What dill lie give it 10 you for il he
wanted TO keep it undisturbcdl To be ag-
eravatingln inquired Mamie, Indignantly
| III ever have a husband, GU can bet your
| basic shekel no Other wOman's picture Will
have place next his--request or no request.
! What excuse did he have the cheek to make
| for such IA request, anyhow9"
ole said hc should always loyJ me next to
-to-his first wife, and lie gave me the Bible
because it was hers, aud was the only person
he felt willing should have it, explained Ag-
mes, embarrassed.
"And yoH didn't throw 1t at his headl' in
CURED Mamie, wonderingly. "Well, / must
| say you are a-shall say saint or simpleton,
Mr. lIarlen!' she asked, turning to me.
"Botb," | said, half impatiently Agnes
submission annoyed me.
81 don't see what makes Henry so rdicu-
| lous about his first wife" Mamie said, after
Agnes had quilted the room. al can see tina t
1t hurts Agnes TO nave him always making
out that Mag was superior to her; but she
wasn't, by long way. When they were first
married she did seem real good, though no
one could ever convince mamma that her
| goodness was siLcerc She always declared
she was hypocrite, but she and Henry got
along all right till ola Dame Plgeontrot-
that's Mays mother-put IN her appearance
I'll never forget what spectacle she was the
first time she came to see them. They we're
over at our house and she came there to see
them. She WAS the hardest looking specimen
Of the human race l ever laid my eyes on
She wore black dress sewn with white thread
pair of shoes that certainly never had been
BACKED, and they were laced with wrapping
twne twisted and doubled. Her dress came
to her shoe tops in front and reached the floor
behind her. But her looks were the best
part of her. She was a Jezebel, let me tell
you.
"Henry would have gwen anything to have
kept US from finding out about her at homc
but 1t was the talk of the neighborhood what
a dsagreeabe old woman she was, and OF
course 1t reached our ears. Henry still held
up for Mag, declaring she was not at all like
the rest or her folks TIL one day mamma gave
him her opinion, that 1t was possible, yet
hardly probable, that dove could be reared
IN hawks nest. You see we had heard
ak hnt ha oh "A,