Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1888-03-02
MISS BECKY'S HOME

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Miss Becky was going to tho "Old
/ dies home at last 1t was a sorry
fact, but there was nothing else for her
to do, it seemed. Who would think of
offering any otlor home to a poor,
almost helpless oil woman who had
outlived her usefulness Having passed
her days in other peoples houses, 50 to
speak, she might not mind it as much,
perhaps, as a more fortunate being.
Yes, she said, "thercs a vacancy
in the 'OId Ladies' home, and the
hundred dollars that Parson Amory left
me will pay my way IN, but it wouldn't
last long if | began to spend it. you
know, and shall have a warm bed and
my regular meals without Worrying
about where the next ones coming from.
I'm most tired worrying about the ways
and means. Seems as though l had
been about it all my life; ever since
-"'-AS' was bdhCH VIII ueuID ulScaSe T
hearing the class il algebra. Now that
the rheumatism has got the better of
me, so that l cant work in cold !
weather, and the doctor says it'll draw (
my fingers up so that l can't use them I
sooa, it doesn't seem as if there was any
thing left for me in this world but the
home-and l ought to be thankful for
that"
Miss Bockey had had other expects
tons in her day, wh3n young Larl
-rivcr to church on SUM-
mornings, when they sang together
the choir from the same hymn boo
when they loitered homeward in the
fragrant summer dusk, and heard the
whip poor-will complain and startled
the frc-1es in the hedges as they
crushed by. 1t sometimes seemed to
Miss Becky as if all this had happened
in another planet. She was young then,
with bloom on her cheek; but, al
though the rheumatism had bent her
figure and rendered her more or less hope
less at times, yet her dark, vclvety eyes
looked out like soft stars, and the ghost
of dimple still flickcred on her check
and chin in spite Of her sixty odd years.
Miss B2cky's father had been the dis
trict school teacher in those far-off days
of her girlhood. lie had taught her
the simple lore of his command, but it
was Larry Rogers who had taught her
music hour after hour in the empty
schoohouse; they had practiced together
while he wrote the score on the black
board.
But all this had not sufficed to enable
her to earn a livelihood Her educa-
tion, musical and otherwise had stopped
short of any commercial value. In
those days she never expected to earn
her living by the sweat of her brow.
Larry was going TO give her everything.
How trivial the little quarrel SCENE to-
day which circumv2nted this final re
solve of his. But what magnitude il
had assumed at the time. Ol his re
turn from a trip to ncighboring city
some bus usybody had whispered to Larry
that Miss Becky had been seen driving
with Squire Eustis' son, behind his
trotters Sam was just home from col
lege, harum-scarum fellow, they said,
who made love right and left and
gambled bit; and when Larry re
preached her with it she had not dc
MED she had simply said: "What them
If you choose to listen to gossip rather
than wait till you"
"But you didn't tell me, aud I've
been here a week"
81 had forgotten all about it till yol
reminded me !" said Becky
'It's such an everyday affair for yo,
to drive with Sam Eustls"- which in
crcdulity SO stung Becky that she woulC
not condescend to explain that she hac
carried some needle-work up to SQuir
Eustis', which she had been doing TO
his wife, and that as she left to wall
home Sam was just starting off with hi
smart chai'e and new dapple grays, anC
the squire had said, Take Miss Beck
home, Sam, and show her their PAGES; !;
and how she had been ashamed to re
fuse their kindness, although prefer
ing to walk thousand times; ant
how, once in the chaise, Sam had bee
the very pink Of courtesy, and begge
her to dnve over with him to Parse
Amorys, three miles out of her way
"that Lucy Amory may see you didn
disdain my company. For you see,
said Sam, who was not as black as h
was painted, or as many liked to sur
pose, Lucy can make me what sh
will; without her I shall be nothin
and nobody; but they've told her a
kinds Of wild things about me; they v
told her she might as well jump int
the river as marry such scapegract
And, perhaps, if l made her a liitl
isalous-you know there's DO harm j