The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-08-10

dull wonder in her face. EFF yeh
ha'bor any sech curyus notion ez thet, y
she began, in hurried way, syeh
orter hev hearn me talkin' to Mis-
Wenzle this mo'nin'. Bein' a new
conner hyere, she hedn't got at the
rights of it, SO she asst me how 'twuz.
| told her how some un knocked off
them four pickets, an Liza Ann 5
hens consequently KEN steppin' over
inter my flower beds one day, and how
Liza Ann lowed l could hev the fence
mended EFF he'd any prejerdice agin
hens; an afterwards how she found a
spreckled pullet dead, an wouldn t
hev it no other way then tibet l he'd
pisened it; an how we he'd high words
bout it, an hewitt ez much. ez passed
the time o. day with each other fer ten
year come the 21st o. this month"
81 hope yeh told her yehr husband
backed yeh up in this matter?" sug-
gested Mr.. Loves.
Eyes, I made mention OF it," said
Ellen, rather slowly. Perhaps she was
wondering in sort of formless way if
her husbands rigorous upholding of
her side of the quarrel had not changed
it from an affair of trifing moment to
this family matter involving so much
bitter feeling. She hardly knew how
often she had been stung to renewed
Indignation against her sister by the
small pin thrusts of Adkins ill-hu-
mored illusions. He had no special dis
like for Liza Ann, but preferred to
keep his wife to himself as far as posi-
BILE. He fancied himself an unbiased OBJ
server of the affair and always spoke
to his sister-in-law with studied polite
ness.
AS the winter wore on, things in the
Loves family began to show dreary
complexion. Adkins had not been well
for some time; his habit of regarding
himself as the continual victim of this
or that disorder perhaps aggravated
his condition, but there was really
some physical basis for the airy struct-
ure of foreboding which he was now
rearing. +" When them naples in the
side yard gifts green agin / won't be
hyere to see 'em,' he said one day in
February. the strain of weakly senti-
ment in his withered old form giving
him kind of pleasure in the thought.
"I'll be sleepin' calm an still by the
time robins gifts hyere. l may ez well
go; l amt skesly ever able to git to
work no more, an sense you've been
taking in SEWN I've noticed thet yeh
hewitt treated me like yeh ulster do,
Ellen"
He looked to see how his wife was
touched by this remark, but she went
out of the room so hastily that he
was unable to judge of her feelings.
She hurried into the back yard and
sat down on a wash-bench behind the
wood-shed, her apron thrown over her
head, her whole bony frame shaking
with emotion.
"He goin' to die-oh, know he's
fixin' to del" she groaned. can yit
thar's nothin' the matter 18th him,
'cept jest low sperits an a tech of agyer.
He needs strengthenin' things to
eat, somethin' tasty, an we're most
out of ev'ything in the way of eatin'.
Adkins wouldn't hyear to me borrow
in nothin', an l can't seem to git no
more sewin'. Oh, l wish I'd never
ben born, eff twuz on'y to lose Adkins
An me bad frien's it'll all the kin I
got in the world"
She lowered her apron after awhile,
and stared unseeingly into the clear
sky, against which the stark trees lift
ed their empty hands; fat fir-tree
near by her blotted up all the shad-
ows of the landscape, and crouched
close to the ground as if soggy with
gloom. Ellen regarded it with shiver
of horror. Them evergreens alwuz
did put me in mind of grave-yards an
fun'ruls an sech like. / hate 'em on the
face O. the yearth.'
just then a movement in the lower
branches caught her eye; white hen
was coming out from the dim region
below the tree, the cackle of triumph
that strained her neck seeming to
project her along by sheer force of
elasticity.
"Thet's one O. Liza AIMS hens.n
thought Ellen; 81 shouldn't wonder
eff thar wuz an egg onder the tree
She gazed at the dusky pyramid as if
fascinated. Its in my yard" she
thought again. Eggs are awful high
yit. 1t nd do Adkins heap O. good,
sof' billed"
She gasped in a choking way at the
guilty purpose that was forming in
her mind, then she remembered her
husbands reference to his grave, and
was decided. She stepped forward,
and went down on her knees beside the
tree. A thick mass of piny needles
covered the ground underneath, and
there in dark hollow lay an egg. 1t
was some little time before she reached
in and took it forth. Once light wind
caused a sharp branch to smite her
harshly on the cheek, as if with an
accusing finger; again some of the
resinous twigs dragged at her sleeve
like hands stretched up from the lower
world to pluck her down. She start
ed back, but finally grew frmer, and
laid hold of the egg. Then she fut-
tered toward The house with nervous,
uncertain motion, as if blown by the
conflict of her thoughts.
Adkins ate the egg with something
like a relish. 81 kind O. enjoyed nv
dinner to-day" he admitted, in rather
a surprised tone. 'Mebby eff yeh' d try
to git me up somethin' sorter tasty a
little oftener it WOULDN'T do me no hurt.
l reckon it's better fer all hands,
though, fer me to jest fade away 18th
the winter, kind o. like snowflake
meltin' in the sun; it's best I shud go. y
Ellen did not reply, but there was a
curious sternness on her purplish lips.
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