The Portland daily press., 1889-08-22

M l was glad to have Mrs. Peet amused, and
VIZ were as cheerful as we could be for few
tiihutes. ohe said earnestly that she hoped
s w pe forgiven for such talk, but there were
soMe Ki1ds of folks in the cars that she
never had seen before. But when the
conductor came to take her ticket. she
reiapsed into her first state Of mind, and was
at a loss.
You'll have to look after. me dear,
Wnen we get to ShIew;s6urg;a sne saia
in hunting for the ticket, and the cat had
almost escaped from the basket, and the
bundle-handkerchief had become united and
all its miscellaneous contents scattered about
collection Of the last odds and ends of Mrs.
Poets housekeeping; some battered books,
and singed holders of fiatirons, and the fadep
little shoulder shawl that had seen her
wear many day about her bent shoulders.
There were her old tin matchbox spilling
all its matches, and go0se-wing for brush
ing up ashes, and her much.thumbed Leav-
tits Almanac. 1t was most pathetic to see
these poor trifies out of the places. At last
the ticket was found in her lefthand wooden
glove, where her stiff. work-worn hand had
grown use to the feeling oft.
II shouldn't wonder, now, If / come to
like living over to Shrewsbury irst-class,"
she insisted, turning to me with hopeful,
eager look to see II l differed. 'You see
twon't be so tough for me as If hadn't
always felt it lurking. within me to go off
some day or mother an see how other folks
did things. do know but what the Winn
gals have laid up somethin' sufficient for us
to take house, with the little mite I've got
by me. might keep house for us all. stead
O. boardin,. round in other folks houses.
That amt never been demeaned to, but
dare say should find it pleasant in some
ways. Town folks has got the upper hand
O. country folks, but with all their work am
pride they. can't make a dandelion. do
know the times when I've set out to wash
Monday m9Inin's an tied out the line be-
twixt the old pucker-pear tree and the corner
O. the barn, an thought, Here be with
the same kind o. weeks work right over
again. I'd wonder kind O. fierce If 1
couldn't git out of 1t noways; an now here
l be out of 1t, and an ,uprooteder creatur'
never stood on the airth. Just as 1 got to
feel had somethin' ahead come that spool
factory business. There! you know he
never was aforehanded man; his health was
slim, and he got discouraged pretty nigh
before ever he begun. hope he don't know
we'll off; he'll do the right thing by ye,' says
he. But my! turned hot all over when /
found out what I'd put my name tome that
had always ben counted smart woman! l
did undertake to read it over, but couldn't
sense it. I've told all the folks so when they
laid it OF on to me some; but hand-writin'
is awful tedious, and my head felt that day
as If the works was gone."
Il amt goin' to sag on to nobody" she
assured me eagerly as the train rushed
along. "Pve got more work in me now than
folks expects at my, age. ! may be con-
id'able use to Isabella. She's got family,
an I'll take right holt in the kitchen or with
the little gals. Isabella was never one that
liked homework. Little gals! 1 do know
now but what they must be about grown,
time does slip away so. Iexpect shall look
outlandish to 'em. But there! everybody
knows me to home, an nobody knows me to
Shrewsbury; 'twon,t make mite O. diff
ference, IL l take holt within"
hoped, as looked at Mrs. Peet, that she
would never be persuaded to cast off the
gathered brown silk bonnet and the plaid
shawl that she had worn so many years. but
Isabella might think it best to insist upon
more modern fashions. Mrs. Peet suggested,
as If 1t were matter of little consequence,
that she had kept 1t in mind to buy some
mourning; but there were other things to be
thought Of first, and so she had let it go until
winter, any way, or until she should be fairly
settled in Shrewsbury.
Are your nieces expecting you by this
train" | was moved to ask, though with all
the good souls ready talk and appealing
manner could hardly believe that she was
going to Shrewsbury for more than visit;
1t seemed as IL she must return to the worn
old farmhouse over by the sheeplands. She
written for her the day before, and there was
evidently little uneasiness about her first
receptions.
We drew near the junction where must
leave her within mile OF the town. The
cat was clawing Indignantly at her basket,
and her mistress grew as impatient of the
car. She began to look very old and pale,
my poor fellow-traveler, and said that she
felt dizzy, going so fast. Presently the
friendly. red checked young brakeman came
along, bringing the carpet-bag and other
alarmed cat beside, in spite of an aggressive
paw that had worked its way through the
wicker prison. Mrs. Peet watched her
goods disappear with suspicious eyes, and
clutched her INTERCHANGEABLE as if it
might be all she could save. Then she
anxiously got to her feet, much to soon, and
when i said good-by to her at the car door
she was ready to cry.
At the last minute ail, she said, will deep
word about your folks. but you ought to
excuse such an old stray hen as be-"
In the spring / was driving by on wha
the old people Of my native town call the
sheep-lands road, and the. sight of Mrs.
Peets former home brought our journey
freshly to mind. l had heard from her last
just after she got to Shrewsbury when she
had sent me message.
"Have you ever heard how she got on?"
l eagerly asked my companion.
"Didn't / tell you that l met her in
Shrewsbury High Street one day?" / was
answered. "She seemed perfectly delighted
with everything. Her nieces have laid up
good bit OF money, and are soon to leave the
MILL and most thankful to have old Mrs.
Peet with them. Somebody told me that
they wished to buy the farm here, and come
back to live; but she wouldn't hear of it,
and thought they would miss too many
privileges. She has been going to concerts
this winter, and insists that Isaiah did her
A little way beyond we met Isiah Peet,
the prosperous money-lender, who. had
cheated the old woman Of her own. | fam
cied that he looked somewhat ashamed, as
he recognized US. To my surprise, he
stopped his horse in most social fashion.
"Old Aunt Poets passed away" he in
formed me briskly. "She had a shock. and
went right off sudden yesterday forenoon.
Pm about now tendin' to the funeral range.
ments. She's ben extry smart, they say, all
winter,-out to meetin' last Sabbath; never
enjoyed herself so complete as she has this
past month. She'd ben a very hard-workin'
woman. Her folks was glad to have her
there, and give her every attention"
had counted upon seeing her again, and
hearing her own account of Shrewsbury life
its pleasures and its limitations. l wonder
what has become of the cat and the contents
of the faded bundle-handkerchief.