Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-27

Eliza had always spoken. 1t was one of the
trying things of every day that the elder
woman took pains to pronounce again in a diff
| ierent, snapplsh way, certain words with
winch her sons wife had been careless. But
she was limited in her own knowledge of polite
speech. and once Hannah gently reminded her
| tha1 the minister pronounced the adjective
| IN question after her own fashion. He had
used lt>several times in the long prayer that
| morning
They were washing the supper dishes to-
gether most amicably but at this difference of
/ opinion and fall OF pride Dams mother gave
afalterlng step or two toward the cupboard,
| then went to her own room and prepared to
pass the night i'll tears.
There. don't mind her one grain" said Dan.
who was sitting on the doorstep. ''She will
| have these spells. and the more YOU mind 'em
| the longer they last. She got sort of excited
! and wore out getting the house ready. and now
| the excitements gone she feels unstrung. She
SAID this mornin you was good girl, and she
| didn't know as could done better. Twas a
good deal for her to proffer, tell you" and he
| looked up affectionately at his young wife.
shes always crosswise Sunday evenings after
she gets tired goin to meetin. L expect
shall miss footin it over to see you and keep
company, he added, and they both laughed
| Poor thingl Sunday nights lonesome
time to set all alone" said kind-hearted Han
nan. I'm glad we're here, DAN Idon't mind
her much, and it's the best way to stand our
ground so fairs we can. She needs us to be
with her. There's lots of good things about
your mother. l thinkin' this morning
about something grandsire used to say she s
IKE COW Chat II give good pail O. milk an
then kick it over. 1t makes me feel bad when
see how she must have worked before was
married. l never saw house SO spick an
span from garnet to cellar"
Dan had a sad consciousness that this was
partly done out Of his mothers pride in her rep
utation as househeepcr, but he had wisdom
enough 70 keep things of that sort to himself.
He was joyfully happy and delighted in Ham
mans affection for him. after having been disap-
proved 80 long by his mother. shed go
through fire ana water any time. but she trips
up on nothin, and then blames other folks for
the fall, he said to himself. Come, Hannah,
let's so down the orchard lane" he added; and
away they went, and fingered about the old
pace until after moonrlse. making plans for
their work and their life together. 1t was pitt
full to think how much pleasanter it was to be
out-of-doors than III, but they could be happy
anywhere. The Sunday before had been rainy
and that morning they had III the country par
lance, appeared out" Hannah had worn her
simple wedding finery. and they had walked
up the aisle to their pew arm-in-arm The
heads of the congregation had turned us if a
wind had tossed them like heads of clover. and
after the service there was great Misunderstanding
and congratulations. 1t took socially the place
OF the formal wedding with invited guests but
Dams mother could not have cried harder
through the hymns and prayers or held her
handkerchief to her face more constantly dur
ing the long sermon.
''Sp0se she has seen trouble" said one in
dlgnant neighbor as they walked home to-
gether along the country road. ''Sove all the
rest of us that's come to her age. She's got a
habit o pityin' herself, and wants everybody
else to jine in. She pressed my hand comm
out o meetin, as if she was too full for words
but 1 says There, Ann Parish, whatever the
years has brought We, we've got the smartest
girl i'll town. an the best hearted, for darter-
ln-law.' She made out to wag her head an
say yes. But there, tits one of her down
times. an nobody can rise her out on 'em till
the 'pinted time, not if We blow her up with
powder"
Dams always jest so pleasant" said another
woman. I've seen the boy look ut her kind o.
sldewise when he come in to supper, and he'd
know right Off when he was little feller
whether 'twould do to say word or not She's
denied herself everything just because she was
pleased to, when Dan would ha' been only too
satisfied to have her spend what she wanted.
One time she even pinched herself O. eatin'
butter, SOS they'd have a mite more to SELL
''She never pinches herself O. strong tea, I've
observed, responded the other. Teas as bad
cuss to that make O. woman drink is to
drinkIn man. She keeps that old black teapot
on the back O. the stove day in an day out an
says there is nothin' but tea sustains her. told
her one day twas the cause o. her poor feelin's,
an she'd better sign the pledge an she never
hardly spoke to me the rest o. the day, though
I'd gone over neighborn' to help her quilt She
never asked me to stay to supper, nor said good
afternoon as l come away"
The listener chuckled with satisfaction. 81
afays thought I'd find out what twas come
atween you two that time. So twas on account
o the tea. was lt?' And they parted, one to go
up her own shady farm lane, and the other to
follow the main road a short distance. Just
then Dan and Hannah and old Mrs. Parish
drove by III their new twO-seated wagon. They
had received hearty greeting from their
friends. The women sat together on the back
mer shawl over Mother Parish's shoulders, for
the wind had gone into the east, and the air
was growing cool.
With all her kind determination and knowl-
edge beforehand of the inevitable difficulties.
Dams wife found her heart fail her more and
more as the summer days went by. She did not
mind the hard work of the farm; she had always
been used to hard work, and she grew fonder
and fonder of her own home and of Dan. She
had her faults, and hated them more than ever.
now that they were met by that chilling fog of
rebuke and disapproval. Sometimes the fog
would lift. and the elder woman would become
cheerful and companionable for a few DAYS,
and then it was really happy time as they sat
together at their sewing, or went about the
household work. Ann Parish would talk of the
past and Of Dams childhood, and give some
hint of her true affection for him which burned
warmly under the cover of selfshness and jeal-
ousy and criticism, which time had slowly
woven. Sometimes the poor woman would be-
come almost gay, and look young, even pretty,
in the exquisite neatness of her black print
gown and smooth hair. YOU'D know Mother
Parish was different from common folks" Ham
nah proudly whispered to Dan once, but next
morning the chilly fog was there again, and
seemed to fill the kitchen. Nothing suited:
Ann Parish worked harder than ever since her
daughter-in-law had come. She would not
admit that her labors were lessened, and was
heard to say that Hannah was willing, but she
had come of slipshod folks, and took hold of
everything in what she deemed the wrong way
To the outer world their relations looked fair
enough, and Dams work was away from the
house. So. since his wife was not a complainer
he did not know the worst of affairs, It really
seemed to poor Hannah sometimes that Dams
mother was going crazy. She used to be
melancholy and disappearing, but never spite
ful and contradictory as now. Hannah patiently
reminded herself that it was hard for an older
woman to give up the head of affairs, and some
times it still harder to keep the lead with
falling strength. But as the early autumn
came they were falling into a way of being
silent, and Hannah began to feel Iow-sprited
while Dan, who had been hindered about his
crops and disappointed, spoke sharpely, and for
the first time openly took his mothers side.
when his ignorance Of the matters in question
made him unjust.
Hannah's pretty girlish freshness seemed TO
be fading. Ann Parish herself grew thinner
and quicker and more convicting in manner: