Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-10-31
Grandma Bakers Thumb.
SOPHIE swErr IN HARPER's WEEKLY.

"Wben is that gin over to Manning
a coin, homef" demaIded old Mrs. Baker,
in an arerieved tone, of her grandson Ru-
dolnhus who was m,ditatively whiting
nnon the door-stone. IF shs Keeps school,
vhv amt she a-doin' Of it, instid of spend
in, her time a-traipsin' round herel'
Rudolphus pretended not to hear-a pro-
voking habit of his.
mIt's time she was earnin' herself some
! a ecent clo'es. if all SHE'S got is the rigs she
wears round here" continued the queru-
Ions old voice from the bedroom. ''Last
time she came oveI here-tims you was
down TO the cranbr7 medder-she had on
little mite of white cap atop OF her
waller hair, and hue and white flannel
dress striped like ,ebry, with the top of it
made lest like sailors blouse, and there
was anchors sewed on to it. l put my
head ont of the wider, and says l, BE
vou aboard of the nivyi' She laughed jest
as pleasant as coaii be, though the girl
that was with her, md was dressed pretty
much the same riditkerlous way, she flush
ed M. and looked real mad. Says old Mis-
Niekersou. that was a-settin' here with me,
saws she. "Twori't do for her to be mad.
seein' she's a-gettin' Rudolphus' You
hadn't ought to talk so, Mis- Nickerson,
saws |. when everybody knows that Ru-
dolphus has been kespin' company with
Aurillv Cleaves these two years, and she's
hooked six rugs, ami made beautiful
worsted motto that says, "God bless our
home" to say nothin of sheets and table
tableeloths that would do your heart good
to see, and five bdndred dollars in the
bank. and cranb'g medder j'irin' ours.
She's a ketch for any young man, Aurilly
is SAYS Mis- NickGson; but the other one,
she's a tyrant' And declare if that girl
don't make me think of one of them creturs
with fishes tails that folks used to tell
about that com,s it over sailors. Ru-
dolphus Rudolplus! 1 declare when
folks is helpless his is the way they're
treated. 'Twa'n't so when twas t'other
way, and had to care for you"
This pathetic reminder was lost upon Ru-
dolphus, who was climbing the lighthouse
stairs, not to attend to the lamp, which, in
its daylight covering, was like a huge
sheeted ghost, Will no sign of the unwink
ing eye which kept nishtly watch over
dreary sand Dunes a halfhidden, gnawing
rock ledge, and the endless shifting waves.
Rudolphus turned the 'py-glass toward
Manning's Point, in the fope of catching
glimpse of the ''zebry" dress which had
offended his grandmother. Mannings
Point was but a drea'y waste without
those futtering stripes. Grandmother
Baker had been bedridden for nearly
year, having had paralEtic shock; it was
agreeable to reflect that she could not
climb the lighthouse stairs to see the di-
rection in which that spy-elass was point
ed. And her thin, shrill .ones could not
penetrate the iron door or the brick walls
of the lighthouse; nevertheless the re-
Election that she was still talking caused
Rudolphus to wipe his brow wearily. He
was a brawny six footer, but his blue eyes
were mild, and something gave him sub
missive aspect; it may have been his stoop-
ing shoulders, but people generally ascribed
it to living with Grandma Baker. She was
ty, end her face was like little withered
apple, but spark still lurked in the depths
Of her deeply sunken black eyes, and her
-rt-sns sssrp chin looked like challenge
to time and fate.
Rudolphus, meditating in the light-hou
tower while the fog settled sadly down
upon Manning's Point, felt in himself the
strength to conquer poverty, ignorance,
obscurity, but there remained the depress-
ing conviction that Grandma Baker would
be too much for him.
He knew that it was his duty 10 go at
once, for the fog was thickening, and bring
Aurilly Cleaves over from ''the main" TO
do the house-work and take care of his
grandmother. Gully Silva had been most
capable house keeper and nurse. but Grand
ma Baker couldn't put up with Portergee
ways" She had discovered this as soon as
Aurilly Cleaves came home from Province
town, where she had been visiting, and
Gully was dismissed. No one but Aurilly
would do, and this was somewhat en-
barrassing, since Rudolphus had been
aware of Aurilly's red cheeks and curly
hair and had escorted those charms to the
harbor picnics and to singing schools, until
Mary Hobart, from New Bedford, had come
down to Manning's Point to spend the
summer, and cast them utterly into
eclipse.
''Keeping company" was the equivalent
of being engaged in Dangerfeld society.
Rudolphus was aware that he might have
at one time permanently attached himself
to the curls and red cheeks, if Aurilly had
not had an unpleasant habit of comment
ing severely upon the .'shiftlessness" of
young meA who had ''no stiddy trade
She disapproved of his taking the Method
ist melodeon to pieces and putting it to-
gether again for nothing, and although
cloek-repairing was not likely to prove a
very remunerative calling in so sparsely
settled region, it was, nevertheless, very
short-sighted to repair ones neighbors'
clocks and not charge at all, and in
Aurilly's opinion it was much better to do
"stiddy davs' works" than to spend ones
nights in trying to invent new-fanged
machinery.
Now Mary Hobart understood and sym
pathized; she predicted success for the in
ventions, and Rudolphus had made the
mature discovery that congenial tastes are
more satisfying, in the long run, than curls
and red cheeks.
1t was Aurillys influence which had led
him to secure the position of lighthouse
keeper, step which he constantly regret
ted. The immediate cause had been Grand
ma Bakers uncomfortable desire to olive
under gover'mu Them that was under
Cover 'munt was always sure of their ray"
But Grandma Baker, in her normal state
of mind, liked 'to see passin," and abhor-
red isolation, and it was perfectly clear to
Rudolphuss mind that Aurilly had her ear
Aurilly was one of the few people who
could influence Grandma Baker; she had
cranberry meadow, and grandma respected
'proputty" When the fog had entirely
swallowed the Point, with all its possibil-
tiles, Rudolphus hurried down stairs, and
v,ut off hna ha 1v