Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-11-27

Keen as she opened the hall door Dlt
and great drift across the path made
her glad that no one was likely to come,
for Cicero with a basket of wood ano
money for small turkey and sweet pota
toes had gone gayly away the night be-
fore to eliza an dose chillun"-not t.
come back till Friday morning. Ant
there was generous supply of wood lef
to cook the dinner, whose menu was al
ready dancing gleefuly in the flame:
that sprang up under Dolly's skillfu
fingers.
You are to be my company to-day
Dootsie," returning caressingly to hel
childhood name for the little sister, 'and
| shall sing you some of the funny old
songs you used to love while l stir the
raisins-only think of raisias-into the
rice pudding, which you like so well.
1 Don't you remember, Dootsie, how
"The Bee went courting
My Lady, the fly;
Said the Bee to my Lady,
For you | would die
"Said sweet Lady Fly,
As she blushed meath her wing,
Il love your soft words,
But hear that you sting"
The sweet, innocent voice rose and
fell in the monotonous quavers of the
foolish old ditty as Dolly's plump little
figure trotted in and out-now nesting
! in the soft wool shawl trihe closer
about Drusilla's slender shoulders, now
kissing the hectic spot upon the lovely
old face, and then huttering back to see
if the chicken was browning properly.
SIT is really so much tenderer than tur-
key" she commented with emphasis, as
she turned it deftly and dripped the
basting over it most appctizingly
''What mercy we thought in time to
keep from spelling our appetites by eat
ing breakfast Now Gas hungry spasm
was felt below her diaphragm), this
chicken will give us our dinner to-day
and enough to warm over for breakfast
tomorrow. Iput the last bit of bread
in the stuffing, but we shall not need
bread with turnips, and potatoes, and
yes-onions; and after the chicken, rice
pudding
With raiSinS," added Drusilla's
CHEEKY voice, "Dolly, don't forget the
raisins "
The small table was drawn up close to
/ the open fire. and by close calculation
room was found for all the unwonted
| luXuries. And Dolly, with quaint court
esy, had just announced that dinner was
/ served when a shutting noise at the side
door made both sisters start with sur
prise. A knock, quite unfamiliar, fol-
lowed; and, pecping through the little
window, Dolly saw only big, burly,
Z nnfop,ilior lnnly and with +oJ
timidity made no reply. A second and
third summons only increased her nervous
terror, and final hoarse shout, "Open
up, little uns, I'm brother to ye!'' COM
pleted the fright by sending Drusilla in
to a dead swoon. When she recovered
under her sisters frantic exertions, the
l man had gone away. And once more
= Dolly started to bring in the dinner
: which had to be warmed after
the interruption. Then there came
heavy lurch without warn.
ing against the door, which burst
from its slight fastening, precipitatine
the intruder almost against her An in
e stinctive cry was smothered, however, al
thought of her sister, and swiftly she
e closed the door between the rooms, set
ting her back firmly against it as sh'
I faced-Cicero. "Oh! you rascal, you un
, grateful You, u,-you,- % to think yol
: c0HId have the heart to frighten us so =
she gasped. Then as Cicero maintained
a dogged and miserable silence, Dolly
caught view of his shoulders and knew
at once that this was not the man who
had frightened them. Surprise at Cic-
eros abiect humility and his unexplained
presence at the moment when they sup
| posed him to be eating turkey with the
eight young Hamiltons and Nanny at
the other end of the town, held her for
moment speechless.
so law, honey" burst out Cicero,
miss Dolly, dom you go fur to be so
kline to ole Cicero-he no count nigger
suah dis time, an not de good Lawd
hisself eber can forgib such ole debbil-
Yes, is Done ct all turkey hisself,
a did. Left all dem lii chillun what de
| Lawd glib him out no brekus, no dinner,
no tiah no muffin. Didn' 90 for to do
it nohow, but this mis'sbl brock rascal
let that drefful gone-no-ness in the sto-
muck get de better, an all 'em wood,
all 'em turkey, an taters in here, strik-
ing his waist band, ''an dem hungry
chilluns cryin' an ole ooman's clatter
here" clutching his gray wool dramati-
cally.
This incoherent explanation was clear
as day to poor Dolly in the light of pre-
vious less serious experiences, and full
of contempt for the black brute who had
dared to squandcr on his appetite for
liquor the money she had saved from her
own scanty meals to give his children
a treat, her tender heart was wrung-as
he knew it would be-by the thought
of the hungry and tircless wife and chill
dren this bitter day. Thinking only of
them, she swiftly calculated that by using
the stove they could spare wood to warm
them. But she hardened her heart at
thought of food, for this day Drusila
must have no deprivation; and well she
knew that to-morrow's breakfast must
be the fragments of the feast. And was
not her own healthy stomach clamoring
for food2 AT first she decided to divids
the dinner and pretend that, being i'll,
she had put it away for tomorrow; but
taking sup her knife to cut the chicken
she thought, "this won't be a mouthful
to those children, but there are the pip
kins; I'll get them and send the whole
peck With sighl lof relief she started
down the steps into tiny milk-room,
where the precious basket of apples was
stored. Hearing the door close sharply
us she stepped back, she gave one hur-
red look at the empty dishes and sprang
to the door to call back the supposed
thief, who was making good speed out
OF the gate to appeaso Nanny. A gen
: tie touch upon her arm detained the i'm
{ petnons Dolly