The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-30

naQ q uOOr VI COUluluulClGlOu hAIh WIZ
kitchen, for convenience sake.
"4Iercy on u.s." said Miss Mix, "what
be you doin' Mis- Parley?'
'I'm maxim kindlin' wood of this 'crc
cherry wood rocker" returned Mrs. Par
ley, who had taken up the hatchet and
split the offending rocker of, and now
flung it on the pile of kinaiing and dry
frewooa beyond. IL wont be bothered
with it no longer"
And then, with 4 round, red spot on
either check and q nervous quicSncss OF
step, she returned, gave little Joe slice
of bread and butter, and strai5htcncd
the tie of Katc's pink gingham apron.
"Brcaktast's ready said she. "Well
set down now"
A certain sense of grievance seemed to
have taken possession of her every time
she looked at the rent in her gown.
"I'm glad that rockers out OF the
way" she thought, bustling around to
bring the delayed tide of housekeeping
up to high-watcr mark. "It's somehow
been staudin' aggravation to me. Par
ley he's always bringin' up his mother,
and what she used to do and what her
ways was. Aud he says, so often, 'Pears
to ME can most fancy I can see mother
settin' there, where she used to set, In
her old rockin cheer, a-crclkln' back an
forth, till I've got downright nervous
about it! Farley rhay az we'll under
stand, first as last, that I amt agoln, to
stand 50 much of his mother! Yes, I'm
glad had the moral courage to split up
that there cheer. Is'pose Parlcyll miss
it when he comes down from Canady;
| but"
And she finished the halfformed re-
Election with an energetic manipulation
of the broom in neglected corner Of the
back kitchen, which sent the gray cat
and a litter Of brindled kittens flying in
various directions.
Yet, aside from these sudden tempcsts
of discomfort and disloyalty, Mrs. Farley
was an alfectionatc wife, who truly loved
and honored the kindly naturcd man
whom she called husband! And, after
all, the blue Monday morning was more
responsible than Mrs. Farley.
II s'posc," said Miss Mix, turning q
popcr pattern around and around on the
piccc of maroon -co!orcd mcrino that was
about to be transformed into q Sunday
cown for Mrs. Farley, "thc Widdcr Par
ley was dretful trial to YOU, afore sho
was took away!"
"N-no, can't Justly say she was, )"
rather reluctantly acknowledged Mrs.
Farley. "She was a quiet, pleasant
spoken creature enough, no more trouble
than kitten, and deal Of help when
Jenny was little. She didn't live long
after came here. It wasn't that. 1t
was Parley's perpctually bringin' her up.
If the bread CHANGED to be triac heavy,
or the soft soap was too thin, or the dried
sweet corn mouldcd-his mother done
this, and that was the way his mother
managed. It was enough to try the pa
ticnce of saint. Do oyespose, Miss Mix,
it'll trim we'll with velvet2 Or would ye
try shade darker of repped silk, the
way Sarah Coming has her serge"
ga letter for you, Mrs. Farley" said
the voice of Ozias Brcakwater, outside, as
something white and oblong skinned
into the room and alighted in the midst
of the red meriuo breadths. Jim Hall
just came up past the pos:oficc, and he
left it."
"It's from Farley" cried the wife with
a suddenly Frightening face, as she broke
open the envelope. "To tell me when
he's comm home"
A blank expression came over her face
as she perused the contents.
"I dew wonder what he's wrote, "
thought Miss Mix, as shc furtively
watched Mrs. Parlcy's countcnance and
scissored her way through divers and
sundry side cores at the same time.
"Hc's well, 1 hope2" she ventured to
say aloud at last.
Eyes" Mrs. Farley succinctly an
swere d.
And then she read, for the second
time, its paragraphs, with strange stir
ring at her heart.
"rve got real pleasant surprise for you
my dear wife" wrote honest James Farley,
in the somewhat formal phraseology Of tho
''Complete Letter Writer" that had been his
guide and model as a youth, u chanced to
come across your aunt Asenath up here at
| Lake Edward. 1t sesms the saw mill your
Uncle E5en started has proved failure, and
he's dead, aad she's all alone and has had
paralytic stroke.
"And they was sort o pianain' to send her
to the town house, poor soul, because there
didn't seem to be nobody to take her part,
and sh, was too proud to lei on who her re-
| lations was.
''So Pve told her just what Pm certain
you would do il you wero hero, and that
She's kindly welcome to homo with us 50
long as she lives. You WAS always good to
my mother, dear WIFE and feel that owe
you a debt o. gratitude that I never can re-
pay Anil 50 she's packed up her few be-
| ionginss and we shall be dowa hons in
week.
II trust you will approve what I have
done, for really did not feel TINT l could
leave your venerable old relative to the
grud ying care of the public authorities The
Lord has seen fit to p!ospaT, AMI your rela-
tions, dear wife, will ever seem to me as my
! ownw
"My dear Aunt Asenath-my dear
mothers only sister, who brought her up!"
thought Mrs. Farley. "oh, how good
James is! How can I ever thank him for
this generous kindness! Aud"-with a
sudden rcvulsion of fccling-'how false
have been to the memory of his good
mothcr I could cut off my hand when
I think of the crazy thing I've DONE"
Peter Schenck, the village cabinet
maker, CHANGED to be pasting just then
on the top of q load of furniture.
Mrs. Farley rushed franctically out
and hailed him with voice and gesture.