The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-03-08
"A NICE OLD WOMAN. }"
by FLORENCE ALLEN.
ooh dear!"

s'Oh dear!"
1t was pretty little face which was
all puckered up into such lot of wor :
ried little wrinkles; pretty in spite Of
the shadow of care in the fair blue
eyes, and the tired drop at the corner
of the girlish mouth. TIE owner of
the face and the wrinkles and the blue
eyes and the mouth in question, was
slight, rather delicate looking girl of
about IS who stood, attired in faded
calico dress, in the doorway of a small
wood colored cottage Cor ''cabin" as
they more truthfully call such edifces
in the mountains) looking out at the
sunny slope of the road before her.
Two fresh faced smilin; girls of her
own age had just gone by, stopping to
say q pleasant word or two as they
passed; and the sight of their pretty,
though simple, lawn dresses and float
ing ribbons had brought, as they de-
parted, those worried wrinkles to the
face that should have been as bright as
theirs, and the impatient exclamation
with which our story tegins to her
generally accomplishing lips.
As general thing Phrosy Miller (she
was Euphrosyne by rights, through the
instrumentality of her father, who had
found the name in his somewha at limited
reading, and had delighted in its long
drawn swee:ness,) was very cheerful
and contented girl in spite of the
troubles and hard work that had come
into her young life SO early; but, just
at present, there was something especial
upon her mind, and that was the pic.
mic.
1t was to be in just four weeks from
today, and all the girls were going; and
she, who had stayed at home so much
and so patiently for the last year, felt as
though she really must go, too. But
howl That was the question that brought
the worried little wrinkle; to the front
so consp:cuously. All the girls were
going to have new lava dresses and
fresh ribbons for the occasion, and "do
up" her blue muslin as best she could
land she was something wonderful in
the laundress line all her rcIghbors
said, it would not look any way but
old and faded; and her ribbons-well,
her small stock thereof had been cleaned
and dyed and ''done over" so often that
they were merely travesty upon their
kind. OF course a new dress and the
requisite adornments would cost very
little; but, as Phrosy said, terscly but
truly, eff diamonds could be bought
for nickel apiece and one didn't have
the nickel, where would he the comfort
of it2'
Money had been very tight in the
Miller family ever since Mr. NNller's long
illness, ending in his dea.h, had pu.
the little uschold under load OF
debt which seemed at first, simply over
whelminG.
Ben Millcr-a wild and reckless young
fellow he had been while his father was
well and strong and able to clre for the
mother and sister-had s,cadied down
wonderfully and taken the burden of ex-
istence on his shoulders patiently and
manfully. Mrs. Miller and Phrosy had
economical in every way, even to the
extent of taking some of the many wood
choppers about as boarders, and they had
worked early and late and sewed and
denied themselves until the debt was
paid, and the future began to look lit
tie brighter. Then fate frowned on them
once again. Mrs. Miller, large, heavy
and somewhat unwic,dy woman, in going
down the back-steps one day made
misstep and fell, receiving an injury tC
her side which made her utterly help
less. Since then Phrosy had found life
harder than ever. Additional doctor.
bills piled in upon them; Ms. Millel