New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-11

MIS-. MarShS MIND was dS etIOHe dS HcI "o"J'
She slapped the rag which she was just wringing
out down in the sink, and walked heavily up to
the bed.
WHAT'S the NATTER" she asked. 10 II .
drorin'? ?"
She evidently referred 20 the poultice.
Mrs. Holland writhed impotently.
e jest do wish you wouldn't go on with them
wlnders," she exclaimed in n high voice.
- sh'd like to know why not
Cause | shant have no funeril here; m
don't want 10 you gittin' ready for one"
Mrs. Marsh calmly returned to the rag she had
put in the sink
Goodness gracious me-" she said, with good
deal of contempt. " If you do die | must say
think it's a great deal better to be on the safe
side m have things cleaned up little. There
amt no harm done, fuz know, to be prepared.
Twont make you live die. You know, when
old folks like you git hurt there amt no way Of
tellin' how it's goin' to turn with um l sh'll
wash them winders."
| This last statement made with great firm
ness, and was Immediately followed by brisk
resumption of her work.
! Mrs. Holland tried to keep her eyes shut. She
also tried to think of something pleasant. But
| the surroundings not in the least conducive
! to pleasant thought. Ii seemed to her that there
was not anything pleasant in the world. Even
the memory of long-ago funerals which she had
attended did not now bring any eXhilarating sense
to her
She heard the water smashing and the sound Of
scrubbing. Every moment the bread and milk
poultce began to feel more and more like colec-
ton of threc-c Ornered sticks rubbing against the
| "wownd"
| She felt her head begin to go round and round
| She grippcd hold of the bedclothes She told
,..,l. slx1e
she would scream hard as she could and she
did.
Mrs. Marsh appeared to make one huge stride
to the bedside Her sudsy hands grasped Mrs
Hollands shoulders; her big, husky voice asked:
" BE you in tit"
Thus seized and thus addressed, Mrs. Holland
instantly gave up all intention of screaming again.
| although she felt she was rellnquishins a great
| luxury.
ply; she shrank down under the clothes Sine
said the "poultce was a-kililn' her
| 'Tain't nuther. | s'pose it's begun TO draw
| out the fire
Neither this episode, nor anything else, diverted
! Mrs Marsh from her hOusecleanlng She said
while she was there she nights well SCRUB the
| floor. -,
Nancy Holland waited. She counted the tick
| ing of the clock that measuring OH the tlne
which must pass before the next person wouia
come She did not dare 10 ask who that person
was to he. IT,, ~
Mrs Marsh ate a very hearty dinner of all
kinds of things, which had Deei Sne iiy Whom !,
began to grow dusk she put her rubbers on inc
stove hearth 10 warm. She SAID she told Mt.
Marsh to be there at four II ne was any a'er
| that She didn't know what he d have Tor supper
| But Mr.. Marsh apparently knew better than
10 he late. His old covered wagon drew up In
| front of the house al the exact minute. FROM
The wagon EMERGED y Miss IIitty," and it trans
pred that she the attendant now due
| Miss lIitty's full name WAS Mehitable Blanchard
Int no a.
was lust as young at heart as She ever VIZ.
| This form OF youth seems 10 he compatlpc wlou
what is, by people in their teens, considered gress
age Miss Kitty did not appear 70 be gray, Decauss
she wore a navy brown front She was calIeu
! in the neighborhood natural nuss, ana was
sought for in that capacty IN" was very a sou
and gentle in manner She never asserted any.
thing but AWAY, Thought S likely S not ~
might be 50"
very dark. Mrs. Holland emitted sigh OF con-
| tent There was light red spot on the stove,
and the water in the tea-kettle was boiling 50
hard it almost seemed if the decreplt old stove
would start off on its uncertain legs:
Before ton minutes had passed Mrs. lloand
learned that P0ndT ss eNfT3fS ,b was 10 knlv
| This would be best. Ponds extract is the name
by which witch-hazel is always called mere. N
fresh from the woods, would be considered az
When at last Mrs Holland had submitted 70
this change she was conscious of a great rellei.
She drank her tea and took floating island
Then She fell asleep
Miss lItry put the lamp on the table in the
| corner and shaded il with testament ana
| Psalms" Then she drew the rocker mp to the
stove. put her feet. covered with old felt shoes.
the hearth turned PACK 'nS ski H,t pr b m
| long ago noticed popularity in her meditatlons
They always ran on one subject II she had not
| been as young in her heart as ever she was, she
would have said that she an old fool
| She was thinking about man who had actually
been in love with her some wears ago. She
| always thought Of the time as " some years ~
was more agreeable not 10 he more definite IN SUCH
! matters. lie had hccr IN love with her; nut ne
had married some one else and gone up ~ vermont
to nun the farm which this some one else hah
0" II had been generally believed that this farm
was the temptation which Elisha Ierrltt couh
As Miss IIctty had sat beside Mr., Marsh in The
covered wagon as they came toward Mrs. Hollands
house her companion had iolI nrf PI%cr so ~
| that he understood that Elisha Merritt had come
back to the old place. us VIE hlu been de"'
Miss iIit;y. though much shaIen by me IN,
formation. had MANAGED to say Il want to Know
| with tocmbl" calmnesN. -. -
| Inwardly. therefore. when sle came INTO l"r
| hot Kitchen where she was 80 take her turn rs L
nurse. she would have described herself rs 'cl''S
| all of a tluStcr. .r,n Lod
! boon in town Iii, home was in the West End
he might have been there long ;Ime ~ couiS OUTS.
ii he thought Of MARRYING a4a ne r, ,yi iowers
| To 10 be young in heart does got seem all the
yonth generally required by widoWcrs;
| Miss Utv wished her hair hadn't fallen on SO
! amer that fever: then she would not have had
| thnt front though she had always thought IL AZ
| L,';,.,n'r Z, front rs any she had ever seen
Mrs Holland slept very soundly ana snort re-,
very loudly But for some reason NUS l,'S HT'
| not feel So comfortable rs was customary VIII
her when she had her feet on the pearth ana her
| Gown turned back. - :.
! She was very wide awake. too. To br sure, IL
was not yet o'clock. bat ii seemed as u " wei" ,c
| Midnight There was noise OF wheeis on W.
| inn"l, road The pine trees at the back OF mo
house made that mulled sound when u Ia "'"'
when there is no wind -. too, 7.
xii at once Miss iltiY lose to her icct ,;,; ~
appeared 70 her that there WaH some one T"in Sh3
IN TO the house. Mrs. Holland snofe"' o"'
wouldn't hear anything. .,i, ant,
Miss Kitty 'urr some one was s.',.',,S voms