Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-04-03
COUSIN CASSANDRA.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

The March winds were blowing their
trumpets down Shegauk Valley, as only
March winds know how to h'ow, and the
daffodil glow of sunset lay over the
brown fields, streaked here and there in
shady corners with bars of late lingering
snow, as Patty Greer came to the kitchen
door to shake the crumbs off the table
cloth.
"How pretty it looks down the
valley" she thought. am glad Grand
father Greer built this house just here,
instead Of under the rocks. One gets
such a view do believe the NAPLES
along the edge of the swamp are begin
ming to redden already. And there,
with flush on her cheeks which almost
rivaled the red of the maple cOpse, sis
Arad Temple-at least, think it's he-
coming by Old Mill! l shouldn't.a bit
wonder if be were coming here"
She stood a moment, watching the
black spcc& against tie daffodll shine;
a moment more, her lips apart, her brown
eyes strained!
"Pattyw called her mother. "Why
on airth don't you shut that doorl The
cold draught comes il like hull p ack
O wolves"
W-I-was-only looking" said
Patty, as she closed the door with
sigh.
The black speck had disappeared; it
did not reappear again.
81 thought so, said Cousin Cassandra,
a lean, bigh.shouldered woman, with
tuft of scanty hax-colored hair, hair
pinned on the top of her head, and a
checked cape drawn across her narrow
shoulders.
She spoke so close to th9 girls ear
that Patty gave little jump.
Thought whatl" said she.
"That he'd gone into Lewis Hibbard's
store, nodded Cassandra. THE young
ftllers they're all dreadful partial to
Lewis store sence they put in the billiard
tables. Dear me- dear me 90 wonder
what this world is comm to-
The red IN Patty Grcer's cheeks was
genuine peOny color now.
II don't see what harm it is" she re-
torted, "if he has stopped in for a min
ute"
81 dol' said Miss Cassandra. "Auy-
thing but a dissipated young man"
"He isn't dissipatedl" cried Patty.
"Well, p'r'aps he amt" said Cassan-
dra. "I'm sure hope SO. But there
amt nothin' would induce me to marry a
man as there was the least doubts of"
''What comfort it is that you have
never been tempted in that way" said
Patty, vindictively, as she folded the
tablecloth in a series of jerks aud put il
into the closet.
And then Patty went up to her own
room and had a good cry.
81 do think, she said to herself, "that
Cousin Classy is the most spiteful creature
ever knewi But, all the same, Arad
might have come here tonight. lie
knew was expecting him"
When her eyes were dried at last and
her new frill satisfactorily adjusted,
Patty came down stairs.
But the wistful glance she cast into
the room was unrewarded. No one was
there but her mother, piecing patch
work, on one side of the chimney corner,
and Cousin Cassandra, knitting a pre-
posterously long stocking Of blue yarn,
on the other.
And the subject of conversation had
apparently remained unaltered, for Cousin
Cassandra was still hammering away on
Lewis Hibbard and the new billiard
tables.
'It's. what cali a snare for soulsF'
groaned she. "Them balls a-clickin'
about and the doors always opened wide,
for every loafer in Shegauk tostray into
! allays did despise Lew Hibbard-a
lazy, shiftless creetur', like all the Hib-
bards afore him. They do say he druv
his first wife into her grave, and his
second only lived two year, out Of pure
grit. Parson Pooley he says, if the