Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-01-31
MEHITABEL GREEN.

A modern young lady would hav,
called it just p fectly deliciously.
lovely old house. aud 80 quaint
Bnt the modern young lady would
probably die there If what she would
have described as @ongwe.
Tie Greens, whose home this was, d d
not die young. They usually lived un
Gil p ,st 50 and then were buried on tina.
knoll out there beyond the c der orchard
That knoll had been the burial yard Of
the family for almost 20J years 1ln
old slate colored heudstoaes SAINT d
very much, and the letters cut on then
were fill ii in with fine gray licliens.
The house as much ( the color #
the most ancient gra, ,estoneS 1t had
ne er been painted. and il Was reSln-
gied only wnen that p ocass WAS neces-
sary to Z. erve the weather boar ds.
The last time the carpenters had been
there was when Mehitabel MAS smal!
chlld, and she was now beyond middle
age.
The building was so low eaved in front
that it app AIRED IN p Ssible that it could
be any lower. until you walked round to
tile back and found that over the Iii chen
the roof was still nearer to the earth.
In the summer it almost seemed as il
the p armint growing near the kitchen
door would touch the caves, SO rankly
it spsd Lp arl. That season when Ne
hitabel raised so many sunflawers, so
that the liens might have the Sc, u, those
bold blossoms climbed Up and nodded
their yellow heads together over the
roof shingles
In her care of her poultry Mehitabel
was guided good deal by he monthly
periodical TO which she su scribed. aud
which was devoted to the interests of
fowl One year this journal advised
every one who kept hens aud wished to
make any money on them to lie sure
and plant grant many sunflowers, as
their seeds were a marvellous food. In
point of fact. heis that were fed on this
kind of nourishment would be fat and
glossy, and would lay in spite of them
selves.
Try them seeds on that old Plymouth
Rock, +" said MehitabeTs mother; ~she
amt laid for more'n year. Give her
a good dose. Ii she lays sll'll believe
there's something in that rece pit
"'Tain't exacsly what | call receipt,
mother, sa Mehitabel hesitatingly.
They had washed the breakfast dishes
and " ere sitting down by the cook stove
a moment to warm their feet before they
began to sew straw. 1t was about half
past six, and was not yet very light. bul
Mehitabel had her speciacles on. and th,
"hen-paper. as she called it, in h.r
hand. Sac Ina been to the postoffi e
and the library at the village the day
before. From the former place she had
procured the hen paper from tile latter
she had brought home -S.rathmore.
She had just read aloud tais article
about suntiowers and both the women
had resolved t. plant "a lot
Mrs Green had the best place, directly
in front of the stove. Her skirt was
turned up over her knees aud her stock
inged feet were resting on much dried
pine beard, which was placed OH the
lotion of the oven. Her daughters feet
were modestIy on the hearth where they
could not receive half as much heat, but
Mehitabel did not expect TO receive heat
or anything
It's no matter what you call 1t,
said Mrs Green with emphasis Il
guess I'm old enough to know what a
receipt is. Receipts amt all for cakes
n cookies That one you've jest ben
readin' is for eggs, m We'll try it.
They did try it tile very next spring.
Their luck with the suihower crop was
prodigious. but as regarded the egg crop
it was not marked. For instance, no
amount of seeds would make the Plym-
outh Rock hen lay, although that bird
walked about the farm as if she laid all
tie eggs that were in the nests It was
in the fall. after this experiment had
been made, that the hen paper an
nounced that there was nothing so bad
to give hens as sunhower seeds. Mehit-
abel read these words while the two
were sitting in the same attitude ia
which they had read the former item.
MrS. Green pushed the pine board vio-
lently further into the oven and Melita-
bel said, with gentle depreciation. that
-it had got SO now you couldn't even
believe all you saw in print.
To this the elder woman made reply
that newspapers was blameder fools
than folks was nowadays" Then they
rose and went to their straw sewing.
Mother and daughter looked upon
their home as very desirable place OF
residence. There was no piazz or porch,
or even blinds. The little windows with
their white curtains stared unb:inkingly
through the long. hot July days, and
Il. a a