The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-04-01
COUSIN CASSANDRA.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.
The March winds were blowing their
trumpets down Shegauk Valley, as only
March winds know how to blow, 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.
, j How pretty it looks down the
valley" she thought. Sim glad Grand
father Greer built this house just here,
instead of under the rocks. One gets
such 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
.,Femple-at least, 1 think it's he---
coming by Old MILL I shouldn't bit
wonder if he were coming here"
She stood moment, watching the
black speck against the daffodll shine;
moment more, her lips apart, her brown
eyes strained!
"Patty!" called her mother "Why
on airth don't you shut that door3 The
cold draught comes in like hull pack
O. wolves!"
"I-I-was-only looking" said
Patty, as she closed the door with q
sigh.
The black speck had disappeared; it
did not reappear again.
II thought so, said Cousin Cassandra,
a lean, high.shouldered woman, with a
tuft of scanty fax-colored hair, hair
pinned on the top of her head, and a
checked cape drawn across her narrow
shoulders.
: She spoke so close to the girls car
that Patty gave little jump.
"Thought what?" said she.
"That he'd gone into Lewis Hibbard s
store" nodded Cassandra. 'The young
fellers they're all dreadful partial t,
Lewis store sence they put in the billiard
tables. Dear me! dear me! l 90 wonder
what this world is comm to-"
The red IN Patty Greer's checks was
% SShuaS SoAOi INV.
a. 81 don't see what harm it is" she re-
torted, elf he has stopped in for min
ute."
81 dol" said Miss Cassandra. "Any-
thing but dissipated young man."
"He isn't dissipated" cried Patty.
"Well, p'r'aps he ain't," said Cassan-
dra. "I'm sure I hope so. But there
amt nothin' would induce me to marry a
man as there was the least doubts off,"
"What comfort it is that you have
never been tempted in that wayl" said
Fatty, vindictively, as she folded the
tablecloth in series of jerks and put it
into the closet.
Ind then Patty went up to her own
room and had good cry.
II do think, "she said to herself, "that
) Coasin Classy is the most spiteful creature
I ever knew! But, all the same, Arad
might have come here tonight. He
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
e Lewis Hibbard and the new billiard
tables.
''lt's what I call snare for souls?"
groaned she. "Them balls a-clickin'
about and the doors always opened wide,
for every ioafer in Shcgauk to stray into
/ allays did despise Lew Hibbard-a
lazy, shiftless crcctur', 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
women o Shegauk would only take q
staId-Oh, Patty, is that you? Well,
I've put the dried apples in soak for the
sass tomorrow, and the meat is ready to
chop for mincc pies"
Patty had seated herself at the table
and hstlessly taken up a book.
II don't want to chop meat tonight, u
said she. "To-morrow morning will do
just as we'll"
"Disappinted" whispered Miss Cass,
andra, behind her hand, to Mrs. Greer,
who was slightly deaf. ''Sort o cal
c'latcd on Arad Temple bcin' here to.
night. Wal, mcbbc it's just as we'll
Arad he's too partial to Lew Hibbard's S
place"
Patty could have murdered Cousin
Cassandra. She jumped up and went to
the door to let the cat in.
"Why, Arad!" she exclaimed, as
pussy darted in, and tall figure ap
peared in the background.
- Cousin Cassandra opened the inner
!. door and craned her neck forward.
= "Well, I neverl" said she. sits you,
arter all, amt it9 We sort o reckoned,
me and Patty, that you'd found your way