The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1891-10-30

you
Thank you" she gasped; Il was
so afraid she'd marry him 1 talked
TO her She didn't answer back; she
never does"
,'Well, the best you can hope now
is that she will " said the farmer.
He walked home with her across
the road and saw her seated in her
rocking chair.
The biscuits were black Goals In the
oven. the tea-kettle had boiled dry.
and the bottom. a fiery red mass. had
dropped upon the stove. The cat was
drinking the milk. but for the first
time In her life Mrs Doble took heed
of nothing. Even on the dreadful day
of her husbands death she had tidied
her room as usual-had seen that all
was In order. Now she sat where her
neighbor had placed her. fearless.
white, almost motionless. all night
long. In the morning neighbors
hocked In and put her to bed and gave
her strong green tea and later the
postman brought q paper with the
marriage notice marked in blue pencil.
There she read:
''On the evening of the - OF Octob-
or. at the residence OF Rev. Samuel
Dove Jefferson Larkin to Hannah
Jane. daughter OF the late John Doble
all of Strawville."
A few days afterwards she was up
and at her daily tasks again. She
never mentioned her daughter; no one
ever spoke OF her. People asked her
TO tea often. thinking she must be
lonely. She always accepted their in
vitations- Whatever her feelings
were she locked them in her bosom
and she folded the hslf-hnished muslin
gown away in the old chest of draw
ers and covered it with clean paper.
on which was sprinkled a layer OF
dried lavender. and beside it she laid
the sleeve pattern.
Years altered nothing. Fifteen Of
them were gone. when one afternoon
she stood at the table ironing her linen
duster with slow thuds and singing
softly In slow jerks between the
thumps; when I can read my title
clear" She had just turned the
buster and was pressing the collar as
she droned the words: TO mansions
-in'-when the door behind her
opened and a woman thin and worn.
and. dressed in shabby widows mourn
ing, entered the door. She carried in
her hand little parcel and walking
softly to the ironing table laid it down
before Mrs. Doble.
There Is the muslin. ma" she said
MRS. Coots wouldn't take the change
Said she'd made mistake her eyes
being poor. Here it is "
She placed a dime and a 5-cent
piece beside the parcel and waited.
hofh hands in h1aotr cr1ova,
through which the nails were visible
upon the table.
She's given good measure this
time Hannah Jane she said. Poor
Priscilly always meant we'll Mr.
blindman's holiday; but guess 1 can
see to cut them sleeves"
She had opened the drawer, and the
fragrance of dried lavendar filed the
room, and the blue muslin saw the
piece upon the table and pinned the
pattern to it
I'VE might as well make it up. for
spring will be here before we know
it Mrs. Doble went on; and you
hadn't orter wear weeds for anybody
that has treated you as bad as JEFF
l@dTh1u OlQ-dli Ll1o 1dThluS always
did. know just how it has been Do
you hear me. Hannah?'
Yes ma, I hear" said Hannah
family. her voice broken by emotion.
The widow turned. She stood and
looked upon her daughter. and saw In
her fair face, whence the pretty pink
had flown. in the blue eyes that had
lost all their sunshine. all the woe of
wretched years OF neglect and i'll
usage. all the hopeless longing for
home and mother; and Hannah, as she
gazed upon the furrowed cheeks. upon
the forehead. where the wrinkles ran
one above the other to meet the white
hair. knew that age had not done this
work alone, but that anguish, sharper
than the serpent's tooth" that 'it is to
have q thankless child" understood
for the first time what it was that she
had done to her mother. and with a
wild cry stretched out her arms as a
frightened babe might from its cradle.
The next instant these two cold New
England women were In each others
arms clasping and clinglng as they
had never done before. They never
spoke one word but only wept upon
each others bosoms as though they
would dissolve in tears in this sudden
rush and overflow OF the pent-up emo
tions OF a lifetime Mary Kyle Dallas,
in the Chicago Herald.
The Devils KneII.
Among the famous bells of Dews-