Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1891-10-30


full scarce, Betsy-and, as for you, Me-
hetty, faint long one would put up with
your old-maidy ways as Betsy does
But the "little rift within the lutte"
once split apart, was past mortal power
to mend. Betsy took herself and her
neuralgia sulking out of the room. Me-
hetable quietly but steadfastly adhered
tDher resolution-and Mr.. Reuben Bevis
at last lost his temper.
"Wa1, Mehetty," said he, ''go your
| own way. But you're as contrary a
piece as ever l sat eyes on, and l don't
know how l and Betsy ever got along
with you all these years. P'r'aps it's
best we should part now-but don't you
come back to me for food and shelter
that's all!
81 shan't ask you for even that much,
Reuben" said his sister, quietly rising
and putting up her work. "But we're
brother and sister after all, and after ten
years of steady work for you and yours,
I'd little rather have parted in good
will and amity."
"That's bosh!" said Bevis, gruffly.
"You've had your own way, and hope
you'll find it pays best in the long run. !"
Mehetty went slowly to her room,
packed her trunk and dressed herself in
an antique debelge dress, cut in the
fashion of full twenty years ago, with a
shirred poke bonnet, thick calf-skin
boots and pale-blue cotton gloves, while
under her arm she carried green gin
CHAM umbrella, tliriftily patched with
material of a darker emerald.
'I'll settle the question at once" she
murmured to herself, "whether or not
they are ashamed of their old Aunt Me-
hetable, from Deer Horns, up in Maine"
And then, wishing Reuben and Betsy a
pleasant good bye, which neither of them
saw fit to notice by word or look, she went
straight to the ge-office.
Lawyer Darkley rushed out of his office
as she stepped briskly by in her squeaking
new boots which, as the errand-boy re-
marked, sotto voce, "was every bit as
good as band of music" and smilingly
accosted her:
''Miss-ahem Miss Bevis, are you
leaving town without any more definite
instructions as to"
''Hush!" said Noticeable, abruptly.
"Not word! Yes. 1 will write in a
day or two. Remember, Mr.. Darkley,
everything is confidential between u.s."
The lawyer nodded, and retired once
more into his little den, and Miss Bevis
hurried on to catch the afternoon stage.
Mr.. and Mrs. Walter Cherryfeld were
having a little evening reception that
bleak November night. Miss Mehetabis
Bevis had not been ignorant of this fact;
in truth, Mrs. Walter had mentioned it
incidentally in her last letter to Deer
Horns; aud she marched up the steps
looking curiously at the brilliantly lighted
windows.
"And now we shall decide this mat
ter" she said to herself, "as to whether
my city cousins are glad to see me-"
Yes, Mrs. Cherryfeld was at home.
The waiter looked obviously at the
strange guest, so unlike the fancy figures
muffied in soft white garments that made
them seem like floating clouds, that came
and went from satin lined carriages close
to the curbstone. He would call her,
he said, if the lady would step into
side room and wait. 1t was Mrs. Cherry
field birth-night, and
"No," said Mehetable, 81 will go in
to her. Stand aside, my good man, if
you pleased"
Mrs. Cherryfeld's face flushed up with
unmistakable pleasure at this unexpected
apparition, as she hurried to meet the
visitor from Deer-Horns.
"Aunt NIehetty," she cried. ooh, this
is surprise, indeed! am so glad to
see you. Here's Walter, and here are
my girls! And now you must let me in
troduce you to my friends. This is Mr..
Warrenton, the artist; you know 1 told
you about him last summer-and Miss
Briginage, who wrote the volume of
poems you liked so much-and this is
Miss Stallenkamp and Miss De Vauren-
but what a thoughless creature 1 am!
Let me take you up to my room to re-
move these heavy wrapsr'
"No," cried CHEEKY Walter Cheeryfeld.
Sup to your room, indeedl What for,
Alice9 Aunt Noticeable shall take off
her things here, and then we won't lose
a bit of the fun. It's like Whit of the
fresh mountain breeze to see Aunt Mehet-
tvs face again-and I'll lead off the Vir-
ginia reel with her myself!'
While the girls clustered around her,
eas sr to introduce their friends, anxious
to make her wholly and entirely at home,
so cordial aud sunny, that Miss Meheta-
BILE scarcely knew whether to laugh or
cry.
"Reuben said your invitation was
mere matter of form," said she in a
choked voice. "That you didn't want
to see me! But 1 guess Reuben amt
such good judge of character as he
thinks himself"
And then the umbrella, poke.bonnet
and clogs having been removed by the
trim little maid servant with the blue
ribbons in her hair, Aunt Mehetty was
whirled down the center by Walter Cher
rytield in genuine country style.
Aunt Mehetable stayed month with
the Cherryfelds. She drove in Central
Park, looked with awe-struck eyes at the