The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1892-09-10
SISTER MARTHA.
6y AUGUSTA LARNED.

:
to respect an oath if you took it on this
book"
The captain was standing before her
with his hands in his pockets glowering,
and knitting his brows in his effort tC
understand. IAN oath, said he aston
ished; what do yon mean
IL mean there's n secret weighing or
my mind, and if it docs look bad for me
I've got to tell it."
keep your secrets for all me- said
he, turning abruptly on his heel; I've nc
doubt it's some Id piece of foolishness.'
Il can't keep it and / won't, George
Bligh. It's KILN me by inches. Ny legs
arc all a-tremble after u sleepless night
when something comes and stands by
my bed and says. You've got to do it.
It's about you and me and Vinie and
them old times"
The captain looked startled and his
keen eye rested suspiciously for mo
ment on the woman's agitatcd face.
We'll" said he. laying his hand lightly
on the book, I'll promise not to tell, as
you maze such point of it,
She stood up and faced him, putting
herself between him and the door: eyinS
him, too. much as a mouse eyes big cat
that is on the point of Il spring.
We'll, George" her speech flowed on
with many hesitations and breaks, ''you
remember that picnic up at Burns Mill,
when you asked Vinie to go and Mother
Mayhem KEEP her at home on the pre-.
tense that she had bad cold, and you
was pipin mad and looked black rs a
thundercloud because you could see
right through it all. Mother Mayhem
Was always against you, George. She
hadn't 10 faith in seafarin men. She
said they mostly all had wife and
family in every port they frequented,
and weren't hardly ever known to be
pious. She wanted Vinie to marry Il
minister She sent Josiah and me off i'll
u buggy. and when we got to the Mill:
You was there wanderin round. lOokiu
glum and disconsolate. So yop kind Of
made up to me because you wanted tc
talk about Vinie. ana you asked me tC
be your friend and her friend. and tc
tell her to keep up her courage andte
believe III your truth and conStancye
You were going next day to join youI
ship for three months voyage to the
West Indies. and you promised to write
to Vinie from the first port you touched
You gave me so many messages fol
Vinie l couldn't charge my memory
with them all. didn't SO much as LOOK
at Josiah all that day. and he was hoppir
mad and never spoke to me once going
home"
The captain was holding her with hi:
wary eye A kind of ashen hue had
overspread his dark cheek. We'll" he
said under his breath.
''You went away" she resumed slow
~. quailing and dropping her eyes I'M
der his look. land guess the devil must
have entered into me with seven Other
spirits. forgot all them messages you
sent to Vinie. partly because | argyed
it ont that it would be wrong to &C
against Mother Mayhem. l never
breathed word about that letter you
promised to write. and tine wild notion
got hold OF me that lnebbe you would
take up with me if Vinie was out OF
your reach. guess was half crazy,
and treated Josiah like the dirt under
MY feet But it didn't seem to make
any difference with him in the end-he
was almost too stupid TO know it. Well,
Vinie was looking for that letter.
hadn't breathcd a word, but sho knew
You would write. | could see it in her
face as she went every day to the post.
Office with light step and then came
dragging home with her eyes CLASSY and
her face kind of pinched and withered.
She grew whittier and whittier every day,
most as if you could look right through
her body. But she would drag herself
to the postoffice and come back disap.
pointed, and could not help exulting.
don't know whether | wanted her to
die or not. was wicked enough to.
But finally she broke down in the first
of her hysterical spells, poor weakly
thing that she was, and she would make
me go to the postoffice, and the letter
came that very day. couldn't bear
she should have it. thought Id rather
be tore limb from limb. didn't know
what was about, guess, for l walked
around long time in kind of daze,