Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-18


 cate cheek was rubbed against Mrs. Whitcumb's bristles. Miss Mayhew had Q shrinking from the hairiness of her sister-in-law's lip that was quite pa- thetic. It was terrible trial to this nervous invalid to kiss Sister Martha, and she never did if she could help it, merely allowing that energetic woman to rub her brush against her sensitive skin.
 There was frightful frankness about Sister Martha that Miss Mayhew dreaded hkea cold douche. Now the first words she uttered were characteristic:
 "I know you ain't glad to see me, Vinie, I didn't expect you would be, and Ann Baskett will be mad enough to tear her hair because I've come. But harvest was over, 'twixt corn and pig killing, you know, and could get away as well as not, so took notion to come. We don't always know what's good for us, Vinie, and thought spurt of company might hven you up 8 bit And as for Ann, I've brought her insey woolsey piece for 8 petticoat, so guess she won't | lite me-"
 | Miss Mayhew pulled herself together and looked at her sister-in-law with wa tery eyes. She made no directresponse to this candid speech, nor was any ex- pected from her. ''I s'pose you're hun gry," she said an1ously. "Our dinners over and Ann has washed the dishes. She's makin a tea cake now. Would you like a dropped egg on toast, Marthy2"
 "Tve had my lunch" said Mrs. Whit cumb, waving away the suggestion. Brought it along with me from home. Cold chicken and sandwidges and pickles 1 and cheese. Don't you bother your head about me, Vinie."
 Miss Mayhew heaved sigh of relief. "You can go right up chamber, Marthy. You know the spare room, of course, and its all ready except airin and fresh | water"
 Mrs. Whitcumb took her bag, a shawl and umbrella, stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. Miss Mayhew was quivering from this rude contact of her delicate being with force, in the form of her sister-in-law. Every nerve in her body, as she expressed it, twas off the books, each jumping its own way" But her sense of hearing was more acute than ever. Since she had been tied to her easy chair in her pleas ant, old fashioned sitting room, she had lived mainly through the ears. There was a red spot on either thin cheek now, as she listened to sister Martha's heavy step and the receding creak of her boots. Mrs. Whitcumb did not go up the stairs to the front chamber, but without ceremony walked into Ann Baskett's kitchen "to talk me over," thought Miss Mayhew, and she was angry and tremu- 1 lous, for her sister-in-law had not allud- ed to the state of her health nor asked | question as to how she found herself. I She knew Sister Martha had no faith in nervous diseases laughed the whole pack of them to scorn. No intangible form of illness took any hold on Sister Martha's sympathies, and Miss Mayhew could have sObbed as she sat there feel ing like an unmasked imposter under the lash of her sister-in-law's harsh l judgment. All the lectures Martha would deliver about exerting herself and i taking exercise and living in the open air and going to see the neighbors came up before her, and she shuddered in an- ticipation.
 Mrs. Whitcumb stepped on to Ann's kitchen now, and opened the door with more gentleness and consideration than she had shown to her sister-in-law. Ann was a person to be conciliated, while Vinie Mayhew was of but secondary inn portance in the household. Ann was standing before her kitchen table secured to the whiteness of chalk. She was of middle height, spare, bony, angular person, with prominent shoul- der blades, sharp elbows, lean brown arms and large knotted wrists and hands. Her hair was iron gray, smooth ly brushed back from a narrow fore head, etched with hard straight lines as if done with the point of an iron instru- ment. Her blue print dress and white apron were spotlessly clean, and the thick white cotton stockings showed above her low shoes. Ann Baskett had little eyes, like gray pebbles, wide apart, and her thin lips were generally puck cred close as if unwilling to let out the hoard of important secrets that lay just behind them.
 Ann claimed the supreme merit of minding her own business and of ruling her own domain with rod of iron that brooked no power behind the throne the summer kitchen, the winter kitch- en, the cellar, woodshed, garden and orchard. Over the remainder of the house she claimed only to exercise the rights of suzerainty and partial con- trol. It was barbarian territory to be tidied daily and swept every week, but still outside her absolute sway.
 In one respect it was an advantage to Ann that she served an invalid mis- tress; there was no ''snooping" around in her kitchen and asking of vain and irrelevant questions. Ann was making cup cake, studded with large raisins, and to be baked in little tin patty pans, There was clear fire in the stove, and the butter and sugar, four and eggs were all ranged on the spotless table From side window in her palace Queen Ann had seen Mrs. Martha Whitcumt arrive; had seen Jo Spaulding, the hack man, bring in Mrs. Whitcumb's trunk l.