Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-01-30

will lend me few articles of furniture,
I'll try to make the place habitab.e
for her."
"And you're kindly welcome to 'em,
| my dear, " said thefarmer's wife. "There's
plenty of solid old furniture up in the
garnet, that we can rub up with little
oil and make decent And it's our
business to help you all we can, seem
it's Gidcon's fault"
"It's nobody's faultl' quickly inter
rupted Kitty Richie. 'And if the
trustees raise my salary, as they talk of
doing, if that extra class in mathematics
is started, shall soon be able to pay a
little rent for the piece"
| 81 guess we shan't dun you much for
no rent, Miss Richie, "chuckled Tucker
\ San you're welcome to the milk of the
red COW if you an the old aunty want
it. A cows dreadful help in house
| keepin'.
Miss Richie thanked them and went
on her way, limping slowly along.
''I'd a hitched up old Jack aud took
! her the rest of the way home" observed
Tucker, as he stretched his neck to look
after the departing figure, "if | hadn t
a seen Harry Waits carpenter wagon
comm down the road. An | guess !
amt one to spell sport"
"'Twou't never be match If Kitty
| Richie shoulders the burden o. that old
crazy aunt O. her'n," said Mrs. Tucker
"a man can't be expected to marry a
whole madhouse"
II guess Kitty's worth it, declare |
Tucker.
''She is good gir' said his wife
tAnd there was one time folks s'pose
she was goin' to be an hcircss--when the
old sea captain uncle came home with
the prize money that he gained In the
war"
81 don't believe there ever was any
prize money!" said Mr.. Tucker, resum-
ing his task of denuding the plump duck
of its feathers. "There"
II know there was !" nodded his wife.
'tMrs Richie showed it to me herself.
All gold eagles; tied up in shammy
bag, with a leather shoe string. The old
captain give 1t to her for nussin' him
! through that fever"
whats the reason you never said
nothin' about it before?" questioned
Tucker.
Mrs. Richie made me promise not to
tell. She was afeared o beiu' robbed. "
''Aud what ever came of it,"
"That's what nobody knows. JeSt's
! likes not old Eben Richie put it into
that irou-mining' consarn that honey
combed Blue Mountain and never done
no good. Or p'r'aps he invested it III
lottery tickets. He never had no judg-
ment. Now, don't you go to chatteriu'
about this, Gid Tucker. Mind, I'm uu-
der promise to the poor old creetur
that's dead and buried"
"Some promises is better broken than
kept" said Gideon
But Mrs. Tucker knew that the secret
was safe with her uncommunicative
spouse.
Meanwhile, the builders wagon had
stopped before the old, one-storied ruin
of the Richie house, strongly silhouetted
by the red shoulder OF the September
sunset.
"Kitty,' said young Wait, stealing
his arm coaxingly around her waist, "you
can't live in an old shell like this Give
up your false pride, love! Let Inc make
a home for you"
Kitty bit her lip.
"And have it said," said she, "that
Henry Wait was the only one OF the
Wait family that made bad matchI"
81 don't care what people say"
81 do"
"Kitty, let's go to the parson to-
night! Let's he married.
Kitty shook her head
! Not until I've saved up enough to
{ buy a decent outfit" SAID she. mot
until I've paid the last debt that poor
father owed"
I'm pay 'em, Kitty"
mo, Harry, you won't. can be as
unscl6sh as you arel" cred tho girl.
"Oh, hush! Who is that9"
4 board in the old floor had creaked
softly, shadowy little figure had come
forward with a siding motion, into the
light.
''Be you Kitty2n asked a soft, high.
pitched little voice. ''Is this home? I've
come good ways, and I'm sort O. turned
round"
"It's Aunt Ruhamah!n cried Kitty.
"Why, how came she here! And all 10y
herself!'
SITS good ways" repeated the ole
woman, shifting her fiat travelling has
ket, ''and I'm sort o turned round. Blu
| followed sister Sarah all the way. Sht
went before, an shs beckoned. l fol
lowed her here. And she's gone out &c
the old well. I'm sort o feared to fol
Ter her into the high, wet grass, bu
she keeps a-beckonin, and / guess III
have to go.'
She started for the door, passing hel
hand in a confused fashion over her fore
head.
"What does she mean?' asked Harry
Wait.
"She means mother" said Kitty
"mother that has been dead and buried
these fifteen years. >
Don't you sec her -beckonin'!'
piped the little old woman-''just Their,
by the old we'll? We never could ge
Eben TO put up a curb there, and sister
Sarah was always afeard somethin would
happen
II see the tail grass waving" said
Kitty, land cloud coming over the
surface of the rising moon, and that il
all"
SITS sister Sarah, said Aunt Ruey
pushing resoluteIy ahead land she
wants me. Why, Kitty, do you mean t
tell me that You don't know your OWL
mother?"
Kitty sent for Harry Wait the mex
day.
Harry said she, "do you want t;
90 something for mel"
~ want to do everything for you
Kitty"
That's nonseusc,7 but she laughed
and colored neverthelcss.) 81 want yot
to put curb around that old sunkel
well. Aunt Ruey keeps wandering GU
there. She declares that mother stand,
reckoning her and leaning over to look
in. And ITS as near to bring out watel