The Progress., 1892-08-20

| UP W lihc IL rue Win No'iIlStOIcS anu uo
water bottles and something strength
enin to take on the way. she Is generally
In bed u day or two aftcrward: the bone,
of her legs seem to be soft-all gristie. ol
whatsomdcver you call it. When sh,
tries TO walk she sinks right down lik,
empty bags. Only once year she
comes into tho garding. Whcr | see tho
dandclions spottin tho grass and the
plumblows white up agin tho sky know
she'll come out, and mebbe tottcr twice
around to look up under the old trees
and notice the laylocks in bloom. There's
pair of blue birds that's come good
many years runnin to build in the crutch
Of tho bough apple tree. She wouldn't
have them disturbed for tho world and
/ she stops and looks Mt the nest long
time. and Mt the old ones bringing bits
of grass and straw 10 build with. hey
TO bring her in mostly in my arms and
put her down on the couch and kivcr her
up warm, and revive her with the smell.
in salts"
well. it beats all" said Mrs Martha
1.-THE Mayhews, all ever knew were
strong folks-never had hippo or megrims
or no kind of nerves. Good. sensible
solid people. can't make it out. What
does she do, Ann, there all dry long by
the settin room window"
"She likes to sec the folks go by, and
to nod and smile to tho school children
She knows all them little ones by sight
even if she don't ketch their names
And when one OF them is sick and KEEP
home from school seems rs il the very
witches told her. Then bev to post of
with some Jam or jelly to black haired
Mary or yeller haired Jim, and to say as
how Miss Mayhem sent me. and hopes
the jelly will help him to swallow the
doctors nasty stuff. When it's summer
sho sends flowers, makes mp the little
punches Of sweet peas and other things
that has n nice smell and ties EN- with n
bit of white or blue ribbin. She keeps
bolts Of that narrer kind in her work
basket to tie her little bokays. And this
year past she's took to crochettin and
knittin baby things-little caps and socks
and sacks and baby blankets She's
fitted most every baby in town, and
while she's doin of 'em seems as il she
jest dotes. She'll hold the little socks
on her hand half hour together, them
blue and pink ones, and look kind OF
smiin rs II she was seein somethin that
wasn't there. Now she's maxim a white
blanket, and workin in rosebuds all over
it, and she's real happy lookin when she's
absorbed in that work. I've told her
she might sell them things for hand
some little sum. but she allus shakes her
head. Ii she couldn't give 'em away il
wouldn't do her mite of good. You
see it don't cost her anything for clothes
and she puts that money she saves IN
wool and ribbins for the babies"
"ls tho capn mt home now" asked
Mrs. Martha suddenly. as she ceased
sucking the core of the pear.
"Yes; he's at home Don't you see
the smoke goin up from his kitchen
chimbly? Got shipwrecked last wage
off tho Banks and come home with
nothin but the clothes he was a-standin
in, a demijohn of old brandy and his
Testament. But it didn't matter much
to him so long as he come off with hil
life," continued Ann, us she squatted
down by her shining stove to see how
the little cakes were browning in the
patty pans. The cap'n is pretty well
fixed as to airthly goods He's got more
now than he knows what to dc
with, and him not chick or child OF
any near kin"
docs he ever go past this houseT
asked Mrs. Whitcumb reflectively.
III guess he does" said Ann with de-
cision. "He amt the man to go an inch
out of his way for nobody"
sand does she see him. Ann, settin
there at her Window
81 guess she does Mrs. Whitcumb, or
she hears him every time. even when
she's in bed with the cuttings drawed.'
And docs the capn look this way
when he's passing?"
"Haint turned his head or looked this
way, Miss Whitcumb, for the past fif-
teen year, not even when the laylock5
md seringys are out in tho yard, and
hem sweet scented rose pineys she had
me buy at the flowerists to take the
nloca of tbc nlJ foebibped rad hind