The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-04-30
SERENA'S VISIT.

SERENA'S VISIT.
How She Accepted the Invitation
from Her Nephew.
Mrs. Serena Fry sat idly in the cal
chair in the kitchen.
This fact, innocent at distant acquain-
lance, becomes startling to anyone
knowing well Mrs. Fry. A robust, in
iiustrious farmers wife, her years.
growing fast to be numerous, sat light
" upon her, and did not turn her for q
from her daily work, always
and faithfully and increasingly
performed. So long (ah! only the old
with its yellow almanac hang
ing behind the stove andsits fading,
dull yellow floor knew how long) had
she on every afternoon gone about
the same round of duties, from the
time when Joshua left the dinner
table to the hour when he re-
turned from the field, that it was much
more easy to go on with them than 1t
could have been to pause. Yet there
she sat idly in the old rocker, the stove
half polished, and the brush on the
hearth, while the sun was giving his
last wink above the red barn on the
hill. Besides, her usually CHEEKY face
was clouded-not with anger or sor-
row, but with deep perplexity.
Serena" she said. of a sudden, rising
with her accustomed briskness, you
ought to be clean ashamed of yourself.
If ever Satan got into anybody, it's
you. The idea of your sittin' idle, with
the work only half done, thinkin'
about goia' to New York! 1t would be
bad enough Of everything was done up
Holidays amt for lazy folks, that's
certain" And oven as she spoke, the
stove began to smile ont in its usual
polished manner.
When the last bit of work had been
accomplished. and the old Bible, with
1oshua's spectacles on it, was awaiting
evening prayers from the.iamp stand,
Mrs Fry sat down, and said:
II had letter to-day, Joshua"
"You don't say!" said he, stopping in
the act OF putting on his spectacles.
From John?"
..No," said his wife: ''from Nephew
Joshua, in New York"
"You don't sayw said Joshua again.
do you want to read it aloud,
S'rena?"
II would, butt burnt it up. There
want nothin' secret in it, and knew
right afterwards what thing it was to
do before you'd seen it: but someway
Il didn't seem as if twas right to keep
it."
mot right, S'rena? Has Joshua been
doin' anythin'?'
mo, indeed" said his wife, hastily.
Twas a real nice letter. noticed
particular that he signed his name
Joshua s. Fry as If to kind O remind
himself that he was named after you.
1t amt worth speakin' of, but it was
printed j. Sylvester on the enrelope.
II amt o mite surprised" said
Joshua, with kindly smile. ats q
sight handsomer name. But what die
he say?"
HE wanted me to come to New
York." said Mrs. Frye; and for her life
she could not have said word more.
Her husband waited a moment II
silence, and then he spoke again: tx
stay, S'rena?"
Joshua Fry, how you talk! HI
amt quite n fool. To make Witt
Serena let these short sentences shoe
out from her lips as though they wer'
loaded. "He said he an Susie ha,
been wantin' me for long time, an
he thought could be spared from the
farm now ms well as any time, seem
he remembered the haydn must b,
over; an sccin' I'd never been to New
York, he did hope I'd come. An h
sent me railroad pass"
ibid you burn that up, too?" aslke
Joshua; but as he spoke he noticed
for the first time lying by the Bible
and he leaned forward to read it Ono
and again did he examine the innocen
document, and still turned it over i
his hand when his eyes were looking
as it were, far away.
For dve-and-twenty years Il sal
only the old kitchen knew how lonl
but br1bed it to tell mel had Joshu
and Serena Fry lived together an
worked together without separation {
holiday. Their welded love was {
the old fashioned sort, and dwelt M
in many words, ~ 1t began not with
wedding tour. but thrived in faithf'
common toll. They were not only VI
complaining, but happy.
A. Joshua SCI thinking these thing