Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02

grateful that the minister now said they
would all sing the doXology. She stood
up with the rest, and flung her head back.
singing loudly. She was longing to drown
something, she hardly knew what. After
the blessing the people began to go toward
the door, She tried not to see the minis
ter. but he came directly TO her, and shook
hands warmly. He said he hoped she was
well. She answered that there didn't seem
to be nothing the matter with her, only
she had a kind of rundown feeling; she
s'posed it was her humor." She was aware
as she spoke that the minister was looking
at her with anxious scrutiny, and she re-
scented that look. She turned away shortly
ana hurried out, fearing that some one else
would speak to her. 1t did not seem to her
that she could bear TO hear another word
from anybody. AS she hurried along the
solitary road she was telling herself that
she had acted like a fool, singing as she
had done. And why had she persisted in
beginning in the middle of the hymn? 1t
was very humiliating. Her face burned as
she thought of how she had sung. She
knew that all the people would talk, and
say ''how odd Susannah Frier had been to
the prayer meetn'. -
And the worst of it was she knew she
had been odd. And she felt quite terri
flying impulse upon her to be odd again.
She fought this impulse with all the
strength she had: but all the time she was
aware that if she stopped fighting for an
instant something dreadful, something I'M
like herself, might happen. She would have
liked to break out singing in the road as
she went on. But she did not. She walked
so fast that she nearly ran, and when she
was fumbling in her pocket for the key as
she stood on the door step, she suddenly
caught herself humming that hymn. She
was not thinking of the hymn, however.
but of HCsy as he used to look when he
went to the barn with the milk pail.
Well, he was in the poor house; and that
was certainly the best place TO- him. Her
money wouldn't last if she gave it to him;
and he never asked for a cent. He always
told her IL safer for her to keep her
own money. and she had kept it, She had
been prudent, and it had accumulated in
these years.
When she was in the sitting room she
turned up the lamp and opened the draught
to the 'parior base-burner."
1t was warm and cozy there, but the
woman shivered as she sat down in front
of the stove.
She was wishing that Hosy had some
times asked for money, and she Won
derlnS why 4 man who was SO Shiftless
should also be 80 proud. He was SO proud
that he would rather go on the town than
come to her. And even as she thought this,
Hosy's wife felt sense of eXultation in
him that he had that pride.
Presently she walked round the room,
paGsing To wind the clock. She had wound
the clock every night since Hosy had gone,
but that had always been one of his chores.
She could not imagine why she should so
distinctly remember that fact now. 1t
must be because she was all kind of run
down, and had not reiished her victuals
lately. She would take some more dande-
lion and go to bed.
She wished tonight that she had a cat
or dog; but she had never wanted either
around. She said they were always under
foot. Hosy had brought home a water
spaniel once that he had got in the way of
trade. She had made him give it away,
though he had pleaded that it might stay.
She recalled how the dog had stood look
ing from one to the other when she and
Hosy had been talking about him.
Hosy had told her that If she would let
him keep the dog it would get to loving
her lot. He said there was no telling
how much dogs could love.
She had laughed at that. She did not care
whether dogs could love or not. 1t was not
long after that that Hosy had gone. and
she had never seen him since.
She went to the window and pulled up
the curtain, putting a hand each side of
her face she peered out into the black
ness. She Strengthened herself suddenly.
and said that she was full of notions
as witch, and ii must be because her hu-
NOR was workin', mebby it was her liver
which wasn't workin; she could not decide
in her own mind which OF these troubles
it was.
She must go to bed for tomorrow would
be Thanksgiving. and she had invited her
usual company, her nephew-Samuel Glee-
son-his wife, and five children. She had
formed the habit of inviting them. because
they were all so thrifty, and knew how to
get along. Samuel already held mortgages
on three houses in the village. and he could
carve the turkey and help to gravy without
splitting anything on the tablecloth.
The turkey was to be delivered by seven
in the morning. Yes, she must certainly
go to bed. She had laid herself down and
pulled the blankets over her before she re-
membered that she had not said her pray
ers. She always knelt by the blue chntz-
covered rocker near the stove. She hastily
left her bed and knelt down by the chair
her long night gown enveloping her and
trailing behind her on the floor, making
her look like 6. kneeling ghost.
But she could not think of a word of her
usual prayer. 1t seemed strange to her thai
all she could find in her mind was an ex-
traocdinary dislike toward her nephew Sam
because he was so thrifty and always had
the best end of a bargain.
She remained resoutely for a long time
with her head bent to the cushion. trying
to recall some words of prayer, and unable
to take her thoughts from Sam Gleeson'an
the fact that he was getting more and more
beforehanded every year.
At last she rose with the wish distinctly
shaped in her mind that she had not asked
sam and his family to spend this Thanks
giving with her. And she always felt when
IN him that he was hugging himself be-
cause he was sure she was going to leave
him her property. But he need not hug
himself yet; she was going TO live a long
time. Perhaps she should adopt a child:
other folks had done that. Not that she
wanted a child round any more than a cat
or a dog.
sue put Itf OH tne pillow again,
and her mind began TO wander: at last she
was going to sleep. But no; she sprang I'D
asking herself If she could not stop Sam
Gleeson from coming tomorrow And then
there came a sort of terror to her because
she could not think how to pray
She spent the night some way. 1t did not
seem to her that she slept any. Still her
mind was clearer in the morning, and she
knew that she must let Sam come
AS she stood before the glass and combed
her hair by lamp light, she thought her
eyes were very far back in her head and
that they were brighter than common
She laughed at the thought of her being
excited because Sam Gleeson was coming
This morning she did not think she should
adopt child. She thought she should go
right on living in the old Frier house. and
lay up all the money she could every year
The turkey was delivered promptly at
seven, and while she was stuffing it a car
that her nephew had come. With her hands
covered with crumbs of soaked cracker
she went to the door. Yes, there he was
stepping deliberately out of that old COW
cred wagon. And he had on that brown
overcoat that he had worn so long, and
that was rubbed at the seams. Mrs
Frier felt that the sight of that overcoat
made her ILL., There were three children
on the front seat with their father, and
two on the back seat with their mother
And they had put around them, instead OF
carriage robes, old bed comforters that
showed the cotton through various holes
Mrs. Frier's face grew black as she
watched the seven human beings get out
80 ere covered with turkey stutfing so that
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