The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-11-29

W W
STILL THE TWO SISTERS SAT- THERE.
the prison walls enfeebled in mind
and body and helpless as a child.
He must "a been awful poor" Miss
Harriet spoke again, after a long 81
lence
YES, s'pose he was"
81 don't believe there's enough for a
decent buryin'.''
Il don't believe there is.
There was silence again. The gray
cat wallened, yawned and stretched
himself; then he jumped down from
his cushion and rubbed his sleek sides
against Miss Harriet. She did not
notice him, and he, surprised at such
unusual neglect, stalked to the door
and requested, after his fashion, to be
let out. Miss Harriet rose mechan-
ically, picked up her knitting and
opened the door. She sat down again
and slipped the yarn over her finger,
but at the first stitch her hands
dropped idly in her lap. The old clock
licked on. The noises in the street
had ceased. The fire was out and the
room cold; but still the sisters sat
there, unmindful of all save the past.
Finally, after much fdgeting in her
chair and many uneasy glances at her
sister, after opening her mouth only
to close it again, Miss Harriet broke
the silence.
"Sister?"
Her voice had a half-frightened
quaver in it.
"Well?"
Miss Margret's tone was so much less
sharp than usual that Harriet took
courage and went on.
"Why, you know that money we've
saved, in case we should get sick or
anything?"
Harriet paused to note the effect of
her words.
"Nell?"
There was no surprise in the tone,
no change in the pale face.
"Why, seems to me we could get on;
it only took us ten years to save it, and
we amt very old-and - and-we're
pretty healthy-and we can be more
savin' if we try. We don't need that
carpet much: and we can get along
without them new dresses-mine hain't
been turned but once
well, what do you want to do?''
Miss Margaret's tones were sharp
enough now. 1t irritated her to have
Harriet so long in coming to a point
which had been evident to her from
the beginning. But it was something
that she did not eXclaim at once
against the spending of their care
fully boarded fund, and Harriet went
on bravely:
why, I'd thought mebby we could
take that money and bury him decent
and"
And what?"
And get little headstone." Har-
riet's voice had sunk almost to a whis-
per- Father thought so much of him,
you know"
Again there was silence. Miss Mar
garet rose, folded and laid by her work,
locked the door, wound the clock and
took up the lamp.
Come to bed, she said. Its half
past ten"
They put ont the light and went to
bed. If they slept or walked, if they
shed tears in the darkness, if their
poor hearts ached with the pain of
forty years ago, they did not tell each
other of it
They were astir early next morning
The September sun had hardly begun
to warm the world when their scanty
breakfast was over, the dishes washed
and put away, the old carpet swept
and the room busted.
Miss Margaret came out of the tiny
bedroom with her bonnet on.
where are you going?"
Harriet looked up, surprised; she
usually did the errands.
pm going to ask Mr.. Morgan to see
to things for the funeral. I'm the old
est, and it's proper | should do it.
You'd better put on your other DRESS
an go an get that money out of the
bank"
And so the matter was settled; and
poor old Bob Barton, who had died
alone, and left not a relative in the
world, nor a cent of money, instead of
being laid in Il pauper's grave, was de-
Gently buried, and followed to his last
resting place by two sincere mourners
When the expenses were all paid,
the sisters found their little sum re-
duced more than they had anticipated
1--WE can go without our roast beef
Sunday" Harriet suggested, timidly.
Yes, and tea once a days enough
for anybody" Margaret answered.
So, without a word of regret, or a
thought of yielding their project, the
| sisters made their sacrifices, and then