The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1894-09-01
HIS SISTER. :.

i The motherly looking person address
ed was peering up the staircase of
farm IN house at a woman in black, who
leaned from the landing, her knotty
\ hands far apart on the rail.
Yes" she called back, and the other
came slowly down.
4 She was tall and hard-featured; so
4 tall that she seemed about to strike
Il her forehead on the floor overhanging
q the staircase; so hard-featured that her
1 line, dark eyes hardly redeemed her
from ugliness. To-day, moreover, her
4 eyes were red, her whole face disfig-
4 ured by weeping.
! Below the two turned into a room
half rustic, half urban, like most par
j lors of well-to-do farming people in
! large and prosperous villages. From
the ceiling hung a gilt chandelier cov-
cred with pink muslin; on the floor was
q a square of carpet woven into huge
t bouquets Of roses. To-day the center
! of the room was bare, and against the
/ walls great many chairs stood at hap
I hazard. Some lilies dying on the man
tel exhaled close, sweet smell. From
a room beyond came "tink- -tink,''
i as of the piling up of cups and saucers
after some festivity. Yet, like all rooms
deserted by q company that has left
it in disorder, this one seemed full of
palpable solitude
. AS she sat down the taller of the two
| women cast an almost frightened
glance about.
/ did yer tell Abe ter hitch up an
I take her ter the depot?" she asked,
i restlessly.
i ''She said she guessed she'd walk
i said the other, with a troubled look.
i 'Wa-al!'' said the taller woman, with
u a peculiar bitterness. She raised her
i hands, then dropped them. In any one
Il of less angular outline, of less evident,
i well ordered responsibility, the gesture
i would have seemed almost tragic. The
i oppressive silence deepened.
\ At last the taller woman broke out
4 aggressively, though in an uncertain
1 voice. "Sarah White" she said, ''it's
'] no use in your lookin' that way It's
all we'll enough fer you "a the minister
Il But as ter seein' her settin' there, an
i not wrinkle on her face, an Leander
4 lynn in his coffin, an then shakin'
i hands with her, an maxim much Of her
j afterWards-as is what folks expected,
4 s'pcse-'tWas more'n could do"
Il ''She was cryin'," said Mrs. White,
i softly. t.
4 'Oh, she can cry" said the other
d "But I tell yer, Sarah White, instead o.
i isteIin' ter the minister an the hymns
Il as Lord knows I'd ha' been glad
1 ter, eff she hadn't been a-settin' there
4 jests went over, N, over, m over
the hull thing in my mind. guess ef
I've been over It onct, I hev fifty times
-sence he went. An ter think I'd
almost forgot it.! Yes, almost forgot it
all-in all these years. An he never
spol1e-Lever but jest that onct I dun
nos I ever told yer jest how twas,
Sarah; but I d'clare I b'ieve I will
now"
She began to speak more rapidly, but
in monotonous tone, as if reh2arslng
sor,ething recently learned oy rote.
"Twas the week afore the waddin',
an Leander he come inter the orchard
lool1in fur me. I was in the grape ar
Dor, an purity down in the mouth, too,
I guess 'Twarn't that didn't like the
girl well enough allus said you
couldn't but like her-same as you'd
like a nice kitten that comes rubbin'
round 'thout bein' coaxed. An faint
likely I'd ha' taken ner in, an done
fur her s I did eff hadn't liked her
purity we'll. But knew well enough
what sister is in house where there
is a wife. Howsomever, his face was
bright enough fur two; an lie didn't
notice me. Come on, Lott, an help
find Della, he called out. You re-
member them little downy side whisk-
ers he uster wear? An his lips was
smilln' as if he couldn't help it, I
never see him look like that again.
Twas Jest a week afore the weddin'
an Harryd bin down since the great
success he made with his inventin'.'
Mrs. White stirred sympathetically.
Miss I.onglnan was sitting bolt upright,
looking straight before her. 'Do yer
set all right, Charlotte?" asked Mrs.
White, anxiously; but the other, wholly
! given to her memories, went on:
oval, we run up stairs. l thought
I knew we'll 'nough where Della was
The dress was done, an layin' on the
| spare chamber bedstead, an thought
like as not she'd be in there lookin'
at it. If they hadn't been so taken up,
they;d ha' heard us comm. Della, she
was by the bed where the dress was,
an Harry he was standin' with his arm
| round her an his face as red as fire;
an Jest as we come in, he looked up
an kissed her. Leander went down
! stairs withouten a word. The sudden
ness Of it all made me kinder queer,
I guess. I recollec' sayin' he'd oughter
be ashamed; an the brother-in-law d
the right ter kiss the bride--an'
dunno what ALL Not that way he sez
an that was all. When HAIRY comes
down stairs at last, I thought, the min
nit I set eyes on his face, thlt maybe
Leander was in the rights OF. He
called Harry inter the settin' room
where he was. couldn't help hcarin
| part O. what went on. I heard Lean
der's voice as I never heard It afore
nor sence. BY God,' he sean you
know he never swore, Sarah-'By God,
you shall marry her! Let 'em talk!
You shall marry her. Then Harry said
somethin', an heard Leander, again.
DO yer love her or not?' he called out
an then they said somethin' else,
an It was all quiet. But if ever there
was hell in any house, twas in our'n
that week, Sarah. Della, she cried.
Then she said she'd 60 way somewhere
forever But Leander declared she
shouldn't So she set with her eyes ON
/ he1. Mate not aa fin a thing fer sneak of