The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-03-14
SELECTED STORY.
For Conscience Sake.

MIS-. SOuJnAll ShJ upon ner DhCK porch
shelling black eyed pease into bright
new tin pan upon her lap. Whenever
the bottom of it became we'll covered
she emptied the shelled pease into big
wooden tray that sat upon the floor
back of her left hand. AT the right was
big splint basket full of the long yell
low-red pods, with just beyond it
another in which she cast handfuls of
the snaBy hulls. A mat of honeysuckle
curtained the porch go thickly that only
stray sunbeam got through it here or
there to make a round yellow blur upon
the clean cedar floor. Though il was
August, and all the yard dry as powder,
a foot-mat of plated corn shucks lay at
the porch steps, so well worn as to
show that use of it was imperative.
The sun fell full upon it; the porch
faced south. At one side big tawny
setter lay lax and painting, now and
again rolling upon his back, but evil
IDENTITY without energy TO snap at the
flies which tormeDted eyes and nose.
The house wall was of hewn logs,
with cracks neatly pointed and white
washed. The door and windows had
castings of smooth poplar, clean as soap,
sand, and securing could make them.
There were two square front rooms,
with a passage between. The porch
started at the back door of it, and ran
down the side of the kitchen, which
was lower than the rest of the house,
and set on to it l. fashion.
Mrs. Southall could look full into the
kitchen windows without stirring from
her seat. Just now she had little inten-
ton of stirring, despite strong incli-
nation. She was dumpy, roundish
woman, with no lightness of motion, to
whom her fifty years bad brought a
greater weight of flesh than Der frame
could graciously bear. Besides, one
foot, swathed in fannels, lay at ease
upon the cricket in front of her. A
severe sprsin had left her for three
weeks past prisoned within her own
yard, when she especially wished to be
up and doing.
She had strong homely features under
thick shiny skin. A thatch of stiff
hair, barely threaded with gray, was
strained back from her narrow, bullying
forehead. Her eyes were gray, 80 deep
set and intense as to redeem her face
from commonplacenes while they &C.
cented its lack of charm. She wore a
clean, stiff-starched, purple calico gown,
girt about the waist with leather belt,
over which a scant check apron was
held in place by very narrow strings.
Presently she called through the win
dow to slim girl at work inside. May
Frances, are you ready ter make them
piesp'
"'Most, Aunt Gin; the dough JUS
needs little more workin'," young
voice replied.
xL.n
right, saying: MAY Frances, how Of
ten must tell you that my name is
Lucindy? Heaven knows 1 wish il
want! do think my mother might
nv give me Scripcher nam. But Lu.
cindy Bascom / wus christened inter
the Methods church, an ter change
hit is sacrilege; 30 let me hear no more
of yo' Aunt Gins. We've all got
enough original elm about us, without
hevin' any more tackled on to save yo'
breath"
"Yes'm, I'll try. 1 forgot" Mary
Frances said meekly. " But about the
pies; you want apple and grape and
plum, don't you? and a peach-cobbler,
too?''
eyes, reckon you had better make
peach-cobbler; thar amt nothin' yo'
Uncle Dan'l likes better hot fer dinner.
An, May Frances, in maxim the others,
don't fergit ter make one.o' each sort
extry deep an extry sweet-yo' Uncle
Dan'l does hate er POI pie-an' mark
the crust different, 80 l can tell where
ter cut him piece"
"Pl pinch the others round the
edges and mark his with the fork"
Mary Frances said, obediently, though
laugh lurked in her eyes. She was
too young, too uniformed, to see any
thing but the humor of Aunt Lucindy's
affection for the sulky fellow, at least
fifteen years younger than herself,
whom she had married in the second
giddiness that is said To wait on single
ladies at forty five.
Mrs. Southall dropped her eyes
minute, then raised them to say: No,
come to think Nv it, you'd better make
'em all alike-all good; it won't break
us, reckon, eff sugar is so high. You
uncle Dan'l be mortified ter death eff
anybody wus ter come ter-morrer an
he found out thar wus difference in
whut wus set befo' him an them. He's
mighty high-toned, yo' uncle Dan'l is.
I'll never forgit how he set an cried
yes, actually cried, him er mantle
first Christmas after we got married,
when every niger on the place wus off
festivalin', IAN had ter feed the stock
an milk an keep up fires-said it hurt
i'm so ter see his wife doin' sech. He,
poor dear, tried his best ter help; but
Sock cow kicked him over when he
wus pulling the calf erway; an the
devil-yes, the very devil-got in them
mules an horses, they'd bat their ears
an kick the minute he stuck his head
inside the stable do. You, Nv all folks,
May Frances, oughter know how high
his feelin's is; fer when yo' par died
an lef' nothin' in the wide world but
you an er passel er debts, you remem-
Der how he said: 'Lucindy, l see the
Lords hand in this; he don't mean
that you shall be by yo'sef no mo-
when business keeps me late in town,
ner that thar sha'n't be some er yo'
name ter sing tribbe in Asbury meetin'-
house when bit Pleases him ter take
erway yo' voice."