Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-19
MISS JENNINGS TROUBLE,
WRITTEN FOR THE EVENING STAR BY LOUISE
&. BAKER

1t seemed as IL all the women living in
the region Of Cross Roads had trouble that
spring. Miss Crecy Lyons had a setback
with her rheumatism, Liza Jones burnt her
foot severely through clean a'k'ariness"
as she herself shrilly declared; Mis- TfIly
Ann Smith lost three-fourths of a kettle of
soap. Il run and squealed when seen Il
bilin' over" Miss Smith explained to every
! sympathetic neighbor, but 'peared like I
! didn't hev the sense fer to pull the log
away and quench the blazin'" Miss Ben
| nings' trouble was a boy
The fust one she took on herself to
raise, but this her'n was thrust upon her."
said Liza Jones, giving out the latest piece
Of news from the window OF the black
| smiths cottage. Yes, the boys lawns
son; you'd know that eff you'd ever seen
Jawn. Miss Bennings she'd made up her
mind to do fer Jawn, and his runnin' off
the way he did Jest soured her completely"
The listener opened and closed his heavy
eyes and opened them again partially, re-
moved the Quid of tobacco dexterousiy
from one cheek to the other. rammed his
| clumsy hands deeper into the pockets Of
his trousers ard inquired: so this'n he's
Jawns son? What become o. Jawnr'
Died of somers in Colorady; a heap bet
ter "a staid east and died comfortable. 1
seen the boy yesterday along TO the shop
with the man and the hosses."
And Miss Bennings don't teck to him 20
NO, she's slow person to make up her
mind, and she don't change in a hurry.
She was mad when she got the letter
They say she set on the kitchen step and
cried she were SO mortal mad. No word in
the whole letter about astin'. Jest that the
boy had been shipped. She declared she
wasn't gunno let folks put on her that
away; she had settled in her mind when
Jawn left never to have anythink to do
with another boy. but fur she amt said
nothink to the boy. only she amt tuck 10
him"
"Jawn. he were her brothers boy?"
Her half-brother. old man Bits boy
They was arays shiftless over to Bills.
Some say Miss Bennings' was too great
change to Jawn; he couldn't stand not
The woman at the little window and the
man outside the shop both laughed.
II heered," said the man. slowly, las
some,n come out O. the garden up to Miss
Bennings' kerryin' q pea-hull and didn't
known where to throw il"
They both laughed again.
In one Of the rooms OF the old brown
house surrounded by this wealth OF neatness
sat Miss Bennings and her trouble. Miss
Crecy Lyons grumbled over the rheuma-
tism; she had thought IL would have gone
with the breaking of spring. She was pa
tient all through the winter looking for
ward TO the spring. and she had felt herself
coming on very finely until that setback on
beautiful April morning. Liza Brown ex-
amined her bandaged foot daily to see IL
there were any signs OF modification set
ting in. '"That'n mean death or a crutch to
me and don't know which to choose" she
said, and was white around the lips for
an instant. Mis- Smith never wearied of re-
lating the disastrous occurrence to the ket-
tie of soap and her own foolish way of act
ing. "Runnin' and squealin' like a crazy
woman and the suds pourin' into the far"
Miss Bennings for awhile said as little as
possible about her trouble
The second lawn was the first one over
again, even to the tattered condition of his
garments. He had the same wistful eyes
the same droop OF the head-"As ef you was
gunno hit 'im," thought Miss Bennings,
casting swift glance over her steel-rimmed
spectacles.
The droop OF the head was very percepti-
Bile as the boy sat close to the fireplace
gazing dejectedly at the burning logs
'Shiftless to the core" thought Miss Ben
nings. that's Jawn: and ongrateful. that's
JaWn, too. Sent yer to me to be fed and
clothed and given his schoolin'. them was
the conditions about the other; it's all give
and no git"
She had mended the first lawns clothes
on the day OF his arrival; she let the sec
ond Jawn go around in his tattters TN she
place.; then she mended for him, too
ITS all give and no git," she said one
evening. speaking her thoughts aloud. as
she went into the boys room and laid the
mended clothes on the chair beside his bed
The wistful eyes looked after her and the
hickering candle; then the second Jawn hid
his head quickly under the covers ut was
big mistake. father" he whispered hoarse-
~; Il can't meek it up"
But a warmth and tenderness crept into
the boys heart with the memory of the
az -hsar. l.. Il
OF pea hulls might have been spilled upon
the floor and mattered nothing.
You'll DO as 1 tell you. Jawn?"
You'll try and meek 1t up to her?"
Yes. father"
That feeble hand was on his head.
at fustr'
The boy under the covers of the neat he'd
sobbed more vehemently than the bow lad
sobbed in the shiftless little home but
again he gave his word.
AND he did try. All through the summer
he tried, and he tried on up to that day in
autumn when Miss Bennings spoke her
thoughts aloud and to him.
Il 'spose I'm to send you to school," she
said. Il spose now I've clothed YOU snd
fed you everyone will be lookin' fer me to
send you to schoolr'
The wistful eyes were fastened upon the
copper-toed boots The old clothes had been
replaced by a new suit, warm and comfort
ablt. Yes she had clothed him and fed him.
Miss Bennings laughed unpleasantly- q
neighbor had inquired of her recently: us
Ii so that you wasn't even asst eff you'd hev
the boy, that he was jest showed on TO vouP
It's all give and no git!' she exclaimed con-
temptuously.
The next morning Miss Bennings' trouble
was gone.
But was the trouble gone? The hoy was
gone certainly, clip and clare" as the
story went. But Their was the pair OF con-
per-toed boots, and there was the new suit
Of clothes.
When the first John had Quilted the
premises Miss Rennings had denounced hin,
vehemently; she had wrung her hands and
bemoaned his ingratitude to every neIyhhor
who came inside her doors; but she said
very little in reference TO the disappearance
of the second John. After the departure OF
the boy, whom she had undertaken to raise.
Miss Bennings, according to her neighbors
Lad "soured." After the runaway of the
boy. who had been thrust upon her. the
neighbors began TO say that Miss Bennings
was 'gittin' DID,
To Miss Bennings herself 1t seemed that
she was 'gittin mighty young and fullfsh."
such strange feeling crept upon her as
she folded the new suit and put II and the
copper-toed boots away out OF sight.
The weather's BLOWN up" she said.
Il m sure he might a-lxept the clothes
And then she put her wrinkled hands upon
the little wooden mantelpiece beside the
bed where the boy had slept. The hands
trembled as the faded old face found a
resting place upon them. Lord. why didn't