Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
on, for all that she keeps her eyes

ing on, for all that she keeps her eyel
shut"
There isn't any harm In S'repty, >
said Mrs. Merritt. Eve always
known her. and 1t kind % Interests
her to come here"
''She takes too much interest In
my affairs" persisted Emma. "And
everywhere she goes she tells about
Isl, and EN- and 'Lucindy,' and &C
on as five belonged to her."
Never mind Emma Jane, replied
her mother, II guess there's room
enough in this world for you and
S'repty, too"
'Oh, mother, mother! you're toe
good. You make excuses for every
body, and there's nobody you'd re-
fuse to speak to. do believe you'd
visit with q caterpillar, IL you
thought 1t would be pleased"
This seemingly absurd conjecture
was verified. The next day as Mrs.
Merritt sat in solitary state at her
loom, there came upon the window
sill a great futed green caterpillar,
moving with dignity, as became a
creature whom splendid destiny was
to transform into q still more magni-
ficent green moth.
The shuttle lay idle as for some
minutes Mrs. Merritt watched and ad-
mired, and even talked softly to her
guest. All this would have seemed
but foolishness to Sarepta, had she
been present. Her mind must have
been constructed on a larger scale,
after all, tor she reserved her curios-
ity for the human species.
Within fortnight she was again
spending her afternoon at Mrs. Mer-
ritt's, but she did not occupy her
usual seat commanding o view Of
the house.
She had crowded her chair into a
narrow space beside the loom. The
window was above her head as she
sat unobtrusively busy in darning a
desperate rent in her brown alpaca
dress. She had caught it upon a
stake which was driven beside the
path; one of several stakes which
were visible from the doorway.
Though her place was humble and
retired, S'repty was full Of indigna-
ton. Her own special grievance Of
the torn gown only added to her
wrath at what she deemed q great
public wrong.
For months there had been talk of
a proposed new railroad. At last the
line had been surveyed and it crossed
the Merritt farm, running between
the house and the great barn."
S'repty lost no time in going to
condole with her friend.
"Here / be a-settin', mendin'
dress on me-" she remarked. Its
a sign somebody is going to tell lie
about me, but l guess l can resk it
if they can, s longs faint the
truth. Wish I could make them
railroad folks buy me new dress
But you oughter git big damages,
she went on. ut just spiles your
posy garden. It's lucky the girls is
growed up big enough to keep off'n
the track"
Mrs. Merritt assented.
"An' to have 'em comm along
screechin' in the middle of the night,
shakin' the very PLIERS under your
head! l know how tits to Sister
Church's. But the wust was when
they was diggin' and blastin', an
great stones a-fyin' an Kentury's
folks had to live all cluttered up in
the ell-part, an all nerved up when
q blast went off. An when they
went to meetin', the road was all
blocked up in front of Eben Clay's
house, an they had to drive up over
the bank, expecting the kerridge
would slip ofr'n the aige. An her a.
lookin' out % the front winder,
crosser'n time, because there was
wheelmarks on the terriss, as she
called it,"
1.-THE road will be easier to build
here" said Mrs. Merritt. "And now
they've begun they say they're going
to rush it through"
But the emigrants will have to
come, them Eyetalians," said
S'repty, "An' the shanties will be
right under your nose, an there
they'll be cookin' themselves, an
livin' on black bread"
Even this mixed statement, limiting
at cannibalistic tendencies on the
part of the workmen, did not seem
to shake the placid nerves OF Mrs.
Merritt.
You're making a good, workman
like Job OF that tear" she said
kindly. There's very few can beat
you at mending, S'repty."
S'repty drew her thread with q
steadier hand. She was used to less
disinterested compliments than this;
hints pointing directly to great bas-
kets full of tattered garments which
had accumulated ready for her
needle.
Mother" said Lois Merritt one
morning some days later, there is
Bradford Toker. He says S'repty is
very sick and wants to see you"
"Yessum," put in a small boy at
the door, "S'repty says, IL you
want to see her alive again, to come
soon's you can"
"How long has S'repty been COM
plaining?" inquired Mrs. Merritt:
''Oh, most a week-an' las night
we was KEEP up with her bout all the
forepart of the night" said the small
boy with a carewcrn air. She was
out of Ter head, an took on pretty
bad"