The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-01-31

coed. You make excuses for every |
body, and there's nobody you'd refuse |
to speak to. 1 do believe you would
visit with a caterpillar, If you thought
it 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 windowsill
a great f1uted green caterpillar, NOV
ing with dignity, as became creature
whom splendid destiny was to trans
form into still more magnificent
green moth.
The shuttle lay idle as for some
minutes Mrs Merritt watched. and
admired, 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, for she reserved her curios-
| ity for the human species.
Within a fortnight she was again
spending the afternoon at Mrs. Mer-
ritt's. but she did not occupy her
usual seat, commanding a 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 des-
perate rent in her brown alpaca dress.
She had caught it upon 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 lofty Indignation. Her own special
grievance. Of the torn gown only add
ed to her wrath at what She deemed
a 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 had lost no time in going
to condole with her friend.
"Here be a-settin', mendin' dress
on me-" she remarked. 'It's a sign
lme but I guess I can resk it if they
can, s longs faint the truth. Wish
I could make them railroad folks buy
me a. new dress! But you oughter git
big damages" she went on. 'It jist
lspiles your posy garden. It's lucky
the girls is growed up big enough to
keep off'n the track"
Mrs. Merritt assented.
can to have 'em comm along
screechin' in the middle of the night.
shakin' the very pliers under your
head! I know how tits to Sister
Church's. But the wust was when
" they was diggin' an blastin'. an
great stones a-fiyin', an Ketury's
folks had to live all cluttered up in
the ell-part, an all nerved up when
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,
expectin' the kerridge would slip Off n
the aige. An her a-lookin' out O. the
front winder, crosser'n time, because
there was wheelmarks on the terriss
as she called it"
'"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 tc
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 par
of the workmen, did not seem te
shake the placid nerves of Mrs. Mer.
! ritt.
you're making a good, workman-
like job Of that tear" she said kindly
'"There's very few can beat you a.
mending, S'repty.'
S'repty drew her thread with 9
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, "here Is
Bradford Toker. He says S'repty il
very sick and wants to see you.'
: "Yessum," r'7f in small boy at the
. door, "S'rer''- says if you wanter see
: her alive again, to come soon's yor
can"
!, "How long has Srepty been com
lplaining?" inquired Mrs. Merritt.
"Oh, most week-an' las nigh
. 1--we was KEEP up with her bout all tht
q forepart of the night said the small
boy, with a careworn air. "She wa.
out of 'er head, an took on prett.
2 bad"
'I'll go over to your house as soo1
! las I can," said Mrs. Merritt.
"Shes been dretful flighty," sait
Azariah's wife, before she led tn,
), way to the sick-room. "She's beel
;, goin' on about bein' took up, an abou
L your bein' run over by the engine
an such like. She begun with sor
!. of influential cold day or two afte
y she was over to your house. Monda,
. she couldn't git up. I had my hand
full, so I KEEP Bradford home from
= school, an that most killed him. Bu
u he's a great hand to read, Bradford
: is. an he took the last Roaring Brool
Argus upstairs an read it through t
= S'repty, advertisements and ALL Some
thin in it seemed to excite her, an,
. she begun to act kinder wild then
!, he thought. But of course we al
! know that the intellex of S'repty'
mind amt over keen at the best O
L ! times, an havin' so much read to he
L right out kinder dazed her.
1t was very pale, drawn face whicl
> Mrs. Merritt encountered a momen
/ later,-that of the supposed victim O
too much learning, but there was il
: the eyes feverish brightness whicl
n gave them more expression than usual
S'repty said but little, and that il
d very feeble tones, until there came
q call from below which her sister-in
t law was obliged to heed.
:. Then the invalid started prompt,
T into a sitting posture and drew from
d under her pillow newspaper, whicl
r she handed to Mrs. Merritt.
i 81 got Bradford to bring it up here
e an say nothin'," she said. "Now real
: that itum,"
Mrs. Merritt read as follows:
"a considerable number of tn
: stakes which We're driven by the Of
!; ficials engaged in surveying the pro
posed route of the r. B. & S. " r. r.
I. We're surreptitiously removed durin,
!; the night of June 10th. We under