The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-01-12

STILL THE TWO SISTERS SAT THERE.
the prison walls enfeebled in mind
and body and helpless as child.
He must "a been awful poor!' Miss
Harriet spoke again, after long ST.
lence.
Eyes, s'pose he was"
81 don't believe there's enough for a
decent buryiD'."
81 don't believe there is"
There was silence again. The gray
cat Weakened, yawned and stretched
himself; then he jumped down from
his cushion and rubbed his sleek sides
against Miss Harriet She did not
notice him, and he, surprised at such
unusual neglect, stalked to the door
and requested, after his fashion, to be
let out. Miss Harriet rose mechan-
ically, picked UP her knitting and
opened the door: She sat down again
and slipped the yarn over her finger,
but. at the first stitch her hands
dropped idly iii lief lap. The old clock
licked on. The noises in the street
had ceased. The fire was out and the
room cold; but still the sisters sat
there, unmindful of all save the past.
Finally. after much fidgeting in her
chair and many uneasy glances at her
sister, after opening her mouth only
to close it again, Miss Harriet broke
the silence.
s'Sister?"
Her voice had a half-frightened
quaver in it. ,
"Well?"
Miss Margret's tone was so much less
sharp than usual that Harriet took
courage and went on.
"Why, you know that money we've
saved, in case we should get sick or
anything?"
Harriet paused to note the effect of
her words
"Well?'
There was no surprise in the tone,
no change in the pale face.
"Why, seems to me we could get on;
it only took us ten years to save it. ana
we amt very old-and = and-we're
pretty hcalthy-and we can be more
savin' if we try. We don't need that
carpet much; and we can get along
without them new dresses-mine hain't
been turned but once"
"Well, what do you want to do?'
Miss Margaret's tones were sharp
enough now. 1t irritated her to have
Harriet SO long in coming to point
which had been evident to her from
the beginning. But it was something
that she did not exclaim at once
against the spending of their care
fully boarded fund, and Harriet went
on bravely:
"Why. I'd thought mebby we could
take that money and bury him decent
and"
"And what?'
'sAnd get little headstone. .erIiar
riet's voice had sunk almost to uwhis
per. ..Father thought SO much of him
you know" ,sso,s.e-
Again there was silence Muscular
garet rose, folded and laid by her work
locked the door, wound the clock ana
took up the lamp. =.
| Come to bed," she said. Its half
past ten"
They put out the light and went t.
bed. If they slept or walked. if the,
shed tears in the darkness, if thei
poor hearts ached with the pain o
forty years ago, they did not tell eacl
other of it
They were astir early next morning
The September sun had hardly begun
to warm the world when their scant,
} breakfast was over, the dishes washes
and put away, the old carpet swep
and the room busted.
Miss Margaret came out OF the tin.
bedroom with her bonnet oD.
where are you going?'
Harriet looked up, surprised; sh
usually did the errands.
'I'm going to ask Mr. Morgan to Sc
: to things for the funeral. I'm the old
! est, and it's proper should do il
} You'd better put on your other dress
an GO an get that money out of tn
bank"
And SO the matter was settled; an
: poor old Bob Barton, who had die
alone, and left not relative in tn
: world, nor a cent of money, instead @
being laid in pauper's grave. was de
! Gently buried, and followed to his las
1 resting place by two sincere mourner'
When the expenses were all pait
y the sisters found their little sum RI
e duced more than they had anticipated
S I'VE can go without our roast bee
Sunday" Harriet suggested, timidly.,
: "Yes, and tea once days cnoug
t for anybody" Margaret answered.
So, without q word of regret, or
d thought of yielding their project. tt
q sisters made their sacrifices, and the