The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-12-26

aG the taole making tartS. H.
was to her mother.
didn't meanr what | said abou.
6eln' sorry | egsed you on, Emarino.
I'm glad you turned her out She'd
or, to be turned out" :,
Emarine dropoed q uuivering rubv
OF jelly into q golden ring of pastry
and laid it carefully on a plate. =
"Gran'ma Eliot can 20 talkin' about
her daughter 'n-law, S;dopie, all she
wants, Emarine. You keep stiff
upper lip
"I can tend to my own AFFAIRS" said
EInarine, tiercely.
Well, don't flare up so. Here
comes Orville. Land, but he does look
peakid ''
X
After supper, when her mother had
gone homo for the night, Emarine put
on her hat and shawl
Her husband was sitting by the fire.
place, looking thoughtfully at the bed
of Goals.
-" Pm goin' OUT she said briefly
" You keep the fire up"
,"Why, Emarine, it's dark. Don't
choo want sh'u'd go along p"
" No; you keep the fire up
He looked at ber anxiously, but he
knew from tho way she set her heels
down that remonstrance would be use.
less.
-" Don't stay long" ho said, in tone
OF habitual tenderness. He loved her
passlonately, in spite Of the lasting
hurt she had given him when she
parted him from his mother. 1t was
a hurt that had sunk deeper than even
he realized. 1t lay heavy on his heart
day and night. 1t took the blue out
of the sky, and the green out of the
light; 1t took the eXaltation and the
rapture out of his tenderest moments
of love.
He never reproached her, he never
really blamed her certainly he nevor
pitied himself. But be carried a
heavy heart around with him, and his.
few smiles were joyless things.
For the trouble he blamed only him.
sell. He had promised Emarine
solemnly before he married her, that
If there were any ''knuckling down
to be done, his mother should be the
one to do it. He had ma le the promE
ise deliberately, and he could no more
have broken it than he could have
changed the color of his eyes. When
bitter feelings arise between two reLS
latives by marriage, it is the one who
stands between them-the one who ISL
bound by the tenderest lies to BOTH
who has the real suffering to bear,
who is torn and tortured until lite
holds nothing worth the having.
Orville Palmer was the one who
stood between. He had built his own
cross, and he took it up and bore it
without u word.
Emarine hurried through the early
Winter dark until she came to tho
small and poor house whore her hus-
bands mother lived. IT was of tho
main-traveled street.
There was dim light in tho kitchen
and the curtain had not been drawn !
Emarine paused and looked in. The
sash was lifted six inches, for the night
was warm, and the sound of voices
came to her at once. Mrs. Palmer had |
company.
It's Miss Prcsly," said Emarinc,
resentfully, under her breath. "Old
gossipn'
"-gOin' to have fine dinnor, I |
hear" Miss Prcssly was saying. "Tur-
key with oyster dressin' an cram
berries, an mince an pun'kin pic, an I
reel plum puddin', an nuts an raisins |
to wind up on. Emarino's fine cook. |
Sire knows how to git up dinner that |
makes your mouth water to think |
about. You goin' to have q spread
Mis- Parmer?'
Not much of onc," said Orville,s |
mother. II expected to, but c'u'dh't |
git them Fall potatas sold Off. tll |
have to keep 'em till Spring to git ,Sny
kind O price. don't care much |
about Christmas, though her chin
was trembling, but she lifted it high.
- rs silly for anybody but children to \
build so much on Christmas"
Emarine opened the door and walked
In Mrs. Palmer arose slowly, grasp
ing the back Of her chair. "Orville's
dead :" she said soemnlys
Emarine laughed, but there was the
tenderness OF near tears in her voice.
" On, my, no" she said sitting down.
y. run over to ask you to come to
Christmas dinner. | was too busy all |
lay to come sooner. I'm goin' to have |
I great dinner, an I've cooked ev'rV
single thing of it myself! I want to |
show you what a fine Christmas din-I
ner your daughter-'n-law can got up.
Dinners at two, an want you to come
ut eleven. Will you %
Mrs. Palmer had sat down, weakly. |
Trembling was not the word to descri be,l