The Van Buren press., 1896-02-08

lose" she said. quietly. She's gosn'
. be married THIS fall"
Now thisss - rea3 eozF, exclaimed
Afrz. Simpson We've got pieein'a too.
I'm helpin' Ms Brown piece her Jern-
salum Cherries She opened the
basket. -Here's the elderierry sssi1.s,
and this Is some fruit cake I've had
ueilerin' fer nigh about ses= 1
brought i over fer son 70 eat with the
vine. thought IL might tempt ycnr
appetite It's real strength min. I've
hearn.a She took cut the things and
laid gheia en- the table. ~And this IS
Nis' Browns crab ieil.s sac adled.
-I1's nel - ssees as .oa4 n1oiher
used 70 make. interposed Mrs. Brown.
aepreeialinely. ''hut knew't your tree
/ lad died. and / thought Ia bring II
+ over
Thank you.a said Mahala, simply.
| Such deIieaeies as cake and jelly and
/ eiderberry wine were as far rem0Fed
from her in these days as Victoria
/ crown jewels, but she would Bot let
her manner o. her profuse thanks PIT
lzer TO shaIae before iler visitors. she
thought. They khoaid not know but
i was a common thing for her 20 have
+ such lnxuries in the hOase-at least
y hen she wanted them. She told them
she didn't have any appetite, and didn't
| feel Ike coaking-so they wouldn't
| t6ffk i strange that she hadn't any
/ G. ke baked. Yeg. she could manage
aDout the dinner al right-so bermind
+ ran on. She had three eggs and some
& potatoes, and she would toast some
E bread Then she was sure that enough
of the pie-piant Was up-sbe had
! looked al II ohIy yesterday-to stew
/ for sauce And fhes would have the
fruit cake. How Fortunate there was
butter IN the house. She was giad she
lad gone without I all winter. or
{ there might not have been any now.
+ YES. everything would be her own but
J the cake. She heayed great sigh Of
+ relief, a. her visitors chatted and cut
and semed. and she soon found herself
able TO talk TOO.
.You should hev seen her chirk up
after we'd been there q little bit Of
While said Mrs. Simpson afterWard.
Al dark the visitors departed TAes
ted Mahsls. they Lad Lad j :. re- good
time. and urged her 70 come over and
spend the day with them soon.
40 think that's the reason she goes
out IN the rain.r Mrs. Brown ejacu-
I lated. as they wended their way home
Naid. Well. In beat Poor thing
poor thing"
And 50 the village curiosity was sat
+ isfied to some extent. although many
81 tLs good folk ktiii wondered whether
+ Mahala wasn't crazy after al. and they
siiil looked at her eurionsly from be-
Ind blinds and curtains whenever she
appeared in the drenehing showers.
a seas noticed. however. talai she did
rot now, as Of yore, 90 out every time
aiteTe was storms moreover. that slle
slAyay IS w0fe her bonnet: and. instead
of gazing upward. walked along as
ot8er people Did. But a new and Pc
etliar phase soon developed itself which
niore than oonnterlaIaneed this return
10 the ordinary and .aceeptee.
Several. driving along the country
rosd. had seen her With her sun bonnet
thrown back. violently shaking the
trees aud bushes. looking up the while
4 Ssaily as she went from elump to
cluup, apparently tireless. People be-
gan y warn their children TO keep away
I from her. and said TO each other that
something must be- done.
One day. the word went round that
Nahala was sick. The minister had gone
thene 10 cali, and had found her hardly
able 10 crawl 70 the door. The people
noeked in. They sent for her haif SIS
ter, Rose. who vas tET.ined nurse In
New Haven, aud to an edj0ining town
for a doctor. He shook his head grave
ly, ard said tHat "a gs,Stfre In ner weak
eIlcd condition had done she ssoTk. and
that il Was a chance il she ever got any
better G
As she lay OF the bed, pale and weak,
she csJied again and again for the look
ihg glass. when IL was given her, she
only groaHed and turned her face 10 the
y al. "
Another phase Of the insanity, the
doctor sags, people repeated 10 one an
other; but one who was there went
home, and, going TO the garret. hunted
up an old mirror that had belonged TO
her grandfather. lie had been a sailor
and had Brought Il home from some for
eigu port. 1t had the property Of max
ing almost anyone look fair and well
favored, " not positively handsome At
firsG the family had exhibited it TO
everyone who came in, but, In the
course Of years, it had Been laid away
and almost forgotten. Now it was
brought forth and laid by Mahala's bed.
IL was the next afternoon that Rose
came.
20. sister. sisterl" cried Mahala.
throwing her arms about her. Il want
to tell you everything. haven't had
no one ] could tell-no onei"
Aud then. after Rose had taken OF
her things and seated herself on the
bed by her side, Mahala told her how
i.euben Davis had said 10 her, when he
went away ten years before: wait
ltA mt -AAAAfAAAr ~ NN AaAAh 0lE OF AItsE
days. and we'll get married! Where
else could I find such a good girl-and
Gaeb a eompleXion." be had added,
langhingiy.
see bad been so happy. she mur-
INJURED, flushing, and had cared then for
her looks because be had. But as the
years went on, and especially after her
mothers long Illness and death. she
vas getting old and wrinlled and yel-