The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-03-14
THE PLAID LADY.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

"There IS the lady in the paid cloal
again." people who were strangers IL
Dairytown used to say. Il wonder
what she runs about so much for?'
Old residents, however, could have
told them that the lady in plaid was
Mrs. McMurtry, the richest woman il
the county; that her running about
always had something to do with the
mortgages she held on most OF the out
lying farms, and that, rich as she was
she had worn the plaid cloak and nc
other for 20 winters. So that children
were in tile habit of calling her 1.-The
Plaid Lady," and, indeed, some grown
up folk also, in moments of irritation
; "How often does the plaid lady come
here, Amanda ?" Amelia Perry asked
of her sister one day.
The plaid lady held mortgage on
their little place, which they had not
been able to pay off since their father
died.
''Well, only about once a week, y
Amanda replied. 1T does seem oftener,
though
well, Amanda" said Amelia, lit
seems to me as if never look out OF
the window but see that plaid cloak
coming up the path. Sometimes |
wish could die rather than go through
the talk about the trouble that has got
to come. What good does it do? Don't
she know I'd pay off that mortgage
il could? And know that II l can't
she'll foreclose. That is all right; all
just Poor pa borrowed the money,
and if we can't pay it, why the little
place has got to go, but all this going
over and over it is enough to drive one
crazy. And she always goes away
crying: Make an effort, make an eff
fort--you'n wish you had when it is
so l have to do what shall be sorry to
do OH if she isn't coming now.
There are wheels"
mo, it's the minister's WIFE," said
Miss Amanda, peeping over the kitch-
en- curtain. (Which of us looks de-
contest to go to the door? / can put
on my fchu in a minute, and you've
been crying, Nelly, and a PERSONS nose
and eyes will get red if they cry. You
come in after awhile. You know what
a gossipy place this is, and if Mrs.
Becker was to say to her mother that
she hoped nothing unpleasant had nap
pened to the Miss Perrys, for she felt
sure Amelia had been shedding tears,
why the old lady would tell the next
person that called"
So Amelia ran upstairs to battle her
eyes and make herself tidy. while
Miss Amanda, with her mouth full of
pins, took the. muslin fichu she had
Just been pressing from the clothes
horse, and put it ON as she walked Slow
ly down the front entry, SO that she
was ready to open the door briskly
when the bell rang, and cry out:
II saw you getting out of the buggy,
Mrs. Becker and ran to let you IN.
How well you look. How are the chill
dren, and your mother, and Mr.. Beck
or? What touching sermon he gave
us last Sunday, saw 20 people in
tears" T-F e
ut seemed appropriate to the recent
loss Deacon Dewey has suffered" re-
piled Mrs. Becker. Generally Mr..
Becker feels that he ought to be cheer
ful-but the sad event was so recent"
His second wife, wasn't it q queried
Miss amanda. wishing that Amelia
would not pull SO many drawers outin
the room overhead. where she was maxi
ing her toilet, or scuttie over the fioor
So Often ara b. Des - * sesrf afs sssrfl
His second wife5 His third" sail
Mrs. Becker. trying to be demure.
-Ma says-you know ma viii have her
laugh-she says she's not ministers
wife. II / am. Ma says she saw hin,
looking out for the fourth East Suu-
day. She says she. wasn't sure wheth-
er it was Martha Hopkins or YOU he de-
cided on but said; well, Amanda
Perry Monst have him, I'm stire.'"
Hell n5. look at me-" said Amanda,
$50 there's DO use refusing him before
I'm asked, and Martha Hopkins de-
ss5ises him on the face Of the earth