The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-02-07

lSuu6lil ul HI IelISAouo oS1 NiCSS, Oht %
most reluctant giver when the plate
was passed.
s.You knew she was sick last Sun
day and never told me" here put IN
Mrs. Muggins, with NOR spirit than
she had ever shown in the whole ten
years of her service in the old house
on the edge of the prairie.
"What was the use? When folks is
sick they amt no account. and there's
no sense of we'll folks bein' worried
about EN-. I thought as how eff you
knowed Phoebe wuz took down you
might er had some notion of goin'
over to see her, and KNOWN it wuz
soap-makin' time l thought IL better
not"
Mrs. Mnggins only bit her lip at
this typical selfish explanation, but
her hand trembled as she reflled Hen
rvs cup, and into her eyes crept q
look of determination such as they had
seldom worn since Muggins died.
81 pose the pa'son wanted some
thin. Pears as if that man amt con-
tent with decent house and $50 a
year for preachin' only twice on Sun
day. Some FOLKS never know when
they're well Off.
ga hundred and fifty dollars year
amt much when there's five mouths
to feed, and besides, you know he
don't get that regular put in Mrs.
Muggins, the new spirit OF resistance
making her feel inclined to argue
every question that was raised. The
brothers looked at each other in
alarm. They did not know what to
make of this outbreak from the usual
ly passive third member of the house
hold. James, who recovered first,
evidently thought it best to nip any
such argumentative tendency i'll the
bud, so, with an impressive cough and
look indicative of the pride he felt
in thus suppressing the offender, he
said:
"Mary, wimmen folks wasn't made
to think What Pa'son Highs salary
is, or how it is paid, is no consarn Of
.yourn. I think your kittle has billed
over
When Mary went to look after the
imaginary trouble on the stove he
turned to his brother and as nearly
winked as he had ever been guilty of
doing, and then took up the thread OF
the interrupted discourse.
"What did the pa'son say wuz ailin'
Phebe?"
"Fever.'' laconically answered
Henry; "it's some kind of catchin'
thing, an no onell go near her. She
amt &c no doctor, nuther, but pa son
knows a good bit about medicine, an
he says she'll die eff some one don't go
an nuss her pretty quick
why don't his wife go eff it's SO bad
as all that % put in James.
Mother baby grufly replied
Henry.
Goodness me- said his brother,
jumping up; there we've set talkin;
and it's ten minits past our usual time
fer goin' ter bed. Good night, Mary.
Henry, don't set there starin' like an
owl" al which the other arose and the
two went above and were lost in
dreams long before poor, tired, little
Mrs Muggins had finished tidying up
the kitchen.
The brothers would not have slept
SO peacefully if they had known that
up in Mrs. Muggins's room the single
candle was spluttering along until
close on to midnight and the former
meek little sister in its feeble light
was busily engaged in putting some
OF her belongings into the capacious
carpet bag that she had brought out
West ten years before. ''It's downright
heathenish, that's what it is, she said
TO herself as she patted down an extra
nightcap: eff they want to go before
their Maker with that girls death on
their conscience it is more than do,
and even though they turn me out of
doors, I'm going to go and do my duty
by Ph9be-poor girl; many time
she's given me helping hand when l
was ready to drop, and she knew right
well, too, she couldn't expect any pay
fer it. I've got my $1,000 and its &C
cumulated interest, and if the worst
comes to the worst I'll just pack up,
and when Phoebe gets well she and I'll
go East and see if We can't make a
living somehow. Land knows I
couldn't work any harder than have
in the last ten years if l had to go
into factory"
Thus it was that in the morning
when tie brothers came downstairs
they found a note on the table ex-
planning the absence of the household
drudge, whose loss they already keenly
felt, the cold stove and unprepared
breakfast teaching them very con-
clusively that they needed woman
around
Strange Mary never showed no
notion Of k1ck1n' over the traces
afore," said Henry, as he tried to
drink cup of very muddy coffee pre-
pared by James. "Wimmen is ali
queer. an you kin never tell when
they's goin' to break out. I must say,
however, I'm disappointed in Mary;
it amt decent nor material like to go
off nussin' workhus' girl and leavin'
her own kith and kin to git along as
best they kin
''It's soap maxim time, too"
groaned Henry.
Eyes, and there's all them pertsters
As need so-tin', and the apples'il rot
eff some IN don't can EN- or sUthin' an
the feather beds to be picked over,
an the socks, an, an'-Oh, Lor', what
VIII we do"
'Do without her," replied Henry,
who by this time had plucked up a bit
of grim courage as he saw how rapidly
his Or other was losing that com
modify.
But as the days went on they found
they could not do without her. The
neighbors, who had always been in
syripathy with kind-hearted little