The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-03-14

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"she'll laugh"
Poor, dear Mrs. Dewey. 1t wa
really sad, though. | always though
she was very nice, though ms
thought"
But what ma thought remained un
told. or at this moment the POSTWAR
flew in at the gate, tapped on the win
dow and presented letter.
Mis-, Amanda glanced at it, and saw
that the name of some legal firm was
printed on the left-hand upper corner
of the envelop. sRas
Full of apprehension, and anxious
that Mrs. Becker should not see this
she crammed the letter into her pocket
and went on chatting.
And how about the fair? When il
il to be2 Has the committee decided =
"Yes," said Mrs. Becker, enthusias
tically. I'VE want it to opci Monday
fortnight. We are going to have Il
New England kitchen. And I'm &c,
ing abou; begging loans of china cups
and saucers and plates and everything
And we thought you would let us have
some; we know you would if you
could" ea
Wen let you have everything but
the best dinner and tea set" said Miss
Amanda. Il draw a line there, and SO
does Sister Amelia. But we've oceans
OF common things, and we'll wash
them all up before they are wanted
Then Mrs. Becker became profuse in
thanks, and Miss Amelia, coming in.
they were all very cheerful, the Misses
Perry making great efforts to appear
so, and the minister's wife, seeing
through them very clearly, but kind
ly synipathiz1ng for all that.
At last she said good-by, and the sis
tors pulled the parlor shades down
again and went up to their room.
where they Invested themselves Of
their adornments, and put on their
wrappers to go on with their ironing.
-Iot until this was done did Amelia
say:
"Didn't the postman bring 4 letter,
Amanda 2"
"Yes,'' replied her sister. It's from
some lawyer.
Amanda laid the letter on the table,
and the young women looked at each
other sorrowfully.
The little house was very plain, but
they had been born there, their par
ents had died there, and then they
hardly knew how they should feel
that small property, or, in
deed, how they should live.
Then sitting down together on a
chintz-covered lounge, they began to
read. AS they did SO, the expression
of their faces slowly changed. They
began to utter little "Ohs" and "Ahs,"
and as they came to the bottom of the
last page, they dropped the letter on
the table and Rugged each other.
"Do you think we are awaken asked
Miss Amelia.
~ am,'' said Amanda. II feel as if
the idea of losing our home had been
a bad dream. But, dear me! we ought
to have trusted in Providence. Pa was
a righteous man and ma Christian
woman, and some one in the Bible says:
I was young, and now I'm old, but
never have 1 seen the righteous for
saken or his children begging bread
[ know I'm not quoting just right, but
it's close to it. 1 had no idea Great
uncle Peter, whom we never saw in
our lives, would leave us anything"
Nor T." said Amelia. "And how
strange; it's just about enough to pay
off the mortgage and our journey to
New York, and a little more, Well, we
might buy us bonnets while we are
down." She picked up the letter and
read it again, and they went on talking
Till late in the afternoon, and that day
no more ironing was done by the Misses
Perry.
Gossips in general, and Mrs. Becker's
mother in particular, wondered greatly
" hat could take Miss Amelia away, and
Why they did not enlighten their neigh
oors as to the why and wherefore of
their departure.
When at last they returned, each
bearing bandbox and several parcels,
rs well as their traveling-bags, the mys-
-ery adeepened. They were evidently
n high spirits, and nodded and smiled
On all they met. Miss Amelia took the
keys out of her pocket and opened the
1oor, and both entered. Everybody
saw that, but they saw no more.
When the sisters had taken off their
wraps, locked up large pack
ige of bank notes, and tried on their
rev bonnets, Amanda said:
81 suppose the folks think we are
yoing to disappoint them about those
fishes for the fair. and we'd better
get them down and wash them. It's
Saturday, and we'll hive hard work
% get them done by night. The fair
opens Monday noon, and of course we
ire not going to break the Sabbath"