The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-01-22
FOR CONSCIENCE SAKE.
BT MARTHA MCCULLoCH WILLIAMS.

| BIZ MARTHA MCCULLoCH WILLIAMS.
Mrs. Southall sat upon her back porch
shelling black-eyed pease into IA bright
new tin pan upon her lap. Whenever
the bottom of it became well covered
she emptied the sheiled pease into a
big wooden tray that sat upon the floor
back of her left hand. At the right
was big splint basket full of the long
yellow-rod pods, with just beyond it
another i'm which she east handfuls of
the snaky huils. y mat of honeysuckle
curtained the porch so thickly that
only a stray sunbeam got through il
here or there TO make a round yellow
blur upon the clean cedar floor. Though
il WAS August, and all the yard dry as
powder, a foot-mat of plated corn
shucks lay at the porch steps, 80 well
worn rs to show that the use of it was
imperative. The sun fell upon it the
porch faced south. At one side a big
tawny setter lay lax and painting, now
aud again rolling upon his back, but
evidently without energy TO snap at the
flies which tormented eyes and nose.
The house wall was of hewn logs,
with cracks neatly pointed, and white
washed. The door and windows had
castings of smooth unpainted poplar,
clean a. soap, sand and securing could
make them. There We're two square
front rooms, with q passage between.
The porch started at the back door of
it, and ran down the side of the kitch-
en-, which was lower than the rest Of
the house, aud set on to il l. fashion.
Mrs. Souihsll could look into the
kitchen windows without stirring from
her seat. Just now she had little in
tention of stirring, despite a strong in
clination. She was a dumpy, round
ish women, with no lightness of mo-
ton, to whom her fifty years had
brought greater weight of flesh than
her frame could graciously bear. Be
sides, one foot, swathed in flannels, lay
at ease upon the cricket in front of her.
\ severe sprain mad left her for three
weeks past prisoned within her own
yard, when she especially wished 10 be
up and doing.
She had strong honey features un-
der thick shiny skin. \ thatch ofstiff
hair barely threaded with gray was
strained back from her narrow bulging
forehead. Her eyes were gray, so
deep-set and intense as TO redeem her
face from commonplaceness, while they
accented its lack of charm. She wore
a clean stiff-starched calico gown,
girt about the waist with leather belt,
over which scant check apron was
held in place by very narrow strings.
Presently she called through to n
slim girl at work inside. 'Ma'y
Frances, are you ready ter make them
pies?'
''Most, Aunt Gin; the dough jus
needs little more workiD' !" young
voice replied.
At once Mrs. Southall sat more up
right saying: MAY Frances, how
often must tell you my name is Lu-
cindy? Heaven knows | wish it
want. do think my mother might
NV give me a Scripcher name. But
Lucindy Bascom | WIS christened in
ter the Methods Church an ter change
hit is sacrilege; 50 let me hear no more
OF yo' Aunt Gins. We've all got
enough original sin about us, without
hevin' any more tackled on to save yo'
breath.
"Yes'm, I'll try. / forgot" Mary
Frances said, meekly. '.But about the
pie; you want apple and grape and
plum, don't you? and peach-cobhler
too?p
"Yes, | reckon you had better make
a peach-cobbler thar amt nothin' yO'
uncle Dan'l likes better hot fer dinner.
An, May Frances, in maxim the 9TH
ers, don't forgit ter make one o. each
sort extry deep an extry sweet-yo'
uncle Dan'l does hate er po' pie-an'
mark the crust different, so can tell
where ter cut him a piece"
"rll pinch the others round the
ed ges and mark his with the fork, T"
NJ lry Frances said, obediently, though
a laugh lurked in her eyes. She was
too young, too uniformed, TO see any,
thing but the humor o. Aunt Lucin-
dy's affection for the sulky fellow, at
least fifteen years younger than herself,
whom she had married in the second
giddiness that is said to visit on single
ladies at foriy-:ive.
Mrs. Southall dropped her eyes a
minute, then raised them TO say mo,
come to think Wit, you'd better make
'em all alike-all good it won't break
Us, reckon, eff sugar is so high. You
Uncle Dan1 be mortified ter death ef
anybody was ter come ter-mOrrow an
he found out thar was difference in
whut wus set befo' him an them. H
its mighty high-toned, you uncle Dan'l
is. I never fergit how he set and cried
YES, actually cried, him er man-the
first Christmas after we got married,
when every Niger on the place wus off
festivalin, an had ter feed the stock
an milk an keep up fires-sait it hurt
'im 50 ter see his wife doin' seeh. He
poor dear, tried his best ter help but
SDok COW kicked him over when he
WIS pailin' the calf erway; an the
devil-the very devil-got in them
mules an horses the'd bat their ca )