The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1896-11-25


dressed as Miss Mehitable, she was 80
prim and severe even, and upon whom
her 90 years or so sat none too lightly.
l had also guilty sense of sin at my
hearts depths for conniving to furnish
her mother with forbidden luxuries.
Not that Kitty ever spoke of it, but she
looked il, screwing her cold, gimlet
eyes into me, as much as to say, II can
see right through you, deceitful boyl"
She was ever engaged in binding shoes,
at which work her mother assisted for
the house and old fashioned garden
were all the dead Elisha had left them
when he went away on that last voy-
age, from which he never returned, and
their utmost endeavor sufficed only to
keep the wolf from the door.
But their table, even if it were
sparsely dotted with eatablcs, when
they took their frugal meals, always had
a snow white cloth and "chany" cups
and saucers, plates and silver, polished
until they mirrored everything in the
room. 1t was delight to sit at that lit
tie table, and l felt highly honored
whenever l was invited to do So
'Twan't always like this, Benny"
chirped Aunt Mary fisher, as drew up
my chair to the cheerful tea table one
evening. "'Twan't always SIGH a
little table as this. When poor Usher
was alive, we used to eat in the big room,
t'other side the chimbly. We amt
never seen that big room, have yo? No,
an p'raps ye never will, for it's only
open for weddin's an funerals. There
won't be no more weddin's, I'm afeard,
in my family, for Hitty don't seem to
be of the margin kind, an feel, some
how, as though I'm goin to live for
ever
"Lor, mother, what talkr' said
Kitty, with severe countenance. 81
sh'd think ye'd be afraid to make light
of serious things The Lord gave, an
the Lord taketh away"
San blessed be the name of the
Lord, "rejoined Aunt Mary fisher rev.
erently. 81 amt maxim light of serious
things, Kitty. OF course I'll go, in his
good time, but it amt nothin to worry
over. Better laugh an make merry
while we live, Benny; that's my motto.
When | was yer age, now-but how old
are ye, boy?"
'I'm ID next month.
Thirteen. Well, that amt so very
old; just in yer teens, an the whole
world before ye. Dear me! Thirteen;
that's the number that set down to the
big MI hog my table in the room t'other
side the chimbly, the very last time
your poor father was with us, Kitty.
It's an unlucky number, they say, an l
know tits"
Eyes, indeedy," she muttered, draw
ing out and filling her pipe, which lay
concealed behind the lamb. Then there
was silence for few minutes, while
she stuck her head up the chimney and
refreshed herself with u few whiffs Of
the weed. That was the one thing that
Kitty insisted On-that her mother
should not send the smoke out into the
room. "It's bad enough to smoke" she
complained, 'thout smellin up
whole house. If ye must do it, mother,
then smoke up the chimbly." And so
the poor old soul thrust her head up the
fiue, where the draft was sometimes
strong enough to set her few remaining
hairs all ahutter, and extracted consola-
tion from her beloved pipe. During this
interval Of quiet she was collecting her
thoughts, which took the trend of rem
iniscenoe suggested by tho number 3.
"That amt the only time neither" she
insisted, shaking the ashes out of the
pipe. "What makes me think so is that
air Thanksgivin dinner that l was in.
vited TO up to Cousin Izry's. amt
never ben up there sence. but I'm
minded of il an what follered Set up
here by the fireplace, Benny, an I'll tell
ye all about it. Then ye can do as
ye're a mind 10 about believin in I'M
lucky signs an numbers. Ye see, my
cousin, lzry Hodges, he lived up at
Hamblcton, where he had one of the
best farms in the county. He married
young, an he set to work like all pos
sessed to make Twin at farmin. An
he made it, too, an he raised as likely
q family rs any in that town"
Laws sake, mother, do go ON with
yer story, What was ii bout that
Thanksgivin dinner, anyways"
"Now, Hitty, don't ye interrupt me.
II ye dou't want to listen, why jest go
out an sci on the back step. Well, as
was sayin, Cousin Izry he sent down
the old carryall for us, an we went up
70 Hambleton TO spend the day. Twas
aool AN crisp, but there want no snow
ON the ground that Thanksgivin. sos't
we had good wheelin all the way.
When we got there, Cousin Sally, she
:un right out an seemed like she'd Jest
devoor us, she was 40 glad to see as
Come right In an set down. said she;
make yerselves right TO hum. Cousin
Mary; we amt goin 10 make no stran.
ger Of ye wanted to take hold an
help. for was straight M strocg them