Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-11-20
HER GOOD TIME.

would spaniel and took his rough
words with the same doglike submits
siveness. When Mark Farley died, her
Youngest sister, Maud, came to live with
her. Maud was big and raw boned, with
ashy blond hair and temper that would
have tried the meek St. Francis. At
first Lucretia's friends hoped she would
be emancipated by her sisters marriage,
but as Maud slipped from 20 to 80 unwed
the hope died.
Meanwhile Lucretia continued to DO
her duty. She visited hypochondriacs
and cross old people, who poured into
her patient ears all their symptoms and
complaints.
When her neighbors were i'll. Lucre'
tia sat up with them every night, ar
if they died she put the house in ordrr
for the funeral and lent her Grape bon-
net TO the chief mourner.
She was president of the Dorcas
society, and many time she went with
shabby shoes and cotton gloves that she
might give child a cloak.
There came spring when she felt
strangely weak and listless. Her feet
tagging as if she were dragging ball
and chain and her hands were so thin
that her rings dropped from her fingers.
She stopped at DR.. Surgeons office one
day on her way home from a church
meeting.
He pushed his glasses up on his fore
head and looked at her attentively. He
felt her pulse and asked her many queer
questions which seemed to have no
bearing on the case.
"Nothing much the matter, is thereF
she asked.
"Oh, no." he replied briskly. "Ill
give you a tonic and I want you to pro-
mise to do what tell you to do"
GAIL right" said Lucretia, for she was
used to obeying his orders.
"Have good time" he began. "Stop
visiting Mary Yost and those other sick
folks. Buy some good clothes. Lie in
bed of a morning. Let Maud see to the
house. Play cards. Say mean things
about your neighbors. Be as selfish as
you can"
as that quite right, doctori" Lucreti
objected.
ut is a prescription" he returned
"Iust as l tell one person to take hot
baths tell you to be selfish and lazy
though you haven't much natural abil-
ity."
"Poor little Lucretia!" the doctor
thought when she was gone. "Mark
Farley was a brute, and Maud is ty-
rant, and the whole town imposes on
her. I'll try to give her little good
time, though it's late start"
Lucretia endeavored to obey the doc
tors orders as to taking life easy just as
conscientiously as she took her tonic be-
fore meals, but it was hard to reverse
the habits of a lifetime. The first morn
ing. when she heard the rising bell, she
concluded she would have her toast
and coffee brought to her. She was
half terrified at her audacity. Maud
came in, her face redder than usual
from recent scrubbing.
"Aren't you ever going to get up, L-u-
cretia?" she asked sharply, and poor
T.ucretia huddled on her clothes and
went down to breakfast like naughty |
child.
But during the day she made some
progress. Mrs. Lynn sent word that
Jimmy Is having fits and asks Mrs. Far
ey to come over.
"I'm very sorry" she said TO the mes
senger. "bnt Pm not well so l can't 60
Her conscience hurt her sorely after
ward. In the afternoon, however she
bought herself two silk gowns and
pair of high heeled slippers.
She had also read literature of an up
lifting tendency, not so much because
she enioyed it as because she thought
she ought. Now she read the silliest
novels on which she could lay hands,
and even subscribed to a paper given up
to Jokes and gibes.
She spent long afternoons PLAYING
casino with Jimmy of the fits. Poor
Jimmy was not an accomplished player
and he sulked when he was beaten so
Lucretia always let the boy win
AS the time passed even Maud could
see that her sister was very Ill, but even
after she was obliged to lie all day on
her sofa Lucretia continued to enjoy
herself.
One day when Mrs. Wilkins called