The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-04-03
THE PLAID LADY.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.


Dairytown used to say. Il wonder
what she runs about so much for?'
Old residents, however, could have
told them that the lady in plaid was
Mrs. McNfurtry, the richest woman in
the county; that her running about
always had something to do with the
mortgages she held on most OF the OUT
lying farms, and that, rich as she was
she had worn the plaid cloak and no
other for 90 winters. So that children
were in the habit of calling her "The
Plaid Lady," and, indeed, some grown
M folk also, in moments of irritation.
'How often does the plaid lady come
here, Amanda?" Amelia Perry asked
of her sister one day.
The plaid lady held mortgage on
their little place, which they had not
been able to pay off since their father
died. -.
"Well, only about once week"
Amanda replied. 1T does seem oftener,
though
"Well. Amanda" said Amelia, 1T
seems to me as if 1 never look out of
the window but 1 see that plaid cloak
coming up the path. Sometimes L
wish could die rather than go through
the talk about the trouble that has got
to come. What good does it do? Don't
she know I'd pay off that mortgage
IL 1 could? And 1 know that if L can't
she'll foreclose. That is all right; all
Just. Poor pa borrowed the money,
and if we can't pay it, why the little
place has got to go, but all this going
over and over it is enough to drive one
crazy. And she always goes away
CRYING: Make an effort, make an eff
fort-you1l wish you had when 1T is
SO 1 have to do what 1 shall be sorry to
do Oh! if she isn't coming now.
There are wheels"
mo, it's the minister's wife" said
Miss Amanda, peeping over the kltch-
en- curtain. (Which of us looks de-
contest to go to the door? | can put
on my fichu in a minute, and you've
been crying, Nelly, and persons nose
and eyes will get red if they cry. You
come in after awhile. You know what
q gossipy place this is, and if Mrs.
Becker was to say to her mother that
she hoped nothing unpleasant had hap
pened to the Miss Perrys, for she felt
sure Amelia had been shedding tears,
why the old lady would tell the next
person that called"
So Amelia ran upstairs to battle her
eyes and make herself tidy, while
Miss Amanda, with her mouth full OF
pins, took the muslin fichu she had
Just been pressing from the clothes
horse, and put it on as she walked slow
ly down the front entry, so that she
was ready to open the door briskly
when the bell rang, and cry out:
81 saw you getting out of the buggy,
Mrs. Becker, and ran to let you in.
How well you look. How are the chill
dren, and your mother, and Mr.. Beck
er? What a touching sermon he gave
us last Sunday. 1 saw 20 people in
tears"
1T eeemed appropriate to the recent
loss Deacon Dewey has suffered re-
piled Mrs. Becker. Generally Mr..
Becker feels that he ought to be cheer
ful-but the sad event was so recent. "
His second wife, wasn't it?" queried
Miss Amanda, wishing that Amelia
the room overhead, where she was max
ing her toilet, or scuttle over the floor
SO often.
His second wife? His third" said
Mrs. Becker, trying to be demure.
Ma says--you know ma will have her
laugh-she says she's not minister's
wife, if / am. Ma says she saw him
looking out for the fourth last Sun
day. She says she wasn't sure wheth-
er it was Martha Hopkins or you he de-
cided on, but 1 said: "Well, Amanda
Perry won't have him, I'm sure"
He'll not look at me-" said Amanda,
so there's no use refusing him before
I'm asked, and Martha Hopkins de-
spises him on the face of the earth
Besides, we're both too old. When one
has got to Deacon Dewey's time of life,
he likes girls of 16 best"
''I'll tell ma that" said Mrs.. Becker,
''she'll laugh"
Poor, dear Mrs. Dewey! 1t was
really sad, though. I always thought
she was very nice, though ma
thought"
But what ma thought remained un-
told. or at this moment the postman
flew in at the gate, tapped on the win
dow and presented letter.
Miss Amanda glanced at it, and saw
that the name Of some legal firm was
printed on the left-hand upper corner
of the envelop.
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 is
it to beP Has the committee decided ?''
eyes," said Mrs. Becker, enthusias
tically. "We want it to open Monday
fortnight. We are going to have u
New England kitchen, And I'm go
ing about 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
cotld."
well let you have everything but
the best dinner and tea set said Miss
Amanda. 81 draw line there, and SO
does Sister Amelia. But we've oceans
of common things, and We'll wash
them all up before they arc wanted
Then Mrs. Becker became profuse in
thanks, and Miss Amelia, coming in,
they WIRE al very cheerful, the Misses