The Somerset reporter., 1897-11-25
MISS MATTIE'S GUEST

1t was growing dark when Miss Matte,
with her basket ON her arm, came into the
corner market to buy her Thanksgiving
dinner. The basket was absurdly small,
but Miss Matte was little herself, and
when she set it on the high counter and
stood blinking i'll the bright light the
calf S head at her elbow seemed To be grin
ming at them both
well, Miss Matte, called out the
marketman in his hearty fashion, II see
your mind is not set ON turkey this time,
but just wait till | start this basket off for
Capn Lawsons and I'll show you the
right thing-a plump little duck clapped
into the safe this morning, thinking to
myself that S the very moral of treat for
Miss Matte "
Miss Matte looked embarrassed and
rubbed her forefnger uneasily over
small coin that lay In the palm of her
hand under her glove. 1t was q silver
cent piece, and she had taken 1t with
much hesitation from little store of
pieces, most of them given her when she
was child For herself she could have
got along very well with bread and tea,
but somehow it seemed dishonor to all
cial on Thanksgiving, and so she had de-
cided to spend this precious bit She had
a feeling of real pity for it, lying there
warm and snug in her palm, and so soon
to go tumbling into the heap Of clashing
Iingling coins tossed about by the butchers
greasy fingers or perhaps into the pocket
of that horrible apron with blood stains
on it Miss Matte shuddered, but quick
v rppnNnrnH hnrGnlf tn ahp ,t1l
oh, thank you, Mr. Simmons, but
don you think ducks are a sight Of trou-
ble, what with the stufling and the roast-
ing and needing to be looked after and
basted REGULAR | made up my mind to
something simple, and l don't know any
thing thats easier got or more relishing
than lamb chops Two lamb chops is
about what l thought of, Mr. Simmons
You know there only me,
Mr. Simmons had not seen the cent
piece but he understood just as well as If
he had, and he began to cut the chops at
once talking all the time to relieve his
own embarrassment and assuring Miss
Matte that "if folks only knew it there
was nothing like lamb chops TO encourage
your appetite and strengthen you up all
over
" But you ii have to take three chops,
looking curiously mt the money Miss Mat
tie laid in his big hand, "or | shall have
to make change and change is scarcer
than hens teeth tonight You might
have company unexpected, you know, and
an extry chop would come in handy
Miss Matte laughed SO genially that the
marketman ventured to slip n sweetbread
and bunch of yellow celery into the
basket on tho sly He would have loved
to put in the duck, but that would have
looked as II he suspected her reason for
not buying 1t, and, bless you, he knew
better than that Some people have feel
ings, though their faces are red and their
hands coarse and greasy
Miss Matte went very happily down
the street She had lighted her lamp be-
fore she went out, and a cheerful little ray
smiled encouragingly at her as she came
to the gate All the other windows in the
weatherbcaten old house were black and
empty and looked to the lonesome little
woman as If all sorts of hobgoblins NIGH.
be peeping out at her from the gloom be-
hind them, for Miss Matte ncighbors
had gone away on Thanksgiving visit
and taken the whole family At least they
said 1.-The whole family" but at the very
moment Miss Matte came to the gate n
member of the family was huddled up in
corner of the doorway, cold hungry and
much perplexed to understand what had
become of all his friends and why, in spite
OF his pitiful plea, no one came to open
the door for him He heard Miss Matte
and ran hopefully to meet her, limping as
he came for he had stiff leg.
Why, Tommy Barnes, said Miss Mat
tie, STOPPING to pat his rough yellow head,
'you don't mean to say your folks have
gone off to Thanksgiving and left you be-
hindu Well, If ever How dreadful
you cripple besides"
Tommy kept on crying, but he had his
eye on the door while Miss Matte was fit.
ting her key. and the minute it opened he
darted in
That's right, Tommy. said Miss Mat
tie, Just make yourself ut home You
and III have our Thanksgiving together
That extra chop will be wanted after all
and III going to make 'riz' biscuits
She put away her bonnet and shawl and
hung the basket on a nail in the back
room without even looking at the CON
tents, though Tommy Barnes watched her
keenly with shrewd suspicion Of some
thing good, and faint hope which nothing
In his past experience justified that he
might come in for share of It, Miss
Matte was accustomed to being alone,
and she scarcely thought of Tommy, as
she trottcd about, setting the sponge for
her biscuits in pint bowl, putting lit
tie cup of broth on the stove to warm for
her supper, making her tea, toasting her
bread, and at last sitting down by the Ia
BILE in the little green chair with patch
work cushion Up to this point Tommy
had sat quietly by the fire, having learned
by many severe lessons that little folks
should be seen and not heard, but when
Miss Matte poured out the sayory broth
the delicious odor was too much for his