The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1897-07-20

WALTZ Mrs. Leafy Todd, rs she spoke,
leaned back in her rocking chair on
the yine-shaded piazza and looked visit
July across the summer fields.
Perhaps You could go if you tried,
mother" said her daughter Penelope,
hopefully. you walked as far as the
riump OF sumacs, you know, last
week
Mrs. Todd shook her head until her
w1ry black ringlets quivered GIVE
Tailed since then Pears strange to me
that you don't see it, Penelope But
there's considerable Todd to you; you
don't feel for folks like some"
La, Leafy, you just spunk up aud
20! Take the short-handled dipper
and bring home n mess of blackberries
Tor tea. You'll feel sight better for
1t, spoke Mrs. Selma Todd, the in-
yalid's sister-in-law, fat comfortable
and blunt of speech, as she laid shin
ing tin dish on the piazza seat Mt
Leafy's hand and disappeared within
doors, after winking slyly ut Penelope,
who sat upon the doorstep
Penelope did not respond to the
wink; instead, the pucker deepened be-
tween her brows deeper pucker
than 1T was pleasant to see between
eighteen year-old brows. Penelope
was dutiful and conscientious, and she
was not so sure as her Aunt Selma that
nervous prostration was, in her moth
er's case, only new-fashioned shy
onym for being splecny.
Perhaps you'd better wait till / can
go with You, mother, she said, aux-
iously. Now L must go and give lit
tie Persis Dowd her music lesson "
I'm used to waiting" said the in
valid, with bitter patience Il haven't
any real expectation of getting as far
MS the pasture wall again That walk
l took last week came near bringing
on numb spell; and / felt consider
able as if / was going to have one just
after | got up this morning"
The pretty pink color drifted ont of
Penelope's checks. Those numb
spells We're the terror of her life Her
mother was SIRE they meant heart dis
ease, and Penelope had thought that
the doctor had looked grave over tin en-
Penelope kept watch and ward to
prevent the occurrences which were
sure to bring them on, such rs visit
from old Mrs. Polly'Nesbit, who told
her mother that "she looked full
older'n her mother did mt her age. -
and ''if she was pindlin' she ought
not to be surprised, for the Pingrees,
her mothers folks, want apt to live
to be more II forty-fve
Then there hal been numb spell
after the call Of Penelope's friends,
Sam aud Lizzie Mute, from Orinoco
Penelope couldn't understand why
these callers should conduce to numb
spells, but her mother explained
vaguely that there hal been some
trouble about a mortgage between the
Nutes and the Todds. in olden times.
and that with her sensitiyeness she
knew she should never be able to bear
the sight of Mute
'Cat's FOOT Are you as blind as n
bat, Penelope Todd?" was the remark
which Aunt Selma had. made when
the exploration was repeated to her.
But Penelope would have felt I'M
dutiful to harbor the least conIpre-
hension of what Aunt Selma meant
OF course Sam Mute was not quite
like anybody else, aud they had
thought q good deal Of each other ever
since they were children That was
the way in which Aunt Selma con
nected Sam Mute with the numb spells.
Perhaps Aunt Selma was. rs Penelope
mother said n trife hard aud lacking
in fine feelings
Penelope went off heavily burdened
TO little Persis Dowd's music lesson.
She wished she could have helped her
mother, now that the rare impulse
was upon her to- take little walk
that might do her good But every
thing depended on her music teach
ing, and she must not neglect q pupil.
The invalid lay back with her eyes
closed then she opened them suddenly
and looked again wisGuly across the
summer fields She glzeI around her
furtiysly ~ o1s was iu sight She
arose a1d walk fesbly down thcs.sps.
Midway size turuel aud reached back
for the dippeg. - used IT, ba ono that
liked 10 have something b. go for, she
said 70 herself
" was pleast1t e. her even ~ cross
the stubby field whom the grasshopper4
were thick, auI Chs l,custs shrillcd
monotonoudy, AL the afternoon SUI
was hot
Sire raised hes haul suddenly tohei
head "i'Ve got ou Siliny' old shade
hat, she murmured "Olcs
wOuldni have worn itcyen when there
was nobody 80 sec mr.
Fh' SUI dalzlcl her eyes au hpi
be- felt % litllc gildy u was Ion
rf... ia. to 4 ,,...If. I'D 49,. ST.. t.4