Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-11-19

now W Stb away o"N "
a talker.'
With a long, clean apron over
her best frock, Miss Matte began
cheerfuly to make her small pre-
paratiOns for the Thanksgiving
feast She had medltated leaving
one chop for breakfast, but her
walk and happiness had made her
hungry, and she decided TO COOK
them all.
But where did she put these
chops-she was gettlug so forget
ful-she could have sworn she pat
them on the Shelf. Could she have
left them in the basket after ALI
Her perplexed eyes tell from the
shelf to the floor, and there, just
peepiug from behind the wooh
box, was the plate aud two small
bits OF bone, guawei quite clean
aud white.
Ungrateful Tommy BArnes,lying
there ln peaceful s'umber, with
those precOcious chops rounding
rounding our Your yellow sides, II
i stice al befdllen JOn then and
there you might not have lived to
steal agaiu. Bat INTO the midst OF
Miss MAtrieS righte"nS wrath came
the r. Election thar Tommy must
have been hungry, aud The fault,
alter all, was partly her own tor
putting temptation in his way,
sthough how anything could have
been farther out of his wa, than
that shell | don't really see.' she
added dOlefully.
At that minute Tommy Barnes
walked from his nap, transformed
himself into camel, yawned IN
a frightfn ~ tigerish fashion and
proceeded to sharpen his claws gu
the rug; The sacred rug, into which
had been braided some precious
old garments dear to Miss HattIe's
heart. 1t was a straw too much
to have insult added 20 injury,
aud, springing from her chair, she
cuffed Tommy in snch Wig gorous
fashion that three or four hearty
blows found their mark before the
astonlshed sinner could withdraw
his claws and bound ont at the
back door, left ajar in he search
for the chops. At that instant, a
resounding knock on the front
door sent Miss Mattie's heart tC
her throat with a suddea leap, as
Injustice were already coming to
take her in hand for unreasonable
cruelty.
When Mss Matte was peace
fully patterlng about, unconscious
! of the cruel trick fate and Tommy
Barnes had played her, Mrs. Dea
con Giles was surveying her hus
band with disturbed and tear
ful face.
,You don't mean to tell me- sh'
repeated, that the minister's folks
amt comm at all, aud we haYe go
to eat this big dinner alOnef Here
staid home from church TO ten'
to It. On, you needn't to look as /
lou thought 1t was iudgmen'
Josiah. | wouldn't be such a lig
prrcrit as to perteud to be thlnki'
Of spiritcoaI things when wa'
gonderin it Sarah Ellen would re
member to baste the turkey. Seem
to me they migut let us kno'
sooner
But told you, mother, it was
} telegram come just before church
You can't regerlate kilograms Tx
lie weekly newspaper or stop folk
rom dyin unexpected
, Then why didn't you rush roHn
T and get somebody elsei Mere
. sakesl 'Twon't seem Ike Thank
, giving at alp
Didn't seem to be anybody
ask bnt old MIS- Morrison an
Marthy Ellison. ] drove ronnd q
' tho Morrisons, but the old LAD
. vas lust havin sOmethln rellshl
' Mss Matte had fetched In. Ihe
{ said they Inyited her to dinne
C bnt she had comp'ny-one OF theT
; Barneses next door,
u sF,ddlesticks! said the deacon
u wife in a very disrespectful ton
. You just drive straight back al
t. bring MArthy Ellison mp here
$ dinner. Tell her l don't take al
ID excuse, and If she can't con
W otherways she can bring her col
OF o'oy along though the way the
shif'less Barneses impose on u
of is mortal shame
he Good Deacon GilOs had learn
I'd docIlity in many years OF expe
be ence. and the double knock
a Mss Mat,ie's dooc followed
to onickly AZ could te reasonaI