The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-01

she nugeteu uneaslly, tnen sat suuuenl,
) upright, saying, with touch of author
ity: "Now, you all must go right te
bed. every one Of you. You hear that
Come on an let me see who gets NJ
stairs first. ! expect there'll be nom'
candy in my pocket fer the one that
does.
As she made to follow the children
who went tumbling one over the other
somebody spoke from the dusk outside:
"Oh. Miss Louizy. wont yer dest be
so good as ter tell me ef-ef de sto' is
done shot up fer de night? / wants lil'
whisky powerful bad. Sech er Misty in
de back been had all day long,
"You can get it, Aunt Phemy. Mr..
Topmark's there right now-jest went
You better hurry an ketch him. Like
as not the man that called him didn t
want nothin much-ter ask the way err
buy cents with of stuff" Mrs. Top
mark said, walking to the piazza steps,
just outside of which stood weakened
old black woman, leaning upon crook
handled stick and holding curiously
aloof from herself big bunch of a
strange looking herb. 1t was ragged
and dropping, yet the glimmering light
showed here and there amid the tangle
of stems knots of bloom half withered
and of a livid. reddish yellow. The bear
er of it had thin, clawlike hands and
shut, strong, yellow teeth upon the stem
of cob pipe. Setting one foot on the
middle step, she said meditatively:
81 lowed ter fine Marse Ben right
yere OH de po'ch wild you. Dat how
come | fetched him dis yere passed. or
(ruck. He say t'urro day he want er
bunch er dem swamp yarbs"-
Leave 'em with me- | know he's
been wantin 'em. He's sure ter give
you all the ticker you want fer bringin
'em, Aunt Phemy." Mrs. Topmark said
kindly. "You lay 'em right there Oh
the steps. I'll tell him ter put 'em in
the lumber house soon as ever he comes
in. He wants 'em ter drive away rats.
We're pestered ter DEATH
''Say! Don't talk erbout death wild
de moon jest risin an she er-dwindlin, 4"
Aunt Pbemy returned, with little half
shudder. But she dropped her lids low
er than ever as she went on: Cpl lay
um right yere on de groun, Miss Lou
Ivy, an don't you let dem li'l' children
err yourn play wild no pieces err um.
Dee's-dee's bad bout maxim sores on
h'l', tender hands. -
As she hobbled away Mrs Topmark
smiled, then sighed deeply and put her
arms above her head. II don't know
what is the matter with me- she said
to herself. I've got the most curious
feelin, jest like / was afraid of some
thin. do hope Mr.. Topmark will come
back soon, but for fear he shouldn't I'd
better put the p'ison YARDS where they
can't hurt the Children. Oh, my, don't
they smellP' as strong, half fetid odor
came TO her nostrils from the weedy
things she had taken up and was look
ing curiously over. "No wonder rats
don't like the stuff. It makes me sick.
But I'll put it in place before it loses
strength. +"
Still holding the herbs, she got lam
tern, lighted it and went toward de-
tached building in the yard. Some little
time later she came back with only the
lantern. She set it down heavily aud al
most dropped into her chair, calling to
the black nursemaid as she did it,
'Ca'line, you tend ter the Children.
Pm goin ter stay in the air till feel
better "
Someway she did not feel better.
The herbs had been bound together with
4 long, thready cat brier. Her hands
nad got more than one prick from the
'horns. Each of the wounds began to
'hrob and send darting pains through
ler. Her sight dulled. At last she saw
,nly flaming circles before her eyes.
She tried to cry aloud, but could only
moan thickly, though she heard with
clearness through the open
window overhead Ca'line singing her
lock asleep with:
"Birdeye lady, sooner in de mornini
Birdeye lady, sooner In de mornini
Birdeye lady, don't you try ter stop mel
I'm Rwine erway when it's sun up in de
morninl'
The sound became blurred. like the
light. In vain the listener tried to rise.
Ter feet were leaden. her hands weigh
d so she had no motion in them, yet
here were fine twitohes flying moment
y through and through them. With a
asst glimmer of consciousness she clincb-
ID them upon the chair arms and tried
o lift herself to a standing posture
Jold sweat ran from her face, but there
vas fire in each vein. Blind, stifled,
leathly faint, she could only propel her.
elf far enough from her seat to fall
,asping, twitching heap upon the floor
reside it.
Aunt Phemy hobbled off muttering
lnder her breath. As she passed through
he trim, green painted gate in the
White fence she half turned and looked
,ack at the woman she had left. She
wen halted az though she would 20
back, but after second shook her head
md hobbled on, muttering more vigor-
'usly than ever. "Wait, Phemy," she
aid half aloud as she came near the
tore. Don't you go bulgin in dar.
Mabhy you amt wanted. Time fer you
er go in when dem whut is in comes
MI -