The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-03-11
MARY MASON.

town of Bubble.
The little woman was crouched upon
the carpet sofa in a limp heap. She
looked i'll, but sanguine-exhausted
but relieved. The remains of the mid
day meal were on the table. There
were traces of ashes about the stove.
The baby's gown was begrimed. In
spite of these facts the mistress of the
modest home smiled sweetly.
"WelI," exclaimed her visitor, one
comprehensive glance embracing the
unwonted neglect of the place, Il heard
you were not feeling well, but l did
not know you required assistance with
your homework. supposed, of course,
your friend Mrs. Mason was with you"
The little woman looked up with a
sparkle in her eye.
80, I'm well enough. L was sick
enough up to last Tuesday. I've been
gettin' better ever since. I'll have the
table red off an things Strengthened
before Tom gets home. If l feel like
it now l can let things be. There amt
no one to notice. Mrs. Mason, she don +
come over. Truth is, we've got shet
of Mary Mason. We just in emphatic
repetition, had to get shet of Mary
Mason"
The visitor was sympathetic The
little woman was confidential.
"Nle an Tom," she explained, "have
lived on farms all our lives So when
we rented the farm and moved into
town, l thought the change was fine.
My l says to Tom, 'ain't il nice to
dive in a large place. l never before
suspiciOned how comfortable it was to
live reel near to folks, an have them
folks neighborly. Out'n the half sec
ton we might he two weeks 'ithout
seem a body to speak to. An here
We've got 800 peopleein this town, an
two trains a day-not to mention the
freights-an' houses all round us. It's
awful nice ! says to Tom, but what's
incest is Mrs. Mason. Why she comes
in that often I amt got bit of time
tC be lonesome for the stock. There's
only herself an her husband, so her
EfOrk don't count. She can't read or
write only Bohemy. an she amt got
no use for that language since she mar
rjed out'n her folks. Take it alto
gether, she's willin' to -neighbor lots,
an that | says to Tom, will be mighty
Eerllin' for mel"
Yes" assented her visitor, with
rising infection on the monosyllable.
tom, he didn't say much. He's kind
Of slow-lille. He jest said: What suits
you, Eliza, suits met Well, Mrs. Mason
she come. She kept comm. Some
times, if she got Sanyel off early, she
come in before our breakfast. She
allus come in before | got the dishes
done up. An she stayed. She stayed
all mornin' even wash mornin's.
Sometimes she talked. Right along she
kept nibblin'. Sometimes twas a bit
of cheese, or Il couple of crackers, or
hunk of spice gingerbread, or the top
off a jar of iell. 4 can't hear you when
I'm a-rubbin', I'd say. That never
mattered a bit TO her She'd wait till
got through rubin an was a-bilin'.
But whether she talked or whether she
didn't allus come, sure as the daylight
did, she allus kept a-nibblin', an she
ailus stayed"
The narrator treated himself to a
teaspoonful of medicine out of bottle
On the windowsill before she pro-
ceeded.
''Our girls get home from school at
H." went on the Frustrated chatelaine,
AN | allus have lunch for 'em then.
Sometimes it's reel good. Sometimes
it's only scraps. Anyhow, it's the best
me an Tom can afford. Don't you think
she stayed for every one of them
lunches? My, yes. She don't have to
set dinner for Samyel till one, an she
lowed that she most generally got
peckish about noon. SO she'd set down
with the children regular, an then go
across home to get dinner.
Her visitor sighed softly.
''Then she would stay all afternoon.
She was allus here when Tom come
home to supper. Her husband took his
supper at the hotel so she used to jine
us. Samyel never got back from the
store before II, so she'd stay at our
lDuSt W pdSS Tic IIlllt. ION, lIt u 10
for the mail, an come back, an there
she was. Read the noos' she'd say. Tom.
who is natchilly petite, 'ud read it,
He'd read, an read, an read! Lands
sakes!' Mary Mason 'ud put in, go on!
( could jest set here all night an listen.
An she did-pretty near"
There was a mournful silence.
~'On the farm" continued Mrs. Rob
inson, me an Tom allus went to bed at
eight How was we to go to bed even at
ten, with Mary Mason a-settin' there?
Land O the livin'!' she'd say. seem me
a-patchin,' I'm glad l amt got emmy
children to keep a-slavin' fer-they do
take such a slew of work. But when
got through the mendin', an Tom had
read every word in the paper, even the
adyertisements-the she was! Tom
he'd yawn an yawn. I'd tell as how
I was dead beat, not havin' got much
sleep the night before with the baby
that was croupy, She never pretended
to hear. By'm by, Tom, he'd go into our
bedroom that's off the sittin'-room. an
he'd haul off his shoes, an sling 'em on
the floor real hard. That didn't stir her.
1t was awful provokin'."
at must have been!" her visitor ac-
guessed.