The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-01-13
WHAT HAPPENED.

ouut "tty oWVno ohtiy WIN thv
bright April morning. feeling sure
something was going to happen. She
had heard High Top Calvin, the king
OF the flock. crow nine times Mt mid
night, and Lympathy Limp, the lame
white pullet, was cackling before sun
rise. As the moments passed. and
Aunt Patty began putting on the gar-
ments that lay 30 smooth and orderly
on n high-backed chair, she felt surer
and surer her convictions would come
true. She put one stocking on wrong
side out, the right shoe on tho left
foot, and skipped three holes in lac
ing her stays. She tried twice to put
both arms into one sleeve of her dress.
and buttoned it by leaving two holes
at the top with no buttons, and two
buttons at the bottom with no holes.
She could no longer still her reason
ing, but burst out
''Patty Prentice, are you fool9"
just as she had got the refractory
buttons into place there came n pro-,
louged knock at the porch door below.
"Oh, dear mel" che said, "what's
coming nowe Somebody must be
dead" Her thoughts and tongue ran
swiftly as she tried to unite the night
cap strings that in her hurry had got
into hard knot. "P'raps it's Deacon
Hopkins wife. Belinda johnson said
last night the doctor said she couldn't
pull through; or maybe it's Martha
James husbands mother; she's awful
feeble. Or what if it should be Joe
Backus' boy Jiml lie always throws
a stone at Sancho every time he passes
here"-Saucho is her cat-"They say
Jim's likely to get killed any time"
Aunt Patty had conquered the
strings and hung the cap on the bed
post. She started down the narrow
stairs, still thinking OF Sancho's perse-
cutor, and repeating, "The Lord gave
and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord"
She crossed tho kitchen and reaching
the porch moved aside from the door
the woodbox with its pile OF tin pans.
Aunt Patty had not the protection of
man in the house, "But tin pans
make as much noise as man, any
time" she said, ''and perhaps are as
good in protecting"
She slid back the bolt, turned the
button, aud asked anxiously,-
'What is it?"
"Mover wants you to come right
over, Aunt Patty,"a childish voice said.
"She's got unexpected company.
Don't stop to get any breakfast. 1
amt had none, NEWER"
''Unexpected company" repeats
Aunt Patty. 81 wonder if the day will
ever come when am not at the beck
and call of everybody's company and
piled-up mending basket" But she
reaches out, pats tho child's head, and
kindly says. swell, como in, Johnnie,
and you can eat some doughnuts while
I'm getting ready"
Her doughnuts are known to every
child in the village; they are gener-
ous kind, or, as the childron say, "not
all hole" 1t is bright CLEAN of
sunshine in her lonely life that chill.
dren love her, and many childish sor-
/. rows and wrongs are soothed by her
ready sympathy and the contents OF
the nevsr-empty tin box in the square
cupboard.
Aunt Patty is soon ready, for she is
not . precise old maid who must leave
everything at an exact angle. She
often says. ''There are old maids from
eompulsion. and old maids from
choice. and I am sort OF betwixt and
between"
But many Of the village people re.
member the lover OF Aunt Patty's
Girlhood. and often over tho ton cups
has the prediction been given,
''They'll both got tired OF living
alone, and make ii all up. You see IL
they don't"
Johnnie feeds the hons while Aunt
Patty puts ssucho's breakfast undeI
ne doorstep. with the always added
ednonition- - ''s s.., 49,
'4ov. eancho.i Il you see lin Back