The Somerset reporter., 1897-11-25


starved, | dare say. There, get down
never could abide cats around my Wet
uAls "
She put Tommy gently on the floor,
crumblcd some bread into the bowl Of
broth, cooled it carefully and set it down
for him to cat
It's pretty rich for me anyway, she
said, us she made out her supper with
toast and tea.
1t was perhaps we'll for Tommy that he
took an early promenade next morning
around the back yards of the neighbor
hood and secured several valuable It'd
bits, for Miss Mattio had very little to
offer him. She baked her delightful little
pulls of biscuits and enjoyed them i'm.
mcnscly, finding them lighter and more
digestihle without butter She read a
Thanksgiving psalm and went about try.
ing to sing in little chirrupy voice like a
brown sparrow She brought in the small
basket and flushed the unexpected treas.
ure trove, but took it kindly as bit OF
neighborly good will The sweetbread
white and plump and all ready for cook
ing, reminded her of old Mrs. Morrison
just beginning to sit up and watch the
people 20 by the window. What tooth.
what delight that she should be able to
take it to her rs she went to church--yes
and some of the celery too, for a relish
The chops were transferred to plate on
the shelf the sweetbread wrapped in fine
old napkin and laid back in the basket
with the best half of the celery. and the
biscuits Miss Matte had saved for dinner
Tho cold bread will go just as well
ba nd ,.,H
for church with glow OF happiness such
rs she had not known in long time
1t helped to a real feeling of thankful
ness, especially when she thought of old
Mrs Morrison, and how pleased she had
been with the unexpected gift She laugh
ed n little to herself as she returned to her
own door after service, remembering how
when Sally Morrison had commiserated
her on being alone Thanksgiving day she
had assured her she had company invited
Tommy Barnes, from the next door
who was spending couple of days with
her, the rest of tho family being away.
II hope twasn' sinful untruth, she
said, smiling at Tommy, who lay peace.
fully sleeping on the braided rug, but il
old Miss Morrison had set in to have me
stay to dinner | shouldn' t have known how
With long, clean apron over her best
frock, Miss Matte began cheerfully to
make her small preparations for the
Thanksgiving feast. She had meditated
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 getting SO forgetful-she could have
1-l,, fh.a,, h., half
she have left them in the basket after ally
Her perplexed eyes fell from the shelf to
the floor, and there just peepng from be
hind the wood box, was the plate, and
two small, very small, bits of bone, gnaw
ed quite clean and white.
Ungrateful Tommy Barnes lying there
in peaceful slunber, with those precious
chops rounding out your yellow sides if
justice had befallen you then and there
you might not have lived TO steal again
But into the midst of Miss Mattie's right
eous wrath came the reflection TINT Tom
my must have been hungry, and the fault
after all was partly her own for putting
temptation in his way, though how any
thing could have been farther out of his
way than that shelf l don't really see,
she added dolefully.
At that minute Tommy Barnes walked
from his nap, transformed himself into a
camel, yawned in II frightIully tigerish
fashion and proceeded to sharpen his claws
on the rug, the sacred rug, into which had
been braided some precious old garments
dear to Miss Mattie's heart. 1t was a
straw too much to have insult added to
injury, and, springing from her chair, she
cut1Cd Tommy in such vigorous fashion
that three or four hearty blows found their
mark before the astonishcd sinner could
withdraw his claws and bound out ut the
back door, left agar in the search for the
chops At TINT instant, resounding
knock on the front door sent Miss Mat
ties heart to her throat with Ia sudden
leap, as if Justice We're already coming to
take her in hand for unreasonable cruelty
Whom Miss Matte was peacefully pattcr-
ing about, unconscious of the cruel trick
fate and Tommy Barnes had played her
Mrs. Deacon Giles was surveying her hus
band with disturbed and fearful face
You don't mean to tell me, she re.
pcated that the ministers folks ain t
comm at all, and you and me has got to
eat this big dinner alOneY Here, | staid
home from church to tend to It, Oh, you
needn' to look as II you thought it WAS a
Judgment, Josiah | wouldn't be such II
hippcrcrit as to perlJnd to be thinkin of
spiritooal things when | was wonderin if
Sarah Ellen would remember to haste the
turkey Seems to mo they might let us
know sooner
But told you mother, 1t was a tele-
gram come Just before church You can t
regcrlate kilograms like the weekly news
paper or stop folks from dyin unexpect
ell "
Then why didn' t you rush round and
get somebody else? Mercy sakes 'Twon t
seem like Thanksgiyin at all
Didn't seem to be anybody to ask but
old Mis- Morrison and Marthy Ellison
drove round by the Morrisons, but the old
lady was Just hayin somethin relishin
Miss Matte had fetched in They said
they invited her to dinner but she had
comp 'ny-one of them Barneses next
door
Fiddlcsticksl" said the deacon S wife
in a very disrespectful tone You Just
drive straight back and bring Marthy Ell
lison up here to dinner Tell her don t
take any excuse and if she can't come
otherways she can bring her comp my
along, though the way them shift less
Barncses impose on her is mortai
shame
Good Deacon Giles had learned docility
in many years of experience, and the dou
BILE knock at Miss Mattic's door followed
as quickly as could be reasonably expected.
Miss Matte attempted neither excuse nor
hesitation, but accepted her good provi-
dcnCe with radiant delight
Mother said to fetch your comp'ny
along" said the deacon glancing doubt