Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1897-03-04

Il the Town Of Bubble.
The little woman was crouched up
on the carpet sofa in limp heap. She
looked ILL., 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 begrmed. In
spite of these facts the mistress of the
modest home smiled sweetly.
"Well," exclaimed her visitor, one
comprehensive glance embracing the
unwonted neglect of the place, Il heard
you were not feeling we'll, but | did
not know you required assistance with
your friend Mrs. Mason was with you"
The little woman looked up with u
sparkle in her eye.
80, I'm well enough. was sick
enough up to last Tuesday. I've been
gettin' better ever since. I'll have the
table red off an things Strengthened be
fore Tom gets home. If l feel like it
now can let things be. There amt
no one to notice. Mrs. Mason, she don't
come over. Truth is. we've got shet
of Mary Mason. We just" in emphatic
repetition, "had to gct shet of Mary
Mason"
The visitor was sympathetic. The lit
tie woman was confidential.
"Me 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 it nice to
live 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 be two weeks 'ithout see
in body to speak to. An here we've
got 300 people in 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 ! amt got a bit of time
to be lonesome for the stock. There's
only herself an her husband, so her
work don't count. She can't read or
write only Bohemy, an she amt got
no use for that language since she mar
ried out'n her folks. Take it altogeth-
err, she's willin' to neighbor lots, an
that l says to Tom, will be mighty
perkin' for mc!"
Eyes," asscnted her visitor. with a
rising infection on the monosyllable.
"TOm, he didn't say much. He's kind
of .slow-like He jest said, What suits
son she come. She kept comm. Some
times, if she got Samyel off early, she
come in before our breakfast. She al
lus come in before got the dishes done
up. An she stayed. She stayed all
mornin'-even wash mornin's. Some
times she talked. Right along she kept
nibblin'. Sometimes twas a bit of
cheese, or a couple of crackers, or a
hunk Of spice gingerbread, or the top
off jar of jell. 4 can't hear you when
I'm a-rubbin',' I'd say. That never
mattered a bit to her She'd wait till
But whether she talked or whether she
didn't she allus come, sure as the day
light did, she allus kept a-nibblin', an
she allus stayed"
The narrator treated herself to a tea
spoonful Of medicine out of bottle on
Che window-sill before she proceeded.
"Our girls get home from school at
12," went on the Frustrated chateaine,
"an' l 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
get dinner for Samyel till l, an she
lowed that she most generally got peck
ish about noon. So she'd set down with
the children regular, an then go across
home to get dinner. Lots of times
they'd be just snag of pork, or a
gumption of fried potatoes, or as much
jam leavin' as you'd sneeze at. There
amt nothln here, Mrs. Mason, to ask
you to have bite Of, l says to her
often. % laws she answers, whats
good enough for you is good enough
IL.
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 line
US. Samyel never got back from the
store before II. so she'd stay at oul
house to pass the time. Tom. he'd &C
for the mail, an come back. an there
she was. Read the noos!' she'd saw
Tom, who is natchilly petite, 'ud read
it. He'd read, an read. an read
Lands sakes!' Mary Mason 'ud pur
In, go on! could jest set here all night
an listen An she did-pretty near.'
There was mournful silence
ION the farm" continued Mrs. Rob
inson, me an Tom allus went to bee
at 8. How was we to so to bed ever
at 10, with Mary Mason a-sttin' there
Land O. the Twin! she'd say, seem me
a-pa tchin', I'm glad amt got enny
children to keep a-slavin' fer-thcy dc
take such a slew of work. But whel
l got through the mendin', an Tom ha(
read every word In the paper, even thu
advertisements-the she was. Ton
he'd yawn an yawn. I'd tell as how
was dead beat. not havin' got mucl
sleep the night before with the bah,
that was croupy. She never pretended
to hear By'm by, Tom. he'd go int
our bedroom that's off the settin'-room
an he'd haul off his shoes. an sling en
on the floor real hard. That didn't sti
her. 1t was awful provokin'.'
at must have been!' her visitor &C
guessed.
"Then they was the borryin'. No