Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1897-04-23
MARY MASON.

the. carpet sofa in a limp heap. She
looked III. bu, sanguine-exhaustet
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 6egrimed In
spite OF these facts the mistress OF the
modest home smiled sweetly.
WELL" exclaimed her visitor. one
comprehensive glance embracing the
nnwonted neglect of the place, Il heard
YOU were not feeling well, but | 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 n
sparkle in her eye.
20, I'm well enough. was sick
enough up to last Tuesday. I've been
gettin' better ever since. I'll have the
Table rcd Off an things Strengthened
before Tom gets home. If feel like
u now ! can let things be. There amt
no one TO notice. Mrs. Mason, she don't
como 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.
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 il nice to
live in large place. / never before
susPicioned how comfortable il was TO
live reel near to folks. an have them
folks neighborly. Out'n the half sec
ton we might be two weeks 'ithout
seem body to speak TO. An here
we've got 300 people in this town, an
two trains day-not to mention the
freights-an' houses all round us. It's
nwful nice, ] says to Tom, but what's
incest is Mrs. Mason. Why she comes
in that often l amt got bit of time
&c bc lonesome for the stock. There's
only herself an her husband, so her
work don't count. She can't read or
" rite only Bohemy, an she amt got
no use for tkat language since she mar
ried out'n her folks. Take il alto
gethcr, she's willin' 10 .neighbor lots,
an that says TO Tom, will be mighty
perlSiD' for mel"
YES" aSsentcd her visitor, with a
rising Infection or the monosyllable.
Tom, he didn't say much. He's kind
OF slow-like. lie jest said: What suits
you, Eliza, suits mel Well, Mrs. Mason
She- some. She kept comm. Some
times; If she got Samyel off early, she
come in before Our breakfast. She
ILLUS come in before j got the dishes
done up. An she stayed. She stayed
oil morniu' - even wash mornin's.
Sometimes she talked. Right along she
kept nibblin'. Sometimes twas u bit
OF cheese, or n couple of crackers, or n
bunk OF spice gingerbread, or the top
Oft a jar OF jell. 4 can't hear you when
INA a-rubbin',' I'd say. That never
mattcred bit TO her. She'd wait till
got through rubin an was a-bilin'.
Bot whether she talked or W whether she
didn't allus come, sure as the daylight
did,. she allus kept a-nibblin', an she
allus stayed"
The narrator treated himself TO a
tcaspoonful of medicine out of bottle
On the windowsill before she pro-
cceded.
"Our girls get home from school at
IT" went on the Frustrated chatelainc,
"anf Il nllus 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
ucrosS- Home 30 get dinner.
Her visitor sighed softly.
Then she would stay all afternoon.
She was alFus here when Tom come
home tO'supper. Her husband took his
supper at the hotel, so she used to iine
US. Samyel never got back from the
store before il, so she'd stay at our
house 10 pass the time. Tom, he'd go
for the mail. an come back, an there
shewas. Read the noos!' she'd say. Tom.
who is natchilly petite, 'ud read it.
He'd read. an read, an read! Lands
cakes! Mary Mason 'ud put in. go on!
coula jest set here all night an listen
An she did-pretty near!"
There was n nnournful silence.
'Dn thu farm continued Mrs. Rob
inson. "mc an Tom allus went to bed Mt
eight. How WAS we to go TO bed even ut
Ten, with Mary Mason a-settin' there?
Land o. the livin'!' she'd say, seem me
a-patchin.' I'm glad I amt got emmy
children to Keep a-slavin' fer-they do
fake surR a slew of work. But when
got through the mendin', an Tom had
read every word in the paper. even the
advertisements-ther she was! Tom
he'd yawn an yawn. I'd tell as how
] was dead beat. not havin' got much
sleep the night before with the baby
that vas croupy. She never pretended
TO hear. By'm by. Tom, he'd 60 into orr
kedroom that's off the sittin-room. an
RED knIl off his shoes. an sling 'em on
the fooEreal hard. That didn't stir her.
VI was awful proNokin'"
1T must have beeni" her visitor ac-
quiesced.
Then they was the borryin'. Not
That Mary Mason called it borryin'.
She said she hadn't a bit Of use for folks
that borryed. She said when she wanted
anything from n person she neighborcd
with that she just went in an took II.
reel friendly like. That's how our
groceries kppf attn, u>o;..,t ~