New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-21
Amabel extended her hand. She was touched
by this thoughtfulness. But she asked warily:


! marlborough"
"Al right go ahead. You both look splendid
| We went ahead. What did this kindness and
| this compliment mean?
| When we had turned the first corner we
stopped that Amabel might examine what her
| brother had bestowed upon her. 1t proved to be
| a bowie knife very rusty, and much hacked at
the edge as though rocks had been cut with IT,
Amabel placed it in a leather sheath which
she now found tackled to her saddle. Little ala
we think that this weapon might be the means
| of destroying our enemies, saving our lives, ana
bringing us back safely from Cape Cod. For the
| Cape, to any one dwelling south of Boston. al
ways means Cape Cod. To US there is no other
/ cape in the world that is worth mentioning.
| And we were going there. small bag was
! fastened at the back of each saddle; our steeds
were well fed; our hearts beat high; the blue of
summer was above US; fair bloomed the way:
with something other at the PROV. and pleas
ure at the helm--thus palfreys pranced
gayy along the village street. and knights and
ladies looked down upon us from tower and
battlement: while low browed churls stared from
postern gates. But little we rocked
To come back to realism. Mrs. Mahala Bacon,
commonly called Aunt Ma'ly," was hanging out
her wash on line which was fastened between
the cherry trees in her front yard. She had
wet pillowcase in her hand and clothespin In
her mouth, when she caught sight Of us She
dropped her pillowcase into the basket, but re-
tanned the cothespin between her teeth as she
hurried forward. We were going at the tiniest
bit of a canter and we hoped to get by but she
flung out a hand to us and we were obliged TO
stop Aunt Ma'ly had small black eyes that
seemed something like holes bored in her face;
she had big mouth and no chin to speak Of
and she lived alone with two cats and a canary
bird The canary needed constant guarding
from the cats. Aunt Ma'ly's occupation was to
take in washing and protect her cats. She had
for years taken in washing.
She vas obliged to remove that bit of
wood from her mouth She gazed at us mo-
ment however, before she spoke. Then she
asked:
BE them your horses?'
Yes. thev
Her silence after our reply was extremely irri-
tatng. l shall always be grateful that we didn't
break that silence otherwise than by saying at
last "G'longr this exclamation being addressed
to our steeds and not to Aunt Ma'ly.
wait a minute, where be you started for?"
THE Cape
THE Cape? Oh, my sister Sarah Ramsey,
lives to Provincetown. She's married to a Portu-
gee down there BE you gon g fur s Province
town."
Yes we thought we should
ooh, well-wait a minute" She looked from
us 10 the open door. then back again. ! saw
Amabel fidget in her saddle
Aunt Ma'ly came few steps nearer. So near
that she placed one parboileG hand on to The
Thames neck. and that animal tossed its head
IF put a kitten in bag, can't you take it
down to Sister Sarah Ramsey" she asked 'be-
in s you're gon to Provincetown?'
/ Immediately stammered out refusal. feeling |
very mean and unkind She ought to have |
known better. A kitten in d bag, indeed.
Aunt Ma'lys face fell. She turned little to
one side. thought her chin quvered.
"Oh, we'll you see' she began In minute, |
Sister Sarahs always wanted one of my kittens |
that was marked all yeer N black, N white, |
n gray. like its mother. Terrible good mousers |
they be. ~ I've never had one jest exactly like |
its mother till this last litter. It's four weeks
old now n s cunnin' you'd die watchin' it,
Aunt Ma'ly had dropped her clothespin. She |
now stopped and picked it up She moved back |
further still. Her heavy mouth closed SORROW
fully 1 thought that Amabel uttered slight
groan.
Sister Sarah amt walked step for over five
years. n she's s. fond of pets that 1 tell her
she ought to have a menager-ee. ! guess I'll |
finish putin out them clO'es."
She turned away and hurried to her basket.
She picked up the pillowcase and shook it so
that 1t snapped. Why didn't we go on? ! was
waiting for Amabel to start. and l was wonder
ing If she felt guilty l felt. 1t is not an
agreeable sensation to feel guilty, and one re-
sents the emotion.
Aunt Maly was now hanging out sheet. I |
wished that we had gone by some other road,
but who could foresee that some on this par
tcular highway would request US to take charge
of kitten in a bag?
Now i heard Amabe saying. aunt Maly. I'll |
try carry the kitten if you'll get it ready"
/ had feared this; for Amabel has a kind heart.
If you travel with person who has kind heart
you may expect all sorts Of impositiOns.
1 remained silent. l knew that it wicked |
to be angry. / studiously gazed out over the
fields and tried to appreciate them as scenery |
started on a pleasure trip with absolutely no |
facilities for transporting kittens. Then a |
thought struck me. We could. perhaps get the |
kitten as far as MARLBOROUGH. When we had !
reached that town, l would procure a box fitted |
with the latest thing in ventilation, and l would |
express the kitten TO Sarah Ramsey, who had |
married a Portuguese.
Having let a ray of light in upon my soul by |
this resolve what do YOU think were my feel |
ings when listened to tie following CONVERSE
ton:
Aunt Ma'ly quickly forward again.
Hef face quite bright, and her voice was
unsteady, as she said:
"Oh, well, will yod now? But mebby it'll be
some trouble-thOugh it's dretful cute kitten,
and the very image Of its mother"
| listened to hear Amabel utter a fasehood |
and say 1T won't be any trouble" but she only
repeated that she would try to take il.
Aunt Ma'ly hurried into the house We heard |
her calling kitty, Kitty" and then scurrying |
about, slamming doors. l RETAINED from look
ing At my companion. and l think she refrained
from looking at
After few minutes the woman came running
down the path. duckng her head TO avoid the
wet clothes. She was beaming. She had an
empty shorts bag held up against her breast
empty, for slight protuberance which
meWed and squirmed
Il thought I'd take this kind of a bag" she