The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-25

i
northern born and northern bred, Eddie
may want to take her back home
| Here the speaker was interrupted
plaintively by Ollie Potts.
"If he ever gets home himself"
"Of course he'll get home. Don t
make a goose Of yourself Ollie. Our
hands are full enough Of troubles with
out going abroad to import more. So,
you see"-turning once moro toward
the others-"I am especially anxious
that her coffin shall be nice one. Those
dreadful plain white pine affairs we had
to use when the Bradley child died will
never do. They might say up yonder in
her old homo, you know-I mean in
case Eddie insists on romsval-that We
thought anything good enough for a
| Yankee"
| There had been neither lack of WON.
ans nursing nor dearth of woman's
tears in the Widow Matthew's cottage
those weeks Of her fading and the idea
that they were capable Of putting any
| affront upon the helpless form no longer
| able to thank them was severe shock
to the sensibilitles of each one Of her
Cloverdell friends.
Cloverdell had been in the habit of
importing the very finest products Of the
undertaker's skill from New Orleans
when the local supply did not come up
to its exacting taste in mortuary fash.
IONS The local supply had long since
been exhausted, and New Orleans be.
longed to the enemy. But Cloverdell
women had grown wise in oxpedients.
Miss Mechanics remarks set them all to
taking mental inventories Of the ward.
robes in which only the articles too good
for daily wear had escaped the test of q
shopless era.
"Of course it must be black Mrs.
Clark said timidly and was not at all
surprised at having several e1tinguish.
ars olapped on.
II have heard" said Miss MeIanie,
staring resolutely at photograph Of
Eddie Matthews in velvet frame on
the table she was sitting by, THAT in
some foreign countries, am not pre-
pared to be accurate, collins of brilliant
purple are in vogue. But am afraid
Cloverdell is not educated up to them"
II have black foulard silk, but it's
got white sprigs in it," Mrs. Brownell
said IF Miss Melanie thinks that
won't make any difference, poor dear
\ Mrs. Matthews ia welcome to it dozen
times over"
Miss Melanie was afraid it would
make difference and waited anxiously
for some more promising sacrifice to be-
offered up on the altar of friendship.
II looked over all my things before
leaving home, she said, with view
to finding something that would do to
cover those dreadful staring boards, but
the girls and have cut up everything
that had any substance to it for the
sharpshooters long ago.
From q dozen different sources came
an ANSWERING murniur:
That is just exactly my fix"
Something must be found. Miss
Melanie said this with the inexorable-
ness Of fate. Something came. Mrs.
Phipps was the one who tided the trou.
BILE over.
II have a long velvet circular that
will send down as soon as can get it
out Of the cedar chest in which I've got
all my best things packed away. I hope
you went think I've been slow in offer
ing it to our dear friend, but have
sorter been holding on to it in case
might have to DO put away myself. I
am ashamed to think how selfish that
sounds now. since I've put 1t into
words"
Miss Melanie rushed at her to kiss
her tumultuously.
"It doesn't sound selfish bit, dear,
but we can't have you talking about
needing 1t yourself for any such pur-
pose. I'll send Timothy Drew straight
up to your house for the circular
Mrs Clarke. who at heart was q
thrifty woman, but would have been
ashamed to display it at such junoture,
here made statement that was received
with marked inoredulity.
"Betsy-that's my cook-tells me
that store is about to be opened in the
old Potts building. Perhaps we might
find the other needful things there"
"A store?"
"In Mr. Lester Potts building? Well,
I should think ought to know some.
thing about that.
Miss Melanie expressed these views
with tartness tempered by the SO.
lemnity Of the nnaaaian
ITO Be Continued)