Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-08-20

!gI@yZM@ heard, hear H. Mrs. hs.
Ste b ms
commanded, between the energetic
splashes of her churn: 'I want you to
come right out here an put up the
mems dinner an take it down to 'em.
They amt goin' to take the time to
come home, cause fathers feet is
achin' this mornin', an he wants to
git in all the hay afore the storm.
Come along now! Them spoons is
going to keep"
There was no answer this time
either, but the door was pushed far
ther open, and girl came silently
into the kitchen. Her fingers were
black, as if she had been cleaning
very dirty silver, and she walked over
to the sink, poured some water into a
tin basin and began to wash them
with deliberate slowness which made
her mothers thin lips tighten and the
churn fairly hop about the floor with
the vigor of her strokes.
Mrs. Stebbins could not tolerate
slowness. She could not understand
how it was possible for a person to be
either slow or silent, and nothing
made her so angry as the exhibition of
either characteristic in her only
daughters fact which l am sorry to
say Eudora discovered and made use
Of at very early age. 1t was the
only way in which she could, as she
expressed it, "get square" with her
overbearing mother, and she had cul'
tivated it till the slight natural ten
aencies in those directions had be-
come actual habits.
AS she stood there now, seeming to
wash and dry each separate finger by
itself, she did not look like person
who would be trod upon without find
ing some way to turn.
She was dark, with strong, hand
some face, heavy brows that met above
very determined nose, beautiful
chin and bright, brown eyes, but the
most notable thing about her was her
height Tall, taken in the ordinary
sense, would not describe her, for
she stood six feet one in the lowest
heeled shoes she could buy, and the
neighbor declared that though over
twenty she was growing yet--a fact
which filled her parents with pride,
her brother with envy and herself
with fierce rebellion.
She detested the curious looks that
followed her when she went to town,
the inevitable Jokes about the state of
the atmosphere cup where she was, ,
and references to "the long and the
short of it" or the probable diminutive
height of the man she would marry.
She was thinking of it now, as she
saw how far she had to stoop to reach
the basin, and the little fit of anger
attendant on the thought made her
even more deliberate than usual, so
that at last Mrs. Stebbins broke forth
in spite of herself.
you've took five minutes for every
finger now, she exclaimed wrathfully.
eff you wash the palms the same way,
I'll be able to do the butter and git
down to tn field ahid of you. If it
takes all big things so long to move,
I'm glad the boys didn't grow no
more"
Eudora flushed and threw out the
water with more hurried motion.
That last was the only taunt that ever
had the least effect upon her. Then
she went into the pantry ard began to
cut loaf of bread.
"You better cut it ALL" her mother
called, "'cause there's four OF them
to-day-pa's got Joe Sampson helpin',
too-an don't torgit to leave the
mustard out o. Joe's sandwiches,
either. Put in lots of pickles, and
take the apple pie-Eu-do-ry! Do
you hear me?" as no sound but the
rattle of dishes came from the depths
of the breezy pantry.
eyes, ma" said Eudora, shortly,
and for few minutes the churn had
the floor entirely to itself. But
presently Mrs. Stebbins broke ont
again. "What'd you get them spoons
out for anyway?" she demanded. eff
plated uns amt good enough for Gus
Sanderly, why he'd better stay away,
that's all. He amt no better'n my
boys er Joe Sampson. If you only
wasn't SO plumb cracked on height,
you'd know there wasn't as much
good in the bull length of him as in
little Joe's thumb nail. Eu.do-ry, do
you hear me?"
eyes, ma," said Eudora, and
silence reigned once more.
In moment she came out of the
pantry, carrying big tin pail full of
dinner, and set it quietly down on the
table.
Her mother looked up to see if there
were any signs of wrath in the girls
face, but was met by the quiet blank
ness that always exasperated her. II
wish you wouldn't go round looking
like sich q craven image" she
calculated. "You won't catch any
feller at all if you don't look out. You
better make some ginger water to take
down too. It's awful hot to-day, an,
mind you, if you ask Gus Sanderly up
to tea tomorrow, I'm goin' to ask Joe
Sampson too, and then nothing more
was said as Eudora took down her old
sun hat from behind the kitchen door
and, taking the pail in one hand and
the pitcher in the other. stepped
slowly ont into the warm light Of the