The Winslow mail., 1898-12-03
TIE SHELVING OF
MISS BECKY.

BY M. GRACE POPE.
Copyright, 1908.

/ - Copyright, 1903. =
*
j CCISSORS, needles, thimbies and
y tongues were unusually busy that
afternoon. The Piml;co Sewing So
ciety had a reputation for promptness,
and the Thanksgiving box of clothing
for the observing poor" was not ready.
Mrs Parkinson was the president of
the pimlico Sewing society. Mrs. Par
kinson had always been its president.
! She was a woman of the Napoleonic
order, to whom a kindly fate had as
yet brought no Waterloo. In all So
cial affairs the village had tacitly ac-
cepted her dictatorship since the day
her first husband, Rev. Joshua Higgins,
installed her as mistress of the old
red brick manse among the elms. Rev.
Joshua had succumbed to heart disease
4 few months after his advent in the
village. and, although Mr.. Parkinson
was only grocer in a small way, the
J good lady had ever eXacted full need
Of honors due her former exalted posi-
| tiCn.
At first the conversation was desul-
tory in character. But like the prelim-
mary skirmishing that ushers in the
real battle. it but preluded the discus
sion of matters pertaining to the gen.
cral welfare of Pimlico and its inhab-
itants.
Mrs. Parkinson had something of i'm
rortance to communicate. Sundry lit
| IL !, ha Of hor
head, and the pursing Of her thin lips
evidenced the fact Even the decided
snip Of Mrs. Parkinson's scissors car
ried its note of warning.
The president of the Pimlico Sewing
society did not seize an opportunity to
address her sister workers; like her IL
lustrious prototype, she created oppor-
tunities.
Mrs. Blythe isn't coming to-day, not
bein' very we'll. I've had no word from
Miss Becky, SO 1 suppose she'll be here.
Before Miss Becky comes" here she
lowered her voice impressively-"I've
word [ just want to say to the ladies
here. [ haven't thing to say against
Miss Becky, except just this: Miss
Becky is a-gettin' along in years, and
it makes me down sick to see woman
Of her age a-goin' on so. Why, she's 30
if she's day, and she's a-goin' out 10
parties an havin' young men company
like she wasn't more than IS.
feel like a woman O. her age ought to
have more sense than to be wearin'
hats with all kinds O. flowers an feath
ers on 'em. But, if she hasn't, why
some one just ought to tell her. That's
what I think"
Mrs. Parkinson had grown excited.
Her low, mysterious utterances had
risen to full oratorical crescendo. She
wiped her glasses deliberately, put
them on and looked around.
Mrs. Morrow's scissors had ceased
cutting. She possessed only one pair
and they always squeaked
Mis- Parkinson, ye hev jest give ut
t'rence 10 what I've been a-thinkin' this
four years back. Becky'll be 81 mex
spring, cause l know she wuz born
the very day old Deak'n Toutelotte's
calves died, fer 1 remember ez though
'twuz yest'day how the deak'n-
| Mrs. Morrow had reputation. Some
one considerably rescued the meeting
from the intricate maZes OF one OF her
reminiscent tales.
| "My mother wasn't married till she
wuz 32, but la! she hadn't wore posies
in her bunnet for so long fore thet
! time she felt ez though ev'ryone in
the meetin' house wuz eyein' her when
she wore her weddin' bunnet with a
bunch O. white flowers OH it."
'I've been keerful about sayin'
anything thet might cause trouble by
comm to the years O. Mis- Blythe an
Becky" Mrs. Rigge remarked, but
hev been thinkin' fer some time thet
fer woman clost to 30, all that dress
in up could scarcely be favorable in
the eyes O. the Lord. But l said moth
in about it."
"Near 30." old Mrs. Tracy exclaimed.
with some scorn; "Becky'll never see
80 again. She's one age to my Joe, an
he's been married goin' on nine years
now. Why, Becky an Jane Thompson
air the same age, an James been wear
in nothin' but gray an brown fer
years; an she's gettin to lock real old,
too"
"But, mother" young Mrs. Tracy
said, surely you do not think Miss
Becky looks old:"
"No; must say Becky does not show
her age; but she's a-gettin' along ali
the same. An las summer, after saw
them red flowers, l jest made up my
mind to speak to Becky, an says l:
Don't ye think red is jest little gay
fer yep says 1, an she laffed. why,
I'm not grandmother, ye know, says
she. a grandmother! An she not even
keepin' steady company ez fur ez
know. But it's the way she has young
men a-comin' to see her thet / don't
Ike. There wuz Seth Adams a-settin'
up regular with her all las winter, an
ev'ryone thought they'd be married,
an nothin' ever come of it, An Mis-
Clarks nephew, he took to goin' there
fer another spell, an nothin' come o.
thet, either"
Then Miss Flint-no one seemed to
remember the time when this good old
woman was -spitefully bit off
the end of her thread, and peered
through her glasses at the irregular
stitches she was putting in the apron
of some poor child who presumably
would prefer the useful to the beauti-
full.