The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-10-26

she would raise her gentle eyes anu
glance out through the pantry window
toward the patch of tall, waving
hollyhocks that Jim had planted four
summers before. She was kneading
dough, and two or three times she
stopped to scrape the clinging batter
from her fingers with the back OF
case-knife.
She hummed little oldfashioned
tune, emphasizing the "tum te tum"
with savage jabs at the rapidly hard
ening dough on the shelf-board before
her.
"Janel"
No reply.
"Janew
The ungainly figure of young girl
In gingham, her hair escaping in
strands the loosely tied knot at the
back of her head, appeared in the
pantry doorway.
"What dye want?"
81 want we t. git them biscuit tins
ont o. tn kitchen cupboard an bring
'em in here t me-"
The girl slowly turned and sham
bled across the kitchen floor, the run
over heels of her old slippers clatter-
ing on the white scrubbed boards as
she walked.
81 never see sich a GIRL" muttered
Mrs. Springer to herself. "Seems
like impossibility t. git any decent
help out here in tn kentry. All tn
girls that's good fer anything gifts up
an gifts t. teown ez soon ez they're
tn right age t. be good fer anything.
Only them as is too lazy t. live is lef'
fer us out here"
From the great lump of dough on
the board Mrs. Springer pulled little
Jumps and rolled them into fabby
globes, which she placed in regular
lines on the bottom Of the biscuit
tins.
She had patted the last little lump
into ball and wedged it into cor
ner of one of the pans and stepped
back.to survey her work when through
the open doorway of the kitchen
fioated to her, on the cool September
air, the call, "AIissus Springer! Oh,
Missus Springer!"
"Neow I'd like t. know who that
is" she exclaimed as she crossed the
floor and pushed open the screen
door.
Ser tine lan's sake, Zeke Evans,
what be you a-wantin'?"
She had stepped out on the back
porch, all green and blue with cling
ing vines and open morning glories.
The little man in the light ''rig"
wiped the perspiration from his brow
and clambered out of the vehicle over
the wheel.
He advanced toward Mrs. Springer
and extended yellow envelope
"This kun las night" he said, 'jes
fore tn ten twenty arrove. TIL OPP
orator asked me t. fetch it. At fust
l thought I'd bring it right over, not
thinkin but what it might be from
Jim. Then l sez t. myself, sez ],
'Missus Springer'll be t. bed an better
wait till mornin', so / fetched it over
on my way deown."
At the name "Jim" Mrs. Springer
clutched the bit of yellow paper and,
with fingers that wavered little, tore
open the envelope.
Zeke waited.
The envelope dropped to the floor
Of the porch. Mrs. Springer held the
dispatch in her left hand and followed
the scrawled writing with the fore
finger of her right.
One glance at the words, and she
cried out: "Its Jim. He's comm
home. It's from his capting sayin' he
has been sent home sick in tn care o.
two other soldiers. He lef' tn camp
yesterday afternoon al'll be here arly
tomorrer mornin'."
''Is they anything kin do fer ye?"
asked Zeke, little tone of anxiety in
his voice.
mo, they amt nawthin'. An /
don't believe l even thanked We fer
bringin' me this telegram, Zeke."
Zeke blushed and stammered that
''that was all right" and turned to
Chamber over che wheel again into his
''rig."
Matilda Springer went back into the
kitchen and through the little passage
way into the front room. There by
the half-curtained window, through
which the sun rays had filtered on
another September morning, long be-
fore, aud lighted the face of man in
a coffin, she read again the telegram:
'Jim is sick, and / have sent two
members of the company along with
him."
Mrs. Springer laid the telegram on
the table and went over to the old
haircloth sofa. She sat there in the
semi-darkness for nearly an hour, and
when she arose she lifted the, corner
OF her checked apron to her eyes and
wiped away the moisture that had
gathered in them.
A little smile Of ofhappinsss, too great
even to give itself full expression.