The herald., 1898-11-27

window in the lattice work. DO YOU
reckon the members will put up
with" but as if remembering her
tacit promise to Mrs. Wittekind to
| keep silent on that particular subject,
she bridled her tongue and paused alb
| ruptly.
Il was just a-wonderin myself"
said Hettie, siding across to the graf
ing, but 1 wouldn't be afraid to bet
| my best settin' hen that she manages
to be unmolested with 'er boarGer. She
has already put big quietus on re-
ports by addin' another hundred to 'er
parsonage subscription. Some says it's
fur the good o. the young preacher, an
others low it's becase she has tuck
a-lilIin to the young preacher an
wants him to fetch young wife heer.
! It's reported he has sweetheart whar
he come frum. That makes six hun
dred that has been donated, an Seth
Bowen axes eight fur his cottage. She's
dead set on buyin that house,
Ike laughed significantly.
"I'll bet" he said, that she studied
a long time fore she decided to let go
another hundred She has a rope tied
to every nickel she's got"
| Hettie echoed likes burst of merri-
ment. and then crafty look crept into
her wizened face as she watched Tabi-
tha through the grating.
Mr.. Murray seems mighty set on
gettin' the parsonage" she said, ten
tatively. II reckon thar hain't much
doubt about him havin that sweet
heart in Tennessee. You ort to know
Tabitha. sence all his mail passes
through yore hands,"
Tabitha looked up. 1t was plains to
1ettie that she was strongly tempted
to give utterance to a certain idea. 1t
was, finally, the reflection that sin
entertained was as vital as a sin voiced
that pried her lips apart
EFF he has gal up thar" she said
slowly, her words falling like drops of
bitterness. "ef he has one. she'd better
be down heer lookin' after i'm; that's
all / got to say. He's a weak, wishy-
washy boy. an he hain't in the hands
of no crawlin' baby"
At that moment Mrs. Witteknd
parted the curtains, her hands gloved
in dough and flour.
"Tabitha," she said reproachfuly.
''be ashamed O. yorese'f. l didn't low
you'd ever be guilty O. any more sech
remarks about Lizzie Menefee For
the last three days you have behaved
as woman o yore age ort but now
you are breakin out agin"
Tabitha lowered her head over the
package of letters she was arranging
and turned her back on the masquer-
aiding Satan, who had provoked her
outburst. Mrs. Wittekind reached into
an open barrel behind the counter to
secure a handful of salt, glaring at the
gossip as her head disappeared.
Hettie hitched her basket up under
her arm automatically; her mind was
not on trivialities.
You don't shorely think she'd make
sech a born fool of 'erself." she said
why, Tab, she's forty eff she is a day,
an'-an', why, he said hissef that he
was jesty twenty five. But now I come
to think of it, she always did have a
hankerin' fur preachers. They say
Menefee jest had to stop 'er from
bringin' 'em to his house. AS stingy
as she is, she entertained all denomi-
nations. It's a funny thing how a
downright, worldlyminded woman
will be tickled to death over marryin
a preacher. 1t looks like they think
that maybe the preacher will get in
to Heaven fur his good works an that
the Almighty wouldn't like to part
anybody married in straightforward
way"
"Het, you ort to be whipped" roared
Ike, but his wife had baled her hand
full Of salt tightly in her grasp and
advanced to Hettie.
II wish,' she said firmly, "that you
wouldn't talk that away to Tabitha.
She's had a lots to put up with. an
any talk on this line seems to fetch
the worst dregs she has in 'er to the
surface. I am in favor of lettin' Liz
zie Menefee's name rest fur awhile
Hettie met the glance of the old wo-
man with an unabashed stare.
"Yore welcome to yore way O. think
in, Sister Wittekind," she answered
sharply; but maybe even you may err
sometimes. 1t won't do overtime to
wink at evil an gloss it over. Ef that
thar woman is as plump full of Old
Nick as a heap of us think she is,
some'n' ort to be done to keep 'er from
doin' damage to weak mortals of the
masculine order. Who'd although she
ever could a worked on Menefee an
cause him to act as he did toward
Tab? An who knows but with twen-
ty yeer more experience in usn' them
eyes O. he'rn she may invegle Mr. Muir