The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-02-08
MERE SUSANNA.

was q noise Of singing birds about her.
Her eyes were turned westward. She
was q little old woman, with gray hair
and a small, determined face. Her lips
were thin and her eyes bright and deep
set, with penthouse brows.
l fingered, wondering a little. From
inside the cottage there came tho con-
tinual cheep cheep and twitter of birds.
There were cages hung up outside
near he door, and one even on the door
step. Tho old woman looked straight
across the fat fields to the sunset. She
had u colorless wrap about her head,
and she wore u colorless dress and Il
blue apron. Tho sunset glorifed them
all.
l thought she did not SEQ me, but as
l went by she called to me, and l turned
back. She came down TO the little gate
and said, "MOnsicrr is \ stranger"
Eyes, madame"
"And he has travelled perhaps?"
Gin many lands"
HAS he ever met n tall lad, q sol.
dier, very fair and handsome, with blue
eyes?"
Il have met many soldiers, madame"
but this onel Think, monsieur"
she urged. You could never have for
gotten him. His hair was like the Sky
yondcr'-she pointed to the ruinr,
gold OF the sunset-"and his eye.
danced, danced always. Ilo was always
merry"
Il am very sorry, madame, I do not
remember him"
She seemed littlo saddened and was
fnrp1nO u Iyhnn p,iI tN~,, H.,
many singing birds, madame?"
"They call me Mere Susanna" she
said. Come in, monsieur, if you will.
n see them"
Tho cottage was two ~roomed-onc
room where she lived and slept; L learn.
ed afterward that tho other was il
shrine-empty-where she went tc
pray when her heart and hope wcr,
numb.
Tho little kitchen was filed with
birds i'll cages. She had to put one Oh
the floor to offer mo a seat. AS for her
self she sat down on q stool in the
midst of them. Then she took up the
cage from the floor on to her knee, and,
putting in her hand, captured the song.
Eter. 1t was a Chaflinch. She stroked its
wings and laid it against her face. 1t
o'd not try to escape, but nestled con.
tentedly against the wrinklcd check.
ut knows YOU" l said.
She gave a contentcd little laugh.
"Thcy all do. But l won't need them
when he comes home"
"Who is hep"
"He-my boy that 1 told you of.
Some of them used to say he would
never come back when they thought l
didn't hear them. But | know"
The twilight was closing in. A grad
ual hush had crcpt over the linnets and
inches, tho canarics and the rest. She
put back the bird into it's cage and rose ;
l too. She did not ask mo to go again.
l went out into the little garden and
the twilight and continued my walk:
but. returning home tho same way, [
heard q strange sound through tho
spring darkness. 1t was Mere Susanna
crouched up by the garden paling, cry
ing to herself.
A few days later / came across her in
the helds. She was plucking dandelion
and herbs for salad and groundsel for
BIRDS. She told me hat she went about
selling them to those Of the neighbors
who had no time to come and look for
their own.
The new green was ~springing up
around us. The sky was blue. A spring
wind wandered about and blew apart
the old woman's hair on her forehead
as she worked.
You leave your birds alone all day2"
I said.
Yes" she answered, "but I hear
them singing all the same"
How, then, since your cottage is not
near here?'
How do I / know! she said, straight.
ening herself. "It gets palmer and
palmer as l go home in the evenings,
and when l get in at the gate they all
begin together" She STONED down
again, smiling. "It's almost like hav.
ing a child waiting for ono," she said,
but not to me.
1 thought of her that evening when,
looking out Of my window, l saw that
the sky in the west had turned primrose.
4 ba" her truuB1nB nome with the IlgE;
on her face and the singing Of her birds
In her ears growing nearer and nearer,
till at last she turned in at the little
gate.
Often after that / met her in the fields
or gong her rounds in the village.
sometimes when 1 saw her talking with
the ~neighbors l fancied that the glamour
OF o spring evening had W orked n spell
and that after all there was nothing un.
common or evil about her, and then ]
remembered the eyes that had watched
the sunset and the strange sound heard
through the spring darkness.
LII in the daytime / chanced to pass
her cottage, which stood alone among
the sad, cultivated fields, I heard her
birds singing and chirping ceaselessly.
Monsieur" she said to me once.
when I am dead they will stop sing.
ing"
She went early to work in the morn.
1ngs, giving them fresh food and water
before starting. Often she went far
afield for herbs. Once 1 met her coming
home slowly and heavily, leaning on
her stick. Dusk had fallen, and the east
was growing tender for the moonrise.
She asked me in that evening. no.
ticed that she moved about feebly. es
though she were tired out, and at last
abe sat down and was silent.
Mere Susanna" 1 said suddenly.
when Is your boy coming back? How
long has he been away?"
BY tho movement she made I knew
that she raised her head, for VIC were i,
darkness,