Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-06-30
FOURTH OF JULY
AT TOOKER'S.

The Sd of July at Orr's Mills was
full of the stinging noises that seem to be-
long to very hot, breathless days. 1t pre-
saged even hotter things for the Fourth Of
July.
Mrs. Tooker was ironing in her little,
sitting kitchen Her meek thin face was
upwontedly flushed and trickling with
little streams of perspiration.
Windows and doors were shut There
were no screens, and Lavinia Tooker
couldn't ''abide' flies 1t was the only
thing she had ever felt courage enough to
abide or not abide.
Adam Tooker lounged outside in the
shade in his shirt sleeves. Aunt Lois
Knapp, next farm, said body hadn &
only to look once at Adam Tooker's chin
to see who was head of that house
Mrs. Tooker looked at it now through
the window, but she saw only the grizzled
forerunnors of beard In it's firm, hard
lines and masterful curves she saw no
significance
'sSeems as If never knew starch to
stick the way this doesl" she groaned
scraping little fakes of it from the iron
with case knife "And Just when I'm
In an awful hurry tool l wish Adam
would let me try that satin starch Aunt
Lois brags about. But he won't. It's
cents a pound more. She sighed gently
The sitting room door opened suddenly
and Mary Tooker came out She had some
sewing in her hand.
why, mother, she exclaimed, you'll
meltl This Kitchens like furnace OF
fire. If you'd only have the window open !
But, anyway, I'll leave the sitting room
door open-that'll be some help"
mo, no. Mary, don't There don't need
to but one of us melt.
"Well, guess l can stand 1t as we'll as
you can. I'm going to see II / can t, :"
She edged herself gently into her mother g
place and wrested the iron from her tired
fingers Her sewing slipped to the floor.
Was it the influence of independence
day, forerunning it little, that put the
accent of command into Mary Tooker' s
voice and the little jerk of mastery into
her shouldersp Her mother succunibed to
them weakly.
II am tuckered, % she said, but your
father shirts got to be done up, and the
collars and cuffs. He decided he's going
to the celebration over to Stratford.
Yes, be said he was at dinner, moth
or, y the girl faced about resolutely. why
dom you 90 with him?"
'sMe9 Why, Mary Ann Tookerl Mel"
Eyes, you. / guess it won't hurt you
any to have one good time in your life. ]
guess you deserve it. There, there, you
needn t look so scared Father won't hear
me- He's fast asleep You go up stairs
and lie down, mother I'llfinish the IRON
ing
Mary Tooker was 80 years old, and she
'looked 1t, ., Aunt Lois Knapp said. Over
her temples already the hair was thin and
had its. gray lining, which Mary kept
snugly covered as long as she could Her
shoulders stopped little Even her skirts
had renounced the follies and the frills of
youth and fell scantily around her. like
an old woman's
Mary Tooker had never been young in
her life There had been short, young
month, to be sure, when John Tracy came
nearly every afternoon up the front walk
and staidly drank tea with her out of the
best china teacups, but could being
young" be crowded into month"; When
Mary's father came back at the month s
end, the lines in his chin had deepened OBJ
stinatoly, and John Tracy. III pity of
Mary frightened distress. had agreed to
stay away.
Until you call me back, Mary, = he had
said grayely 81 shall wait .
But that was years ago Now John
Tracy rs hair was thinning, too, and grow
ing gray Ills shoulders stopped too
Would Mary ever cali him back?
Mary Tooker ironed the sticky shirt
bosom with conscientious care on July 8
in the little sweltering kitchen. Every
crease she pulled out painstakingly Ev-
cry speck sho sponged away, bending over
it with nearsigh hted eyes. When the work
was done, she got supper and called in her
father
Father, " she said bravely as the SOL
emn meal went on, I've got to go down
to the village on an errand tonight. It's
SO hot-I'm considerable tired-I was
thinking perhaps-could have the teamP''
Her sallow cheeks Redeemed anxiously.
Mrs. Tooker held her spoon suspended
In helpless dismay Was Mary orazyi
There was nothing further said until ia