Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-11-30
PRIVATE JZB1,S RETURN.

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Fer hair was drawn back in little
waves fycm her brow. Now and theI
she would raise her gentle eyes an@
glance out through the pantry window
toward the patch OF tall, waving
hollyhocks that Jim had planted foul
summers before. She was kneadine
dough, and two or three times she
stopped to scrape the ciinging batter
from her fingers with the back OF
case-knife.
She hummed little old-fashioned
tune, emphasizing the 'tum te tum'
with savage iabs at the rapidly hard
ening dough on the shelf-board before
her.
"Jane!"
No reply.
"Jane"
The ungainly figure of a young girl
in gingham, her hair escaping IL
strands the loosely tied knot at the
back Of her head, appeared IN the
pantry doorway.
ssWhut dye want?"
'I want ye t. git them biscuit tins
out O. th' 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.
sI never see sich a GIRL" muttered
Mrs. Springer to herself. ''Seems
like o impossibility t. git any decent
help out here in th' kentry. All tn
girls that's good fer anything gifts up
an gifts T. teown ez sooa 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. I"
From the great lump of dough on
the board Mrs. Springer pulled little
Jumps and rolled them into fabby
o5es. @IlScn she placed III regular
lines on the bottom of the biscuit
tins.
She had patted thelast little lump
into a 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
floated to her, on the cool September
air, the call, "Missus Springer! Oh,
Missus Springer
ssNeow I'd like t. know who that
is" she exclain ed as she crossed the
floor and pushed open the screen
door.
'.Fer the lan's sake, zeke Evans,
what be you a-wantiu'?"
She had stepped out on the back
porch, all green and blue with cling
ing vines md open morning glories.
The little man in the light "rig"
wiped The perspiration from his brow
and clawbere out of the vehicle over
the wheel.
He advanced toward Mrs. Springer
and extended n yellow envelope.
'sIhis kun hs' night" he said, ''jes
fore tn ten twenty arrove. Th' OPP
orator asked me t. fetch it. At fust
I thought I'd bring it right over, not
th.nkin' but what it might be from
Jim. Then I sez T. myself, sez l.,
eMissus 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 aud followed
the scrawled writing with the fore
finger of her right.
One glance at the words, and she
cried ont: 'Tt's 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 anil be here airy
tomorrer mornln'.
s.Is tthAv anything I kin do fer ye?"
asked Zeke, little tone of anxiety in
his voice.
':No, they amt nawthin'. An
don't believe I even thanked ye fer
bringin' me this telegram, Zeke."
Zeke blushed and stammered that
ssthat was all right" and turned to
Chamber over the 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 haf-curtained window, through
which the sun rays had filtered on
another September morning, long be,
fore, and lighted the face of man in
a coffin, she read again the telegram
stJim is sick, and I 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-darkuess for nearly an hour, and
when she arose she lifted the cornes
of her checked apron to her eyes and
wiped away the moisture that had
gathered in them.
A little smile of happiness. too great
even to give itself full expression,
curved her trembling lips, and as she
climbed the front stairs and went
along the hall to the door on the
right, at the .erd. she murmured te
herself so softly that the words were
lost in the noise of her footballs
'sJim'll be here tomorrer. Heow
wish Ezry had a-lived till meow, to
see his boy a-comin' homo from TIL
war t. me like he come t. me more'n
thirty year ago.
She hesita,ed an instant before
openiag that last door, and then, q!
though it were an effort, She turned