Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-04-02
JEAnhGTfE HoWABW7OEhe
COPYRIGHT, 1897 az THE AUTHOR.

loom when he comes in for his dinner
I'll swap work with you"
II am stitching on Dren's everlastin,
hat. This rough palmetto hurts you,
rheumatic fingers. Perhaps you cal
help Mrs. Strong better"
"What is she driving at today?
must blow a little before I help any
body"
She had seated herself and was loos
ening the strings to her calico sunbon
net. Adrien watched her gravely ant
answered her question promptly:
"She is cutting up the parlor cur
tains, my grandmother ia"
"Cutting up the parlor ourtainsp"
ITO make shirts for the soldiers"
Liza supplied this supplemental in.
formation, while rolling the loose plat
into a coil.
"Not them yellow satin damisk cur.
tains, Liza"
eyes"
why, that stuff cost $15 a yard
It's satin brocade. 1t would a-lasted q
lifetime. And them big, bare windowsr'
"Your sympathies seem to be with
the denuded windows, mother. Mine go
ont to the men who will have to wear
the scratohy stiff things, with flowers
on them as big as washbowls."
"She might a.begun on the up stairs
moreen," Mrs. Martin walled. "They
would a-b'en good enough"
"All cut up into trousers-fearfully
and wonderfully cut garments they are
too. Look after Dren, mother. Annabel
is asleep and everybody else up to the
eyes in getting that box ready for I'm
ole Dolbear to take out to Sessumsport
tomorrow"
whats going on at Sessumsports"
Tomorrow is the day the women
are to meet at the courthouse, you know,
to make up all those gorgeous shirts
Won't they make our soldiers look like
regiments Of marching sunfiowersP"
"Oh, Lawd, Liza Martin, you can
make a joke ont Of everything. As for
me, ! don t sec where the joke comes in. F."
She pluoked at the ruf1ed rim Of her
big sunbonnet, bringing it farther for
ward over her distressed face. A chok-
ing sob and audible shifting came from
its deep calico reoesses:
"Motherl This comes Of your going
up to the old house. It just makes you
miserable. As long as we have torn it
all to pieces and consented to stay here
with Mrs. Strong until the men come
back you had best not go there at all"
II expect you are right, honey. You
most generally are. But Eben and me
were very happy up yonder in the quar-.
tiers, in the old ov~erseer's house, where
every blessed child I've got was born. !"
With gusty sobs and gaspings that
shook her ample form tempestuously
Mrs. Martin gave vent to her feelings.
"R I only could have nursed 'em, my
dear. and asked Eben to forgive every
GROSS word I " spoke or ugly look I
give him, I could stand it better. But to
go that way-oh, my God, that way"
1.-THE way that thousands are going
every day in these blood soaked times"
"Well, that ever / should live to see
the dayl Is the world turned clean in.
side out, Liza. OF il it only me-poor
old Beck Martin - that's lost her
senses?"
Liza stopped to kiss the plain red
face, smiling pitifully into the tear
dimmed blue eyes.
II think it is the world, mother, not
you, that is turned topsy turvy. Think
Of Mrs. Strong, and it will help you to
bear it. Not q word from the governor
since he left, 0 from her son since
that rusnor Of his being wounded. Now
I must go to Mamie, If I don't want
that whole piece Of cloth ruined"
1T is the stripes" Mrs. Martin
thought Of 1.-THE madam" and dried her
eyes. Mamie says if you hadn't been
SO ambitious to be stylish, with your
stripes in them lowells, it would
a.gone right. Every stripes a different
width. Here, take my sunbonnet."
well, you see, minnie said Liza,
tying the ugly headgear over her shin.
ing brown hair, that piece Of cloth is
for our own dresses, and I should like
to be Observation-Disclosures So
from Uncle Dolbear's jacket, and Nam.
my Lucy's petticoats. There, now,
that's done. DrenI" she held up her
Of plated palmetto. "if you dare
touch these while I am up at the loom
house ! will not take a stitch in your
hat for a whole week"
Dren waited prudently until the
heavy front gate had swung to behind
her ~retreating form, then flung defiance
after her.
But my mother will"
Your mother, indeedl"
Mother Martin reproached herself In.
simultaneously for the contempt that had