The Republican journal., 1899-08-10
PRIVATE U1'S RETURN.

had planted four summers before. She
was kneading dough, and two or three
times she stopped to scrape the cIinging
batter from her fingers with the back of
case knife.
She hummed a little old fashioned tune,
emphasizing the ''tum tie tum'' with saw
age jabs at the rapidly hardening dough
on the shelf board before her.
"Jane"'
No reply
Jane
The ungainly figure of young girl in
bingham, her hair escaping in strands the
loosely tied knot at the back of her head
appeared in the pantry doorway.
'What dye want?'
Il want We t git them biscuit tins out
O TIL kitchen cupboard an bring 'em in
here t me-
The girl slowly turned and shambled
across the kitchen floor, the run over
heels of her old slippers gathering on the
white scrubbed boards as she walked.
81 never see sich girl" muttered Mrs.
Springer to herself Seems like inn
possibility t git any decent help out here
in til kentry. All tn girls that's good
fer anything gifts up and gifts t tewun ez
soon 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
Here TIL tins be, Missus Springer"
Jane dragged herself into the buttery
and laid the baking plates on the shelf at
Mrs. opringer's elbow.
Mrs. Springer turned, her hands and
AIMS tlecked with flour.
Ibid ye grease emp" she asked sharply.
mo, ma am; ye didn't tell me to-"
''Didn tell ye to?' Hahn ye got sense
enough t do that 'ithout being tol?'
The girl took the tins and shambed
back into the kitchen, to return them after
a space of five minutes, creased.
is they anything else?" she asked.
YES; meow 90 out an git a pail O
water. | hain't got time t do every
thing.
Again the girl disappeared.
From the great lump of dough on the
board Mrs. Springer pulled little Jumps
and rolled them into t1abby globes, which
she placed in regular lines on the bottom
Of the biscuit tins.
She had patted the last little lump into
a ball and wedged it into a corner of one
of the pans and stepped back to survey
her work, when through the open door
way of the kitchen floated to her, on the
cool September air the call, Missus Spring
er, Oh, Missus Springer"'
Meow I'd like t know who that is, -
she exclaimed as she crossed the floor and
pushed open the screen door.
Fer tn lan's sake, Zeke Evans, what
be you wantin p
She had stepped out on the back porch,
all green and blue with clinging vines and
open morning glories.
The little man in the light rig wiped
the perspiratlon from lis brow and clam
bered out OF the vehicle over the wheel,
He advanced toward Mrs. Springer and
EXTENDED yellow envelope. his KUN
las night he said, yes for tn ten
twenty arrove IN operator asked me t
fetch 1t, AT 1ust l thought II bring 1t
right over not thlnkln' but what It might
be from Jim. Then sez t myself, sez L,
Missus Springer will be t bed an better
wait I'LL mornin', 50 / fetched it over on
my way deoWn
At the name Jim Mrs. Springer
clutched the bit Of yellow paper, and,
with nngers that waVered little, tore
open the envelope
Aeke waited.
The envelope dropped to the floor Of
the porch. Mrs. Springer held the dis
patch in Eer left hand and followed the
serawleG writing with the fore finger OF
her right.
One glance at the words and she cried
OUT IT jim. tie comm home. It's
from ms Captng saylL he has been sent
nome SICK III tn care o two other soldiers.
lie lett th' camp yesterday afternoon an Il
be here aiIly TO- molrer mornln'.
'Aho' don say, exclaimed Leke.
Dew 1t tell how Dad he be? Why dldn'
thef duln operator over t th' depy tell me
II Wuz frum jim an I'd a-brought it t ye
last night.
MIS-. Springer smiled and cleared her
throat. 'Ihey time enough, Zeke,
She SAID. u IL go right an tx up his
room SOS [ have every ching ready when
be comes. As yew drive on down, yell
over Budd. He's in tn spring lot hoe
In. Tell him t come right up here t th'
haouse, thet Jim S a comm -
lis there anything | kin do fer ye?'
asked Zeke, little tone OF anxiety in his
voice.
No, they amt nawthin. An l don t
believe | even thanked ye fer bringin' me
this telegram, Zeke.H
Zeke blushed and stammered that THAT
was all right" and turned to Chamber
over the wheel again into his rig"
Il Il tell Budd"' he cried back over the
top of the carriage as he drove on down
the lane.
Matilda Springer went back into the
Ej-cbaO and thrbnnh tho 1it1la