The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1899-01-25

Clarissa Kemp-late, very late -
Clarissa Collius-carried each pot TO
the back door ard inverted il brislly.
The little heap grew high and I'M
stable There were n good many pots,
and II was quite distance from the
sitting room window to the back door.
Clarissn was tired when the stained
green-painted shelves were cmptied
and all the litter swept mp.
''rhercr' she brenthel with little
gasp of relief, sinking into rocker.
"I'm thankful that jobs done withl
It's been staring at me ever since /
came.
Clarissa invariably spoke Of the day,
n few weeks ago, when she and Jonas
drove from the minister's into the
little trim side-yard, rs ''when |
came" Since that day there had been
a good m my reforms Gt the Kemp
place. The heap of discarded gerani-
ums and fuchsias was only one Of
them.
81 can't and | won't abide a mess
of plants round, littcrirg! There's
enough, goodness knows, that's got
to litter without putting up with what
amt got to. You've got to water 'em,
and you've got to putter with 'em
and coddle 'em, an there's always II
mussy, wet place under 'em and sprigs
and dry leaves. | can't abide 'em if
other folks can. Those that like 'em
are perfectly welcome-I don't"
Clarissa rocked backward and for
Il
chair, committing aloud. Her come
ly, middle-aged face had look Of re-
lief upon il. Once only slight shade
of remorse quiyered across it and was
gone.
"He'd ought to know I'll do it, I"
she muttered, "and he ought to have
got his mind made up by this time.
I've given him time enough ever
since came. told him, ten minutes
after, that l couldn't fellowship with
mess of plants. [ guess that was
good and fair warningw
The rockers took to sudden creaking
as if pleading in Jonas behalf. In
the sunny windows the green shelves
looked bare and lonesome. There
were little round circles, smaller and
larger, side by side along their lengths,
where the pots had stood. The big
gest circle of all spoke pathetically of
Jonas pet cactus that bore the dainty
pink flowers among its spines-.that
"Alwildy" had set store by. Alwilda
was the wife that had driven from the
minister's into the trim yard first.
Even Jonas was hardly fonder of
plants than Alwilda had been.
'There's some sense to having
windows to sit by that you can see out
of" mused Clarissa contentedly, gaz-
ing out on the strip of meandering
roadway stretching beakly away up
hill. ''Now l can see the people
passing there's Deacon Pottle COM
ing already! can tell it's the deacon
by the way the horse wags his head
and meeches along down the hill.
Seems to me I'd have creature with
some kind of spirit to him. Why, mo;
it's Jonas-as livel"
With sudden accession of nervous
ness, Clarissa Kemp snatched rug
and hurried to the back door. Jonas
and the old horse were turning into
the lane. She could hear the pound,
pound of clumsy hoofs on the hard
clay. She threw the rug over the
heap of broken plants and waited to
pull down one corner across the tiers
of interlocked earthen pots beside it.
~ don't want it to come on him all in
heap" she mnrmured. "Jonas has
TO have time to get used to things. He
amt a srdden man, Jonas amt. I've
found that out since l came"
Then she hurried back to the rock
ing chair by the window. Jonas was
just plodding past.
''Why, amt you early, Jonas?'
Clarissa called. little breathless with
hurryiag. 'It's only o'clock.
wasn't looking for you back till sup
per time"
Eyes, am early--whoa, back, Den
mis-. whoa but the town meeting
ris' early. We got through our doing,
sooner'n we expected to- They ap
pointed me moderator"
Jonas voice had ring of modes
pride in it. Clarissa laughed appre
ciatively.
II should say yon'd moderate splen
didly. Jonas, she said, ''but shouldn'
we supposed you'd We moderated S,
fast!'
The old horse started mp aud wen
staidly on toward the barn. with til,
trail of Clarissas laughter ia his wake
"Clarissy's real humorous
woman" pondered Jonas; "she's go
all OF it that Alwildy didn't have
Whoa, back, Dennis"
IfJonas noticed the unwieldy heal
under Clarissa's rug on his. way bacl
to the house he said nothing abou
it. 1t was not Jonas Kemp's way Il
soy things. In the trig little sittipI