The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-01-12

IF BYRD'S NEST had not quite fallen
into ruin, it was because Aunt Tenn
py's shoulders were so broad they held
it up; but Aunt Tempy was beginning
to need help. The paint had all faxed
off the house, and the winds and the
rains had beaten down the pillars of
the deep gallery, so that the gallery
roof sagged until it looked like dilap-
idated hat-brim falling over face and
hiding everything except an unhappy
under lip. 1t was true that La Marque
roses and honeysuckle and Confeder-
ate spiral were far more picturesque
than paint and pillars, and the old
house smiled at ill-fortune whenever
the flowers doomed; but just now it
was late December, and the roses were
hanging brown and limp from recent
frost. The north wind had full sweep
across the great wild lawn, cleared so
many years ago to be an orange orchard
and still lying in burrows, although the
trees had frozen long ago and been
hacked down. Poor old Charlie, the
horse, had come up into the lee of the
kitchen and was patiently waiting for
a little meal and water or dole of
sweet-potato Feelings from inside.
Aunt Tempy came out of the kitchen
door with some covered dishes on
waiter and started across to the house,
shaking her round turbaned head at
the old horse as Charlie ambled up.
"9ou mis'able ole beggah,' she ex-
postulated, II gifts tired of feedin' you
like pig, an den having you look as
hongry as a sawhawse an make eyes at
everything you see. You had ought to
be ashamed, begging for little Miss
dinnah, knowing as we'll as you do dat
little Miss is poly. Ireckon you'd like
1t, sab, if was to give you dis gumbo,
an feed little Miss on hay an oats"
She paused, for old Charlie fixed her
with mild, reproachful eye. 1t was
years since he had tasted oats, and he
felt that it was un<ind to be tainted
with preference for gumbo.
"Oh, go 'long!" she cried, in vindica-
ton. IF you hasn't had none, you
know it's case YOU 'teef is wore short;
an you hain't no 'scuse faw complain
in, when you member how long little
Miss been poly an don't nevah say
word"
Poor old Charlie felt that if anyone
had not said word it had been himself,
and he looked sadly after Aunt Tempy
as she disappeared; then he went stun
bling off across the chill, sere reaches
OF the lawn, trying to recall how appe-
tizing oats had been when he was Young
and risky, and before hard times had
come to Byrd's Nest.
"Little Miss" Byrd was the last of
her people, and poor, rundown. old
Byrd's Nest was the last of her proper
ty. The rest had all gone in paying
doctors bills, since the day when she
had fallen out of old Homer" the tall.
moss-drapped live-oak that overlooked
the bay. That was only three wears
ago; she had been almost grown ladv.
and Aunt Tempy had told her thatvery
morning that she was too old to play
"tom-boy" any more.
There was no danger of her playing
tom-boy after that. She lay quite still
IN her bed, and her cheeks grew thin,
and the lines of pain sank deep around
her mouth, and there was no color any
where about her face except her Won
derful, clear-shining hazel eyes, which
pain and suffering seemed only to make
more bright. The doctors shook their
heads when Aunt Tempy spoke about
getting well, although she did grow
strong enough to take a few steps lean
Ing on Aunt Tempy's arm. But even
that grew to be an old story without
growing into longer story, and little
Miss had to look the sorrowful truth
In the face. There was long life be-
fore her, and yet she had no prospect
of ever taking step alone. She some
times turned her cheek against her pill
low and tried to dream of those old
days when she was tomboy and used
to climb trees, and ride old Charlie
bareback" through the woods, and
row out into the sunset on the bay that
she could only see from her window
now. And sometimes she wondered if
all those old times had not been a
dream, and if she really had ever
walked alone, and walked further than
from her bedro DOM out on to the gallery
to see the roses, or to the queer old car
riage in which she still went driving
through all the shady village streets.
Aunt Tempy was coachman, and held
the reins like menace over old Charlie,
sitting as erect as if she were main
tanning the dignity of all the Byrds.
Dignity seemed to be the only one of
the Byrd resources left, and it was we'll
to make the most of it. 4
When little Miss did not feel like go
ing out driving, it nearly broke Aunt
Tempy's heart. She believed that as
long as people could go out and take
the air in their carriages they were on
the road to getting well. That was one
reason why she resented Charles age
and thinness-she had suspicion that
little Miss did not enjoy riding behind
30 old and feeble horse, and it was one
Of the objects Of her life to make little
Miss believe that he was young.
''Iwish you all could see dat Chawlie
a-cavortin' round out dar,' she said a.
she brought up table for little Miss
lunch. 'sDis nawf wind make him *
antic, I dunno if he gwine ter be safe.