The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-25


'-.ss.on on her, yet IL was through this
..,- wlI that Flora came te marry A.
80 E5ty. I am Flora's aunt, and
80, all about t. There isn't any harm
= nav telling. I have heard Flora tell 1t
ffrssf dozens OF times.
,,ts quite late IN her life before Flora
,as married, though she was real good
f-1kIrg and considerably well-to-do.
l,-ft know Why the young men didn't
.ss-n 10 care much about her; perhaps one
-.saen was she never seemed 10 care
much about them. perhaps another was,
RAD she always acted kind OF settled
r1un and satisfied Flors's eyes we're
never wandering around in search OF hus-
bands. ane she used 70 sit as straight as
a gun Ia meeting, and never turn her head
But then she ddn't have 20, TO see me
minister he was the one she married..
However she used 10 look al him Just 70
bear the sermon, and she never hung be-
hind after meeting TO see him, nor haa
any questions OF conscience that she need
a spiritual advice for, like good many
women IN the village. She just kept right
on in her own way, When he came TO
call on her. she turned the mats and the
t.dles and the pictures. and her apron,
just as she did for other callers. that she
wasn't real Intimate with. but that was
all She'd st ana talk with him as calm
as a clock.
You see this habit that Flora had Of
turning things 20 keep them nice made
quite a little talk in the village, though
she wasn't the only woman who was
nice housekeeper, who did that / know
lots Of women, now. who never have their
mats right side out unless they have
particular company. but Flora carried IL
good deal farther. Why, I've been into
Flora's house when there was hardly a
single thing that was right side out She
had new carpet in her parlOrs and she
put that down wrong side out to begin
with. because IL had d blue color on the
right side. that she was afraid would
fade, and all her mats were turned, with
the sewed ridges of the braiding showing,
and the pictures, all back-to. and the
tides, and the table-cloth, and Flora's
apron. She was very thrifty, and a splen-
did h0usekeeper. Some said she was the
best hOusekeeper in the village. She
couldn't bear speck OF dust or anything
out OF place the dishes In her buttery
used 10 look as II they were fairly grown
90 the shelves. She used 20 keep the
dishes wrong side out. or rather bottom
side up. the plates all piled on their faces
and the cups and saucers turned over
and the covers OF the vegetable dishes,
and the covers Of sugar bowl and teapot
Fvt In the wrong way.
When Flora had a particular caller
Ike Mrs. c. +. Belton, who is the richest
woman In town, or the minister, she used
70 fly around and straighten things Luck
ily her house set high. and she could see
long way down the road. and had some
time, but anyway she had Ia work quick
VfaH.A -. -.
body coming, and helped her The way
We would whOp over those mats, and the
tablecloth and the tides, and the way
we'd clap over those pictures, and George
Washington would loom up, and Daniel
Webster. and little vase of flowers in
pencil that Flora had done when she went
% seheel, and Flora's mothers portrait,
was caution. Sometimes | used to think
she was dreadful silly 10 make herself so
much trouble. / used to tell her that
there wasn't any need Of her being so
careful Of things. that she had enough to
BUY new ones when those gave out, but
she wouldn't listen TO me-
I've always done H." she would say.
as II that settled 1t.
Good land. Flora" said once, "its
lucky you haven't always stolen, and COM
mitted murders. and drs NIX, because do
believe you'd think that was reason
enough 10 go right on, and make It good
and respectable" But she couldn't see
any sense in my looking at il that way.
person with such will as Flora hardly
ever knows IL, the not knowing II makes
the viii last, i guess.
Well, she kept on living wrong side out,
and upside down, TO save things. and il
seemed 10 get worse and worse. remem-
her once i asked her why she didn't walk
her head so as 10 save her shoes, and
she felt real sort OF hurt about it, She
was wearing her stockings one side out
! one day, and the other the next, because
she thought they would wear better, and
4 that made me think OF II.
Finally people began TO whisper thai
the minister, Mr.. Albert Eddy. was call
/ ing pretty often on Flora, and | ioked her
about IL little. She blushed and didn't
aet as II she minded, and that very after
noon when we were sitting there In the
laiIor saw him coming down the road.
Land, here he is now, Flora" said l.
N she didn't say anything, but she colored
ana sort of laughed, and then We both be-
gan 10 ny around to turn things right side
'uI flora whopped over the mats, and
"dhs around the pictures, and ny the
me the dOorbell rang everything was
Il m.
hsd clean forgotten that. When she came
IN with the minister. saw right
away that she had 1t on wrong SIDE our
was ruffied, too, and that made II
worse. ! rose up when the minister came
l ih' ! thought i wouldn't be in the way.
4 D-( hated TO leave and not tell her about
'"ai apron. l knew she would feel awful |
Y ~ ABOUT u afterwaTd. So l tried 10 cateh
"'' eye ana make motion toward II |
""lt lhe minister was asking after nv
I aee il. ''a'''
80 went out. but I hadn't more than
SUI 'Ae door. before II opened, and Flora
IN, Alns out after NE. Good land :"
s"' whispered, Il forgot 10 turn my
] 1P'oh' and had 10 tell him that had a
to'A i wanted TO send TO Aunt Susan;
'O1 better take that book OF Pansy's
=. we table in the sItting-room so ! !
t4'" lie quite so bad" All the time she
"ps whispering that. she was tyin,, on !
neg apron rish, side out.
/ nope he didn't notice." said she
to said l. ~P'
Lat he had noticed it. and he thought
1' N~u 'uII ialsehood, for he looked 1
o'' OF The window, and saw | didn't have
lAt hook. had read il before and /
1n want II, and besides | don't like /
''rl"s dp a no with such a fiimsy SORT I
,e"' ~ mas always seemed to me worse 1
man telling one right out
Wen, Nh. Albert Eddy went horne
l'',.S soon, and he didn't come again.
, 81. '@i"eu out thdt somebody had been /
, - nun row Flora kept her things /
: -. ''pe out, and I guess that had
: I,.e ''Cie 10 DO with his staying away than her .
1 "'h ~ No. lie said some things. finally. 4
Z ,S'Ar .r said be aid, that came right back 7.
: 'ola, as 70 how ridiculous he thought
"1', Then / began 20 think IL was All /
sure. Tor II always has seemed 10 4
: ~ '.."' when man begins 10 make fun
woman, that is the enc OF his aefee-
Vas sorry. because ! had alNavs
'osNt good deal OF Flora, and hated
'hiEk that she had nothing h.f.,re -,