Evening star., 1900-04-07

IL % bel
from the dead if she remembered in her
coffin that she had paid for half cen'
worth of something she hadn't got
Marcia. a softened copy of Miss Mar
titfsf. even To the name. flushed and turned
away her head. Miss Marticia ran on;
- saw here do the meanest little thlns'
and the Httlest mean thing She hired
old black Ben one spring to make saroet
for her-yOu know he works for % Genus
a CAV and found. He got done about /
O'clock. and Iucindy-Tom made him take
up her beans and plant EN- over asaii
three times. just 10 make out the Iuh oaS
work She pretended to believe ne hau p','
en- first too deep, and afterward 100 Shai
1Gq felt real sorry for the poor OLD
Il dare say you gave him something
extra" Marcia interrupted, smiling fa1htiy'
Mis- Marticis. nodded: Il had to- she salu'
II couldn-t let him think all white folks were
So mean About Lucindy-Tom, though
strikes me the reason she never misses :, q
SUNDAY at church is she thinks she palu
for part of all the sermons, ana l"oulu oe
wicked waste not to go and hear EN-,
',Aunty Marty. Aunty Marty. You iI are
wicked and uncharitabie. Marcia saia,
then coaxingIy: Lets talk about partles!
! can hardly think of anything else since
my beautiful dress and my new Mnitg
SINNERS came They just What
Uanted-Oh so badly-but did not ask ser
because doubted if we could afford them
u say people can afford whatever they We
got the money to pay fST Miss WIa MapSicia SAID
"Ny father said so. tool had just MT
ting out for my first big party. Ihe DOL
lar never vent in his pocket that was 100
big to be spent for anything he wanted OF
I wanted He believed, as believe, IN put
ting his money in the bank OF happiness.
Iucindv-Tom thinks she has got thousands
TO nv nothing-hut L wouldn't swap Wlth
her any day in the year.
Never mind about her, Marcia coaXed
Miss Marticia wheeled and caught heF
~ have got to mind about her. she said
when you sent John Warfield, her nephew
to ask if he might have You: o,,
IL hope you don't object, Marcia SAID
getting crimson. IT., >,
"Tve got nothing to say against him,
Miss Marticia said. so far as l Know,
he's a pretty fair sort of man But What
bred in the bone Is bound TO come out
nv time he's forty he may be same as ms
amt Iueindy-Tom You're all I've got III
fhf vorId-I won't ever agree to your mar,
rying where you might come 10 ,ha5 De
everything-even the air you breatheo:
Il don't want to marry Miss Lucihoy
Tom" Marcia said. pouting. Her ne ,,Ia auhs
laughed grimly- Anybody that M diu ~"%a3 s,dn3
be a curiosity she said Marcia pre'enupu
to pout more than ever. though s'lnis s
hovered in her eyes. She dropped them ana
half turned away as she said: 49,.
Marty, We thought You would De our
friend and let US live with YOU MISS LII
c.ndy-Tom swears John shall never take
M there ,.,s
II was her trump card. John and herself
had agreed nerry that all which was
needed to overcome ineVitaoie opposlttoll
waz 10 let each of the aunts know that the
other opposed their marriage. ne tMo
spirsferS had been on terms OF intimate
enmity for at least fifteen years: Ihelr
houses faced each other, standing elcH
about 100 wards back from a broad beaten
country road. The road was the boundary
bet w,en the TWO farms, which stretched IN
HAT fertile reaches beyond and behind the
houses. Originally the houses mad peen
nearly alike-white, with green blinds
small front porches and tall red outside
Tn,.t was in the days Of the fathers. The
daughters had expressed differences in tenn
permanent largely by means OF paint NOW
the Warfield house was violent yeLI0Wlsn
drab with vermiIion trimmings; the E"lhg
house slate blue picked out on cornlces and
window facings with deep bum Ihe War
field chimneys remained intact, thougn
smoke rarely came from more than one OF
them The Ewing house boasted a furnace,
and had bow windows in most OF the old
chimney spaces. Miss Marticia had flowers
in than all winter long-howerS wnlch she
gave away with an open hand, although she
might have sold them for good money In
town. The giving was Ewing all over. IL
frett.d Miss Lucindy-Tom beyond measure.
She was almost tempted to pull down her
chfmneys. be comfortable. and raise flow
ers too-but the shame Of an open imita-
tion was too great
Stiu there had been constant passing back
and forth. Each housemistress felt that
she could not afford to remain ignorant of
what the other was doing. They had run
in upon each other at all hours, and twice
in each year had formally entertained each
other-once at dinner, once at tea. out
siderS bdden TO these feastS said that Miss
WariieId gave You good ordinary victuals
on the finest sort of china: Miss Ewing,
things that were simply ravishng in good,
plain. everyday ware She had china, of
course. but she never made parade of 1t,
and. least of ALL before Miss Luciudy-Tom.
Miss Lucindy-Tom had been forbtdding
from her youth upward-so much so that in
spite of being also handsome, and we'll
lowered. no man had ever summoned up
the courage requisite to court her. II was
just the other way with Mss Marticia- She
WAS single solely because she had not been
able 20 make up her mind and heart among
twenty beaux. the best the county afford
ed. somehow none of them had quite
measured up To her father the standard in
her mind of all things masculine. But she
had dealt with them so kindly they were
friendly open shion-although they had
wives and children of their own.
50 TAR she regretted sending none of them
about his business. She had the farm, she
had her sweet supremacy, most Of ALL she
had Marcia. Marcia had come to her a
child in arms. orphaned by the fever
FiasGe. which had desolated the city In
which Robert Ewing had made a home.
and had hoped to make a name. He had
always hated farmirg-sO his father had
given him money in hand leaving to Mar
pretty well swallowed up. but Marcia had
never known the feeling of dependence. She
vas SO entirely first in Miss Marticia's
heart. it was perfectly natural she should
be first in everything else.
II was that, perhaps, which first inclined
her heart to John Warfied Miss LucIndy-
Tom reminded him about once a day that
needs must he save to thrive, since he had
nothing of his own, and could look for moth
Ing beyond what she could give hina-and
that was precious little. In the face of that
she gave him everything heart could wish,
save and except liberty TO enjoy the gifts
He had, for example. the finest watch IN
the county, but II stayed safely locked In a
bureau drawer, and he carried about a
wheezy open-faced silver affair he was
ashamed to look at in company
1t was the same with his gun his clothes
his saddle and bridIe-even his books Miss
Iucindy-TOm had provided fine case for
them. II by chance he laid one down for
minute outside IT, she darted at the Offend
ing volume and whisked it in place siehinp
uat he could be SO careless. 1t was even
worse If he thrust the book in hastily, up
side down, or the least bit askew What
Miss LucindyTom hated the Very worst of
all was to see things which had cost money
abused Patching and darning were rites