The Portland daily press., 1900-07-24
50 50 50 50 50 So 50


her niece, Marina. "That goose plum
Jelly has got to be made today Be
Sides it'll be no place for you"
cousin John is going" Marina pro
tested Mrs. Mimms shifted. "Men can
go anywhere" she said, especially
when they're in politics. l wish to pa
tience John wasn't. He's always put
ting up somebody to run for something.
Why, he'll spend enough on this very
congress election to build a church and
hide multitude of faults"
Marina smiled covertly. She was used
to her aunt's way Of mixing Scripture.
Mrs Mimms thought herself very pi-
GUS. Other people said she was only
very ill tempered and domineering,
passing on to her dependents what she
received from her son John He play
ed at being a lawyer and spent most
of his time in the county town, coming
home to his mother about once or twice
a fortnight.
II think you ought to let me go" Ma
rina persisted. Sim 10 and have never
heard or read the Declaration of indie
pendence"-
IF that's your excuse, you shan't
have it any longer Mrs. AIimms said,
unlocking a tall black desk and draw
Ing from it something folded in yellow
ed paper She flung it at Marina, say
ing: ''Now read your I'LL. My grand
father paid $50 to help print that back
In 1924, when Lafayette was here, and
people turned fools, same as they do
now. Patience knows 1 wish l had the
money, even without interest?'
Inside the yellowed paper Marina
found a breadth Of what had been
white silk. The Declaration was print
ed on it under a golden caption within
a border of red, white and blue The
type was so bold the sheet had the di-
mansions Of a small flag Marina read
the opening paragraph with sparkling
Eyes. Then she refolded the sheet,
dropped it in the bottom Of a clean
splint basket and ran away to the plum
trees
They. grew upon the very edge of the
orchard, where it bordered the big
road. Their fittery, dark green leaves
stirred in the lightest airs and let bro
ken sunbeams filter on to the long
grass beneath Ripe plums, deep red
with rich amethystine bloom, lay plen-
hfully in the grass The ripest had
burst in falling. Rayaging bees and
yellow jackets hummed and buzzed
above them.
Marina was glad Of the hedgerow
shelter. She did not mind picking
plums The orchard was infinitely
pleasanter than the house. Still she did
hot care to have everybody see her at
work upon a holiday. She had set her
heart upon going to the barbecue. Half
the county would be there partly
through patriotic pride in the day. but
more through interest in a critical con-
aition of local politics. 1t was just
three weeks to the convention which
would name a candidate for congress.
30 far it was a perfectly even thing
between the two aspirants for that
honor. If one or the other got the
Wayne county delegates, he would get
likewise the nomination, which was
equivalent to an election.
Partisans Of both had got up the
Fourth Of July barbecue, so there had
! been heaps Of fine work in the efforts
10 set one ahead Of the other. AT last
It had been settled that young Dancy,
Mr.. John Mimms' man, who had a fine
tenor voice, should lead the glee club
IN singing Hail, Columbia" and that
his opponent Leslie Page, should read
to the assembled soyereigns the Decla-
ration of independence.
Marina knew both Of them and hat
ID young Dancy for q conceited fat
terer. She had not seen Leslie Page
since she came, orphaned, to live with
her aunt But he had been often in
her fathers house and, though he was
years her elder, had always shown her
The courtesy due a little princess. 1t
vas the hope of seeing him again
which had made her so far brave her
aunt She felt that it would be enough
10 look UP at him, herself unseen, and
to hear again his voice-deep and soft
md kindly. 1t had panied her beyond
words to find herself forced to sit ST.
ent while her cousin John heaped his
choicest, coarsest satire on the head Of
This sometime friend
That had been hard, but not quite so
hard as to stand there in that green
soYert and hear all her world whirling
gayly by on the way to Bear Spring
md the barbecue. Marina loved the
place. The grove was a thick green
shade, yet open to every wind that
blew. The spring itself danced out
from under a wooded hillside and ran
lway over the clean brown pebbles all
The length Of green valley.
When the basket would not hold an
Sther plum, Marina turned to go, but
stopped at the sound Of slow wheels on
he roadway.
AS she knelt in shadow she heard a
familiar voice say This is my place.