The Afro-American advance., 1900-05-26
pIANrnA BERRY SAT MusINo.

The way the morning sunshine had
played with his brass buttons how
plainly she saw that. Was IL the daz-
zls of IL In her eyes that made them
waterP Diantha Berry was old-if 90
years Is old land lonely and grim.
There had been few shadows-or sun.
finshes-in her life. Little Benjie had
been more to her than, In her heart,
she would confess. lie had been 10 her
almost what her own son might have
been.
She sat back In her chair now. rock.
ing tlercely. and remembered many
things. Little Benjie was In them all.
They filed before her mind In steady,
relentless succession the time when
Little benJie put on his first bits of
trousers aud stumped across the yard
To show her the pockets In them--the
time when he first went to school and
she tucked pair of his beloved straw
berry tarts, unnoticed, into his lunch
basket, for surprise and the time
Diantha Berry drew In her breath
sharply, with the pain of remember
ing 1.-THE time when. in his brave sol
der clothes. he marched away to war.
TO the tune of the "Red, White and
Blue" That memory hurt her. She
wondered, In duh misery, IL mothers
could feel worse than that. If.Little
benJie's mother-but she would not
finish that thought out. Her thin
lips clenehed. What had she to do
with Little Henlie's mother ID was
only Little benjie that mattered to
her.
"Hut I'd pity herd do that. II
'twaru't for the way she treated me
when they brought home Bcnjie's body.
Id have forgot all the rest then
wasn't | ready to9 Wasn't | the first
one to give in7 DO you suppose I'D
have let miserable little quarrel
stan between us then, when Little Ben
ile lay dead in the house9 Hut Leah
felt different. She wouldn't make up
even then thenl II 'twarnt for that,
I'D pity her, settin' acrost there, all
alone. I'd be sorry for the mother o.
Little Denjie. I'D SO acrost aud see how
her rheumatism was, and I'd run down
the street where the bands practicin'
aud make 'em stop goin' over that tune
of Little Benjie's, I'll tell 'em 20 have
pity~-it hurts his mother so TO hear
il. Hut now"
She turned the pages Of the diary
la her hand, searching for something
II was not there course not, IL
was in the next little book further
along IN the rom. she took IL down aud
found the page she wanted.
They brought little BcnHe home,
dead, to-day, Little Bcnjie deadt |
saw 'em take the box out OF the hearse
aud carry II Id TO Leah poor Leah
Ny heart Is aehin' for her. She's feelin'
the way would have II they d brought
my boy home To me dead, wearin' his
worn.eut soldier clothes. know how
Leah fcelspoor Leah! I'm goln'
acroSt TO comfort her-I've got TO. |
can't help II. You wouldn't expect n
quarrel 90 held good when Little Hen
jie Was layln' deade"
The next days entry was short
enough, Hurt pride aud sensitiveness
Mrked betweea the lines Of Il,
II eeuldnt make up my mind 20 60,
unlnvited, and 40 | KEEP waitiu' for
Leah To send aerost for me made
certain she would. but when she
didn't, even then I couldn't give IL
up, was so sorry for Leah, and
my heart was 50 sore To look al Lit
tie Benile's face again. couldn't
stan IL, 80 | wrote note 10 Leah.
askin' II could come-lt she'd for.
get the quarrel as l would. and let
us begin again beside Little nenjie.
Oh. the Lord in Heaven knows | tried
10 say II right lie knows warn't
uppish mite. nor anything bat hum.
bic aud aorrowin'. I said; Forgive
me. Leah, aud not word about my
forgisin' her--uot word. shough
'twasnt ne began the quarrel. Well.
l seat the note aeroAt hy Mis- Dag.