The Republican journal., 1900-12-06
!. an easy, and with him an expressive

about that widder Ellis and her Young
'un. She says she's the meanest woman
she ever heard of. She saws she's
always nice to a persons face and then
makes fun of them at their backs. She
says the neighbors can't get along with
that young 'un. She's the most dis.
agreeable child she ever saw. She saws
she's the biggest tattler she ever saw
"W-which DIDO you m-mean?" inter
rupted Mr.. Brown.
MelisS paid no attention, but her face
began to work, her mouth trembled and
her eyes filled.
When the blow descended which she
had been expecting for a year, it found
her as unprepared as though the idea of
her fathers marrying a second time had
never occurred to her.
1t was the very next morning after
the call at the GARDENERS. Her father
came suddenly into the back kitchen
where she was washing the breakfast
dishes.
''Meliss," said he, "am g-going to be
away all d-day and w-when come back
you'll see y-your n-new NINA. W-wisb
you'd b-behave as w-well as you c-can."
And the discreet old man withdrew as
hastily as he had come. He climbed on
his blackboard and drove away Just as
Meliss recovered herself, and set up a
wall so loud and determined and withal
little angry that Aunt Ruth hobbled
out of the pantry.
He's going to bring her tonight"
| sobbed Meliss. Hes going to bring
that painted, powdered young widder
| and her disagreeable young 'un here to
take the place of my ma Oh, amt he
heartless" Why, ma hasn't been dead
day, it seems to me, and now it's really
Gomez Meliss' voice rose to scream
''and the farm IL go to her children and
mine will have nothing and the organ
l can't hide and how III l get along with
out it and my children can't have music
and hers will and it's unjust in pa and
ter, I'll never forgive him, never
Aunt Ruth sighed and limped back to
the sitting-room where she was patch
! ing pair of MI. Browns trousers. Me-
/ liSs Edried her tears after awhile, and
| putting on her sun-bonnet, flew over to
tell Mrs. Gardiner the terrible news.
When she returned her eyes were dry.
| On each thin cheek was dash of color,
and in her eyes, dimmed by many tears,
glowed light of determination.
| "Aunt Ruth, I've put some things in
your room," she said at the sitting room
| door. ''The chests up garret is full and
| there are some things that she shall
never lay hands on. If pa won't do
right 10y my children. l will, and her
young 'uns shall never have EN-
From room to room Meliss went in a
| systematic way and picked up this book
| and that chair-tidy, picture here, and
| a bit Of bric-a-brac there which she be-
| lleved to be mas half" Later in the
dqV mt R1lth fo1,nI ba, f,,1l
watering the flowers which bordered
! the front walk.
''Meliss, are you crazy?" called her
| aunt, impatiently. ''Don't you know it
rained as hard as it could last night?''
Meliss pursed her lips up very tightly
and came close to the porch. Her sun
bonnet hung on the back of her head.
Her thin face looked pinched and sallow
| and the circles under her eyes were wide
and dark Her hand clutched with nerv-
GUS energy the pail she carried.
They re mas flowers she painted,
''and she shall never smell 'em''
Aunt Ruth looked her amazement.
~ esterday she went by here and
grinned at them flowers and that young
un of hers grinned. and l knew what
they was thinking about. And-ter my
mind was made up. She shall never
Slllell HID 5 uOWeIS.
There was pause. GIVE watered
them with lye, strong lye," added Me
liss.
THE land of gracious" calculated
Aunt Ruth. sMeliss, your pa spaded
that ground this spring and set them
| flowers out himself. They amt your
mas p"
Yes, they be-" assented Meliss. MA
has tended flowers right in these beds
and these same urns for years, and they
are just the same as mas flowers and
! she II never smell EN-
| Later Meliss retired upstairs and
f, locked herself in her room, leaving
Aunt Ruth to look after the children
| and prepare supper. She heard her
| father drive to the door. She heard a
confusion of voices and then her fathers
voice calling her, but he elected no re-
sponse from Meliss.
When the sounds from below assured
her that the family We're sitting down
| to supper she set her bedroom door
open and the sound of sobs came down
| the back stairs to the dining-room.
| Shortly after Meliss appeared She
| wore her heaviest mourning and longest
face She had evidently been to some
trouble to greet the bride and certainly
she was calculated to chill the heart Of
the most hopeful bride on whom the
sun ever shone. She paused in the door
way and drew her black-bordered hand
kerchief across her eyes.
The usual number of people sat at
table, no more and no less. She was
not present. Meliss opened her eyes
| wide. Her fathers eyes twinkled.
"W-well Meliss, w-what you thinking
about?"
"Where is she?" cried Meliss, clutch
| ing her over-skirt.
there" said her father jerking his
fork toward the placid face of Aunt
Ruth, who was busy rescuing cherry
stone from the mouth of one of the
babies
| Meliss stood petrified.
'Y-you seemed bound to h-have me
unmarried and was b-bound to m-mary
to s-suit YOU
'When?" gasped Meliss.
yesterday" said the father.
Meliss turned. Her feet seemed made
of lead and her head of air. Aunt
| Ruth. and never in her most insane mo-
ments had it occurred to her that her
mothers sister would take her mothers
place. Aunt Ruth, who had more of
l