The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-05-31
THE ESCAPE.
How Martha Sessions Attained the OBJ
ject of Her Ambition.
'oeoeoeoSoooeeoeoeoeoeoe,

tacitly admitted, was in the kitchen of
the Witherspoons. This did not mean
that she was the servant of the Wither-
spoons-no, no. There were two respects
in which she differed from the ordinary
servant. One was that she Received no
salary. The other was that she was of
high birth. y common person NAV re-
ceive pay for service and rejoice in it.
But Miss Sessions, daughter of the Hon.
Peter Sessions, now many years with
his respectable and dull forbears. could
not, even had she been offered money,
have accepted it. What she did was to
live in the home of her married sister.
conscious morning, noon and night of the
fact that she was the recipient of bounty.
and to do anything and everything that
other folks objected to doing.
Sarah Nitherspoon had not been one
to let the distinguished name she bore
die with her generation. She had given
seven pawns to fortune in the shane of
her sons and daughters, and for each and
every one of these little ones Martha
Sessions, her sister, had cared In short,
Martha was the lubrcator Of the do.
nestle wheels and did everything for the
family that she could do, from hemming
the napkins to sitting beside sick beds.
she was the first up in the morning and
the last to bed at night. She started the
kitchen fire mt dawn, and she locked the
front door and wound the clock after the
others had retired to their rooms.
Yet 1t was generally understood in the
Witherspoon household that Aunt Mar
tina was to sit silent at the table, espe-
clally If there was company. If dinner
was given, she did the most difficult part
of the cooking, and if she did not stay
in the kitchen to direct the serving she
perched uneasily on the edge of her chair
ready to rush into the fray at the slight
est sign of confusion.
There was one cause of chagrin. how
ever, which even this modern Griselda
did not bear patiently. She was too much
occupied on the Sabbath to attend church.
for the large family dinners and the sup
pers at which friends were informally
and generally invited kept the household
drudge at her post at the hours of serv-
ice. Moreover, she had the pain of hear
ing her own particular church andsrector
spoken of in terms of derision. and the
unfaShionable, cultivated and conserva-
tive congregation of which she would fain
have been one was the source of much
mirth to the Witherspoons, who went to
the smartest of sacred edifces and whose
preacher was renowned as an after din
ner speaker and a social lion.
But one day an astonishing thing han.
pened. 1t is difficult to believe it. although
it is now ancient history. Frederick SEES
sions, granduncle to Martha Sessions and
to Sarah Witherspoon, died at so great
an age that he seemed already to have
been dead for Il decade when his obituary
was published, and in dying he bequcath-
ed to Martha Sessions, the most uncom.
planning and self sacrificing woman Of
my acquaintance, all lands. funds and
properties of which | stand possessed"
The news was brought to Martha Sos.
sions one morning when she was sorting
over the weeks washing. and she came
down to the parlor in her worn gray
frock and white apron and met the intel
ligence with Incredibly. But when she
was quite convinced of the truth of the
thing she astoniShed the little lawyer by
laughing in youthful way. He had ex-
pected nervous and grateful tears.
And when can | have possession of
this property. sr?" she inquired.
The formalities are few. Miss SEES.
sions, considering that you are the only
heir. Within a few days you can do as
you please with your own. and | can nd
vance you money today to any amount
you may desire. What would YOU like?"
Miss Sessions did not entirely under.
stand the drift of the question and an
swered with vague smile:
Il should like to ask the rector to tea"
madam"
The Rev. Mr.. Ellison, you know. I'm
not much acquainted with him, but he's
the rector of my church. only unfortu-
nately I've not attended church for the
last few years. But | can now. Do
you think, sir that could have new
bonnet by Sunday"
81 will write you a check for any
amount you desire"
"Thank you. should like to build
house if possible before | had Mr.. Eli
son to tea. 1t would be much peasanter
to entertain him at my own board. of
course. than
certainly. Miss Sessions. Why not
build house," He was an astute and
little man. and he knew
of the story of Miss Sessions
life and understood by sort of intuition
that she was cropping for her individual
form of expression. To have the min
lister to tea was her dream, and the law
yer reflected that each human creature
is entitled to his own particular sort of
dream.
But he was entirely unpreparcd for the
decision with which this hitherto patient
acted.
"lf you'll be good enough to wait for
me moment, Mr.. Osterman." she said.
'I'll put on my bonnet and 90 down town
with YOU"
"To the bank?"
ITO see a contractor about my house"
1t appeared that here was a rampant
given rein for the first time
in its existence
Your family will be much interested
in your good fortune" said the lawyer
kindly. But Miss Sessions smiled M
smile and made no reply.
That evening when the family sat in
the drawing room Aunt Martha, to the
of every one, entered and
took seat as one having something to
say. Every one looked up in surprise
and waited. They knew the occasion
could not be an ordinary one. She told
her news with dignity. There was a
gasp, and the face Of Sarah Witherspoon
turned scarlet.
"Of course you will not permit such an
unjust thing to happen!" she cried. 1T
has always been my expectation that l
would be Uncle Frederick's heir. Think
of the times / have entertained him and
the favors he has received at my hands,"