The Newtown bee., 1901-11-22

got to go for the doctor and 1 can't
leave her alone. She's suffering dread
full. know you and her ain t on good
terms, but you'll come, won't you?'
"Of course l will,' said Josephine
sharply. "I'm not barbarian, hope,
to refuse to go and help sick person
if twas my worst enemy. Ill go and
get ready and you go straight to the
hall stove and warm yourself. What
on earth do you mean starting out on
a bitter night like this without an over
coat or even mittens, and you with a
cold like that?'
81 never thought of them, was so
frightened, said David alphabetically.
II just lit up a fire in the kitchen |
stove as quick's l could and run. 1t
just ratified me to hear Zillah moaning
and breathing SOS you could hear her
all over the house,
"You need some one to look after
you as bad as Zillah does," said jose
phine severely. In a few minutes she
was ready and had a basket packed full
of homely remedies, 'for like as not
there'll be no putting ones hand on
anything there" she muttered. She
insisted on wrapping her big plaid
shawl around DavidS head and neck
and made him put on a pair of mittens
she had knitted for Jack Sentner.
Then she locked the door and they
started across the field over the hard,
cleaning crust that shone in the moon
light like a pavement of pearl. 1t was
slippery, too, and Josephine had to
cling to David's arm to keep her feet.
The whole thing seemed to her like a
dream, and the wonderful landscape,
all ebony of shadow and silver of snowy
slope, was like world of dreams.
In few minutes they had passed
under the bare slistening boughs of
the poplars on David's lawn, and for
the first time Josephine crossed the
threshold of David Hartley's house.
Years ago, in her girlhood, when the
Hartleys lived in the old house and
there was half-dozen of girls at home,
Josephine had frequently visited there.
All the Hartley girls liked her except
Zillah. She and Zillah never ''got on'
together. Afterward when the other
girls had married and gone, Josephine
gave up visiting there. She had never
been inside the new house, and she and
Zillah had not spoken to each other for
years.
| Zillah was a sick woman-tOO sick to
be anything but civil to Josephine.
David started at once for the doctor at
the Creek, and Josephine saw that he
was we'll wrapped up before she let
him go. Then she mixed up a
mustard plaster for Zillah, and sat
down by the bedside towait.
When Mrs Tom Sentner came down
next day she found Josephine busy
making flaxseed poultices, and her lip
set in line that betokened she had
made up her mind to some disagreable
course of duty.
"Zillah has got pneumonia bad" she
said briefly, in reply to Mrs Toms
breathless inquiries. 1.-THE doctor is
here and Mary Joe from the Creek.
She'll wait on Zillah, but there'll have
to be another woman here to see to the
work. I reckon I'll stay. l suppose
it's my duty, and l don't know who
else could be got. You can send
Mamie and Jack down to stay at my
house till can 90 back. I'll run over
every day and keep an eye on things
At the end of week Zillah was out
Of danger. Saturday afternoon Jose
phine went over home to see how
Mamie and Jack Sentner were getting
on. She found Mrs Tom there and the
latter promptly dispatched Jack ane
Mamie to the postoffice that she might
have an opportunity to hear Jose
phine'S news.
give had an awful week of it, Ida, ,
Said Josephine solemnly, as she sal
down by the stove and put her toes W
on the glowing hearth.
81 suppose Zillah is pretty cranky tt
to wait on, said Mrs Tom sympatheti
, cally.
''Oh, it isn't Zillah. Mary Joe look
after her and, anyway, she's To-
more reasonable than you'd expect
She's been too real sick to be cantank
erous. No, it's the house. l neve
lived in such place of dust and dis
order in my bornIdays. I'm sorrier TO
, David Hartley than ever was for any
one before.'
7 II suppose he's used to it," said Mr.
t Tom philosophically.
81 don't see how anyone could eve
get used to it," groaned Josephine
"And David used to be so particula
when he was boy. The minute
went in there the other night [ tool
that kitchen in with look. don
believe the paint has ever been washed
since the house was built honesty
2 don't. And would It like to be calle'
5 upon to swear when the floor wa
? scrubbed, either. The corners wer
| just full Of rolls of dust-you coul'
have shoveled it out. l swept it GU
next day, and l thought I'd be choked
: AS for the pantry-well, the less SAT-
} about that the better. And it's tn
same all through the house. 70,
5 could write your name on everything
I couldn't SO much as clean up. Zillal
, was SO sick there couldn't be a bit o
5 of noise made made. | did manage t.
: sweep and dust, and cleaned out tina
| pantry. And of course tended to tn
? meals and saw that they were nice ant
we'll cooked. You should have seer
} David'S face. He looked as if h,