News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-09-03
HApTER IL

CHAPTER II.
could you really? exclaimed the
widow. 81 should be so glad. 1t
would be such a comfort" And then
they moved away from the grave to
the street.
Two weeks passed. In spite of Mrs.
Wittekind's cautioning her husband
and sister against allowing the suspi-
cions of the latter to leak into the cur
rent of public report, scarcely any 9th
er topic was now preached in the vii
lage. Intuitively half the hamlet be-
lieved that Tabitha was correct in her
theory, though few were so incautious
as to openly proclaim the belief
Nobody couldn't prove a smidgin
agin her." remarked the voluble Ike
to Miss Hettie Melvin for whom he
was weighing half a dollars worth of
coffee, "an' / reckon sence. Lizzie is
sech a hand to sue in court that it
would be better to drap the matter
whar it stands. A body kin believe
what he's a mind to about a pussOn,
but goin' round an talliin' it is anoth-
CI llillS. INON, tlltl > lllt lltN i'lCdCu
er. He has sech a high opinion of
Lizzie that thar is some that doubt
that he has ever heerd the will ques-
ton mentioned"
"Sence he tuck to boardin' thar" re
piled Hettie, a sheer playing over her
wrinkled face, "she hain't lowed him
to git out much 'mong other folks
She's been taggin' on to him ever'whar
have seed him so far"
Il don't blame him fur maxim a sort
of a favorite of her." said Ike as he
tied up the parcel, "fur she is the pay
in member of the church. He knows
eff it warn't fur Menefee's big sub
scription an she wouldn't have the
cheek to lessen tive wouldn't be able
to keep no college graduate fur Il
preacher. He hain't no fool an it
wouldn't surprise me eff he was
a-workin to try to git his salary raised.
We'd better let her alone, l reckon.
Miz Spriggs an Hal Menefee Ort to
git thar rights, but eff we driv' Lizzie
hard she mought go over to the Meth
odists, an then wizard we be-"
The old maid stretched ont her
scrawny hand for the parcel and drop
ped 1t into her egg basket.
"Money'l do anything" she said
ironically. OFF some pore woman had
been suspected of that thar crime,
they'd "a had investigations a-plenty.
They say NIiz Spriggs an Hal was heer
yistiday consultin' with Lawyer Bates
an that he sent 'em away without en-
couragemcnt. l reckon the report will
die down now"
Tabitha came into the store from
the living rooms at that moment. A
red spot burning through the sallow-
ness of either cheek showed that she
had overheard the conversation, but
she said nothing and made her way
behind the counter into the little wood
en- grating where the village mail was
kept.
9TH never die out as long as the
woman lives" remarked Ike.
"It's the woman's awful cheek that
can't stand" said Hettie, raising her
voice and aiming it at Tabitha's pro-
file "She set out as gal TO git the
best that was agoin' eff she busted the
world in the attempt. She tuck Meme
fee fur his money an killed him with
neglect, an now, notwithstanding pore
Miz Underhill needed the little she got
out of Mr.. Murray's board she whee-
died him into stayin' at her house"
Tabitha put her face out of the little
window in the latticework. do you
reckon the members will put up
with But, as If remembering her
tacit promise to Mrs. Wittekind to