Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-08-08

ways been her culinary joy and pride.
Her thoughts kept travelling back to
that day-her wedding day-just five
years ago, when their happiness
seemed, indeed, almost too full to last
in this life.
The woman paused in her prepara-
tions to rest for moment. She sat
down on the crude kitchen chair and
lifted the corner Of her checked gin
CHAM apron to wipe away the moisture
that had collected on her forehead
from bending over the steaming range.
For an instant she seemed to lose sight
Of her surroundings; two big hot tears
welled up to her eyes and rolled slowly
down each tanned cheek.
A squirrel scampered out ON the
limb of a sycamore near the kitchen
window and regarded her with his
head on one side, as though wondering
what it was that made Priscilla sad.
Just then the little cuckoo clock in
the dining room, Jim's present on her
last birthday, struck the noon hour,
rousing Priscilla from her reverie. She
got up hurriedly, and taking down a
long agate spoon from a hook COM
menced to baste the turkey.
From time to time. she glanced half
eXpectantly, half-anxiously, through
the narrow little window for some
sign of her husband. He generally
came in about that time for dinner
but the minutes dragged themselves
slowly by, and one O'Clock chimed;
still no welcoming face from the door
way. What could it mean? Priscilla
wondered, intuitively guessing, what it
could be that had power to detain
him on this day Of all others. With a
half-smothered sigh, she crushed back
the maddening thoughts that seemed
beating into her brain, and made
pitiful effort to hum some bright little
air.
Half an hour later, the potatoes We're
ready for peeling and the rolls had
Drowned to q faultless crust. Jim's
wife could not repress the quick thrill
of pride that went through her, as she
took snowy cloth from the neat pine
linen shelf and started toward the
cozy dining room to spread the table
for three.
She found 'Lisbeth curled up fast
asleep IN the middle OF the old-fash-
ioned lounge that had come to her from
her grandmother, a tiny yellow kitten
with big eyes pressed close to her
chubby cheek. ..'..' .s.
The mothers eyes, alight with the
Joy that is greater than all others,
rested fondly upon the sleeping child
for an instant. Then she went closer
and knelt down by her darling-the
miniature of Jlm-and kissed the
smooth, flushed face.
After the table had been put in order
and set agleam With white and gold
china and the "best silver" Priscilla
went back to the kitchen to put the
finishing touches to the array of ap-
petizing dishes spread here and there
about the range to keep warm. She
waited another fifteen minutes, but
still Jim did not come. She was not
a Jealous or suspicious wife, but how
could she help remembering at this
time the preoccupied manner he had
worn for the past few weeks-the bro
ken, disturbed sentences of his dreams
and more than all, the bits of torn
paper she had found in the pocket of
one of his old coats while mending it
his agitation when she showed them
to him?
AS yet there was only heavy sink
Ing Of her heart sort of vague, unde-
fined misery which she tried heroically
TO put down.
The fire needed replenishing, and she
started toward the woodshed for a
stick of oak, resolutely brushing away
the tears that kept coming to her eyes,
But somehow they wouldn't stop, and
she seemed to walk without seeing, as
one In a dream. She selected stout
log to fit the range, and turned slowly
to retrace her steps. AS she passed the
corn crib, voices from the vicinity of
the summer house beyond came dis
tinctly to her sharpened ears. and she
halted involuntarily. 1t was his voice,
sure enough, and the other, unmis-
takably that Of woman.
! "Don't-don't cry" he was saving,
half-pitylngly. half f-tenderly. Good
Cod, it's hard enough as it ls-but to
see you like this-Margaretr'
Priscilla did not wait to hear more
Her great dark eyes had grown blacl,
with Indignation, and pain marked
livld streaks across her face. With a
sudden, crazed impulse, she turned
quickly and ran toward the house.