Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-06-28
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where did YOU get that arhutuS so ear
ly in the season." And Miss Jane
Prentice dropped the broom with
which she had been diligently scrub
bling her narrow nagwalk and leaned
across the gate, her eyes alight with
pleasure.
"Down to fuckers woods. There's
lots of it on the other side of the
creek" The little girl paused, finger
Ing the rough stems and thick leaves
ncrvouSly. Heres little, Miss Prem
tice, and I'd give You more only got
II for teacher. promised it to her
yesterday
The child offered Il few short stalks
crowned with the waXllke, fragrant
pink blossoms. Miss Prentice pressed
them to her face.
"My, they do smell nice and woodsy,
Mclia, and Pm mighty obliged to
you. If you stop here on your way
home, I'll have something nice for you
sure, perhaps Il little iced cake
When the girl had shyly spoken her
thanks and taken herself off toward
the SchoOlhOuse, Jane Prentice stood
for few moments, apparently study
ing the pale pink flowers in her hands.
In reality peculiar uphcaval was
under way, mental and moral. For the
first time in her life Miss Prentice
aged fOrty-two. was seriously contem-
plating deviation from the straight
and narrow pathway, more than that,
the thorn hcdged, rigid path of dOmes-
tic tyranny.
She could look back to her days In
pinafores when the woods called her
and domestic duties held her fast,
when the birds of the air, the Gshcs in
the stream, had lesson for her which
she longcd to learn. Yet ever between
her and them stood the stern, unyield-
ing mother, to whom daily household
duties and certain stints for girliSh
fingers were rs the laws of the MedrS
and the Pcrsians. Every year the call
had come to her with the advent OF
spring. and every year duty as repre-
scented by her mother had interviewed.
There had been the walks and the
porchcs to scrub each day. the furni-
turc to polish (oh, how she had learned
to hate the moist, limp chnmois skin
with which she weekly polished the
mahogany table and whatnOt In the
front rOom), the sheets to be turned
and rcSeamed and the stocking bag
that seemed never to be entirely empty.
Mrs. Prentice had meant to do we'll
by her eldest daughter in thus molding
her into housewifely, fOrehandcd hab-
its, and 1t had been II grievous dis
appointment to her when Jane had re-
fused one matrimonial offer after an
other from men who recognized her
worth as Il housewife and hOmcmak-
er. And perhaps that was why the girl
refused them all-She had no desire to
change taskmastcrs. In vague way
she was waiting for her day of enamel
patton, but the children one after the
other had married and settled in neigh
boring towns until Mrs. Prentice and
her elder daughter were left alone.
Then the busy mother had died sud
denly, falling with heart disease i'll
front of a cupboard where she had
been searching for impossible cOhwebs.
But years of rigid performance Of du-
break the bonds ut once, and even as
she stood in the narrow walk, with the
gentle spring sunlight thrilling her, and
the birds twittering in the cherry tree
near the WELL and the waXcn flowers
in her hands cajoling. tempting her.
she heSitatcd. The morning work in
the kitchen was not done. Dishes stood
nd ln
from her feet to the gate were un-
scrubbed. but the voice of the woods
spoke to her again. and with Il reS0-
Lutte closing of her lips she snatched
up her pail and broom and fed to the
house.
There she hastily packed frugal
lunch. picked up trowel and an old
fashioned egg basket and went her
way rejoicing not, however without
carefully drawing every shade ana
locking every door lest some inquisi-
tive caller might learn her secret and
tell the tale of her base desertion Of
the household gods.
Once in the heart of fuckers woods
she forgot all else. 1t was "woodsy,"
sweet, moist. earthly. Close to some of
the rotten tree trunks snow still linger-
ed, and she brushed it aside with eager
hands, searching for the rare and deli
cate arbutus blooms When she had
filled her basket with specimens of
moss. delicate lichens and quantities OF
nrbutus. she sighed happily and looked
across the creek. She remembered n
hollow to which she had stolen many
springs before, where jack in the pull
pits reared their dignified heads and
modest anemOnes bloomed. She won
dered IL that fallen tree trunk would
not be n very pleasant place on which
to spread her lunch. With all the whim-
sicality Of a child living out fairy tale
she fairly skipped across the stream
and plunged through the underground
into the sunlit glade.
Yes: there lay the old log. all moss
grown. with fern stalks clustered
around it. She spread out her inviting
lunch: then. with laugh almost girl
ish, she piled some arbutus in the CEN
ter as If to grace her woodland feast.
She was biting into a tasty sandwich
when Il sound in the brush behind her
made her whirl round She gave a
slight scream and turned white to her
lips Something long and sinuous and
striped, something with gllttering blue
eyes, seemed to be crawling straight
3 a In h.tNl rtn