Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-09-18
THE SHELVING OF
MISS BECKY.
CCIssoRs, needles, thimbles and
~ n. eaaos POPS


for the observing poor" was not ready
Mrs. Parkinson was the president o
the Pimlico Sewing society. Mrs. Par
kinson had always been its president
She was woman of the Napoleoni'
order, to whom a kindly fate had al
vet brought no Waterloo. In all so
clal affairs the village had tacitly ac
cepted her dictatorship since the day
her first husband, Rev. Joshua Higgins
installed her as mistress Of the OLE
red brick manse among the elms. Rev
Joshua had succumbed TO heart disease
few months after his advent in the
village, and, although Mr.. Parkinson
was only grocer in a small way, th'
good lady had ever exacted full meeo
Of honors due her former exalted posi-
tion.
At first the conversation was desul
tory in character. But like the prelim
mary skirmishing that ushers in the
real battle, II but preluded the discus
sion OF matters pertaining TO the gen
oral welfare OF Pimlico and its inhab-
itants.
Mrs. Parkinson had some thing Of i'm
portance TO communicate. Sundry lit
tie hints and the bobbing Of her
head, and the pursuing Of her thin lips
evidenced the fact. Even the decided
snip OF Mrs. Parkinson's scissors car
ried its note OF warning.
The president OF the Pimlico Sewing
society did not seize an opportunity to
address her sister workers; like her IL
lustrious prototype, she created oppor-
tunities.
MRS. Blythe isn't coming to-day, not
bein' very well. I've had no word from
Miss Becky, so suppose she'll be here
Before Miss Becky comes" here she
lowered her voice impressively-"l've
word just want TO say to the ladies
here. | haven't thing to say against
Miss Becky, except just this: Miss
Becky Is a-gettin' along in years, and
II makes me down sick to see a woman
Of her age a-goin' on so. Why, she's 80
II she's day, and she's a,goin' out TO
parties an havin' young men company
like she wasn't more than lS. /
feel like woman o her age ought TO
have more sense than TO be wearin'
hats with all kinds o. flowers an feath'
ers on 'em. But, II she hasn't, why
some one just ought 20 tell her. That's
what think"
Mrs. Parkinson had grown excited.
Her low, mysterious utterances Ind
risen to full oratorical crescendo. She
wiped her glasses deliberately, put
them on and looked around.
Mrs. Morrow's scissors had ceased
cutting. She possessed only one pair
and they always squeaked.
"Mis' Parkinson, ye hev jest give ut
t'rence TO what I've been a-thinkin' this
four years back. Beckyll be 81 mex
spring, cause know she wuz born
the very day old Deak'n Toutelottes
calves died, fer / remember ez though
'twuz yest'day how the deak'n--"
Mrs. Morrow had reputation. Some
one considerably rescued the meeting
from the intricate mazes OF one Of her
reminiscent tales.
my mother wasn't married till she
wuz %, but lal she hadn't wore posies
In her bunnet for SO long fore thet
time she felt ez though ey'ryone in
the meetin' house wuz eyein' her when
she wore her weddin' bunnet with
bunch o. white flowers omit"
"I've been keerful about sayin'
anything thet might cause trouble by
comm TO the years o. Mis- Blythe an
Becky" Mrs. Rigge remarked, "but !
hey been thinkin' fer some time thet
fer woman clost TO 30, all that dress
In up could scarcely be favorable In
the eyes o. the Lord. But said moth
in about it,"
"Near 30l" old Mrs, Tracy exclaimed.
with some scorn; "Beckyll never see
30 again. She's one age to my Joe, an
he's been married goin' on nine years
now. Why, Becky an Jane Thompson
air the same age, an James been wear
in nothin' but gray an brown, fer
years; an' she's gettin TO look real old,
too"
But, mother" young Mrs. Tracy
sald, surely you do not think Miss
Becky looks old?"
"No; must say Becky does not show
her age: but she's a-gettin' along all
the came. An las summer, after saw
them red flowers, jest made up my
mind to speak to Becky. an says /:
Don't ye think red is jest little gay
fer yep says I, an she LATED. why,
I'm not grandmother ye know, says
she. A grandmother An she not even
keepin' steady company ez fur eE |
know. But it's the way she has young
men a-comin' to see her thct don't
like. There wuy Seth Adams n-settin'
up reg'lar with her all las winter, an
ty'ryone thought they'd be married.
an nothin' ever come OF Il. An Mis-
Clark's nephew, he took TO goin' there
fer another spell, an nothIn' come o.
thet, either"
Then Miss Flint--no one seemed To
remember the time when this good old
woman was spiteiully bit of
the end Of her thread, and peered
through her glasses at the irregular
stitches she was putting in the apron
OF some poor child who presumably
would prefer the useful TO the bcauti-
ful.
"Twouldn't be no surprise to me-"
she said, III Miss Becky didn't keep
light burnin' in the porlor evry sun
day night O. purpose to make folk.
think she was hayin' company"
rwouldn't surprise me nome" the
Widow jenkins assured the ladies'. 81
guess putty gin'ally gal as has an
offer accep's II. Nobody amt breakiu'
his neck fer Miss Becky ez know Of"
and here several OF the ladies were