Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-11-22


othy sharply. But that habitual in
junction for once failed of its usually
repressive effect upon Sallys demon
strations of emotion.
81 don't care what you say now,
| Dorothy. 1 just must speak. I'm
heartbroken. Five years ago there
were four leaves more in this table.
Reuben was with us then, dear boy!
oh, God knows where he is now! And
so was Rebecca-and, oh, the house
has never been the same since she
went awayp'
Mistress Tredwell. with fine affec-
tation of placid unconcern, went on
taking her soup. but the hand that
held the spoon would tremble.
Sally went ON: You set your face
like a flint against Reuben marrying
the girl he loved, and she was as good
a girl as ever was, only you must
needs try to compel him to take an
other. Manlike, he did as he was q
mind to, and you lost him. Only three
extra leaves were wanted in the table
the next two Thanksgivings. Then
the same thing happened with Rebec-
ca. You tried to make her marry
David Purcell, who hadn't thing but
his money to recommend him, and,
having, Ike You, an iron will that
would rather break than bend, she
went off, and you've never heard of
her since"
"You have" interrupted Dorothy,
with 4 sudden flush of color and a
flash in her eyes.
Eyes, thank God, 1 have! The dear
girl has written to me again and again,
but she made me promise on the Bible
that I'd never tell You a word about
her until You asked, and have you ever
asked?"
Dorothy closed her lips tightly.
mo, you haven't, and for all you
know she may have starved or gone
wrong"
"And 1 do not ask now,' firmly re-
piled the obdurate mother.
''Then two extra leaves We're more
than enough, for only Priscilla was
left. And now she's gone. Oh, you I'M
happy woman, can you not see that
because they are your children you can
not drive them?''
''May help you to some of the tur-
key?"
''No, Dorothy: 1 can't eatr' cried
Sally, bursting into tears and making
precipitate retreat from the table.
Mistress Tredwell kept her seat, took
a slice of the turkeys breast, helped
herself to the cranberry jelly and nib
bled stalk of celery, but her eating
was only a pretense pride's bluff
against loneliness and misery. For a
long time she sat motionless. staring at
vacancy until her eyes filled with tears,
which she dashed angrily away, as if
ashamed of them.
Two Thanksgivings went by upon
which there was no commemorative
dinner in the Tredwell mansion, and a
third dawned with no happier promise.
AS upon the morning after Priscilla
achieved her independence, the ground
was covered deeply by new fallen
snow, but this time it did not prevent
Mistress Dorothy Tredwell going to
church. Warmly wrapped, she went in
the cutter, driven by the hired man
John.
Perhaps something in the sermon
touched the hard old woman's heart;
possibly the sight of the happy fam
lilies filling the church-families swol-
leo at this season to abnormal size by
the annual gathering of loved ones
from far and near-brought home to
her q new realization of the miserable
loneliness of her old age. At all events,
she was conscious of suffering mental
ly as she never had before, for at last
the doubt had risen in her mind wheth-
-er her unhappy condition was not of
her own making instead of n mysteri-
Gus dispensation of Providence which
had afflicted her with exceptionally
disobedient and unfeeling children, the
latter being the view she had long cul-
tivated Pardon and forgive me. o
God, if the fault has been mine" she
moaned while walking slowly from the
gate to her gloomy and cherries home.
Signing, she opened the front door;
then stood transfixed by establishment.
1t seemed to her that she heard echo
ing in the hall musical peals of child
ish laughter. She stood listening in
doubling wonder. Yes, the laughter
was real, and with it mingled Sister
SalIy's aged treble, prattling baby talk
in the parlor Cautiously she glided to
and peered through the door, which
stood little ajar.
Sally sat upon the floor, embracing
sturdy golden haired little child that
was patting with its fat hands her
withered cheeks and laughing loudly.
Children always loved her better
than me. Even my own did so. 1 be-
lieve,'' jealousy thought the hungry
hearted woman at the door.
Then a fresh, melodious voice full of
mothers tenderness called from the
unseen part OF the room behind the
door: "Come, pet; back to mamma,
Ransom. Come now"