Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-10-23

shame of ma to keep me shut up
here doing a thing | despise."
And now another burden was ad-
ded to poor Mary Lizzie's weight of
woe. Plum time was drawing near.
With wistful eyes and longing heart
the miserable girl watched from her
window the luscious fruit slowly
ripen, and thought lovingly of their
preserving in the way her father pre-
ferred.
1T would never do to let ma touch
them," said Mary Lizzie to herself.
MA would just dump them into the
kettle-leaves, stems and all-and
chance it with the sugaring and the
stewing. | Just can't bear to have
anybody touch those plums but my
self"
She mentioned the matter to her
mother in her timid way. only to be
silenced by a fierce: Don't you
bother your head about those plums,
Mary Lizzie! I'm not going to have
your career as a poutry-writer
b~lighted for all the plums in Chris
tendon! If | can't find time to do
them myself, I'll trade them off at
the store for goods"
Trade off those precious plums
that her father loved, for kerosene,
and bars of soap, and maybe store
jam! The thought sent poor Mary
Lizzie back to her miserabls task of
poetry writing, choking with tears.
"Oh, let me give it up, ma! | can't
write poetry" YEARLY sighed Mary
Lizzie in reply to her mothers con-
tinual question of, How are you get
ting on with your poutry-writing,
Mary Lizzie?"
Its the heat said the mother
finally, when August closed with
nothing to show for Mary Lizzie's
~seclusion, exec that the girl daily
looked more wilteu AM hopeless.
"As soon as this hot spell is over
you'll smarter right enough"
Its the noise" said the kindly
old minister, who, during a parochial
call Oh the Walters family had been
obliged to lift his voice above the
!: din of the baby pounding on a metal
! tray with a tin spoon, and the bois-
: ferrous shouts of two small boys run
! ming races over the unexpected hool
! of the passage-Way.
! I've been thinking of what the
minister said about your needing
quiet" was the mothers greeting
7 when Mary Lizzie appeared in the
kitchen next morning, 80 I've hat
your pa clean out the old summer
house. It's dry as finder this
| weather and there's no fear of any
body disturbing you out there"
SO after breakfast Mary Lizzie
with her mothers help, was installed
in the ramshackle old pavilion tina
: stood between the orchard and thu
hayfeld. Close at hand was TT
barnyard where pa was burning
heap of stubble.
As soon as her mother had gon'
Mary Lizzie set herself bravely tt
work, as she had been doing all sum
e mer, to make "Oh, murmurln'
brooks! Oh, warbling birds!" rhym
according to the rules of poetry.
e 81 can't do it! l can't think @
+ ANYTHING but those plums!" waile
Q poor Mary Lizzie, letting the penc
drop from her weary fingers. Il
another week they'll be too ripe t
e preserve, and ma will be sure t
s. trade them for store goods. Ol
e why did that little baby die! VIII
g did | ever write that In Memoriam!
!, And dropping her head upon I'll
table, Mary Lizzie sobbed out tn
q aching of her troubled heart.
+ sob, Mary Lizzie!" called an ag
II tated voice. And into the summe
u house burst Mary Lizzie's mothe
IL who was painting in one excite
= breath:
~ Here's your Grandma Walter
' gone and scalded her foot puttir
- up the plums | sent her last wee
" aid she's had to take to her bed wit
" the stuff boiling itself all over tt
-, place, and your Aunt Elmiry go1
70 to town for the day, and between tt
d; ! DdIII Ill IlCI lool IN IS"i '" 'o'iA
the plums, your Grandma Waite:
is working herself into a fever,
=. your Uncle Silas has driven over
fetch you to finish the preservin
It's dreadful, Mary Lizzie, to tai
a. you away from your poutry-writin
10 but | can't go myself with the bal
,f sick and that great stack of ironil
/, to finish"
ooh, I'll go, nal" Mary Lizzie e
Ar claimed, jumping up with an alacrl
p. she hadn't shown for many a da
ke "I1l be glad to help Grandma w
tiers. The change at her place w
do me a world of good"
of "Good-by, Mary Lizzie!" called h
H. father, waving his rake to the SIN
er ing figure seated by. Uncle Sill
side, as the wagon drove past t
on BARNARD gate. I'D have cone
CHI see you off, but | dasn't leave tt
lie fire. Everything's so pesKy dry tt
weather"
he Mary Lizzie drove back with h
uncle in the cool of that same aftt
lie noon. That one day of the dear, !
ng miliar, delightful work she loved h
OF wonderfully refreshed and strengt
he ened her, and the homely face und
the little round hat was shining wi
nit the light of "a great resolution.
err II am going to do those plums
Mary Lizzie was saying to herse
to with an emphasis that would ha
a surprised her best friends. 18Th
shall never be traded off for ste
mt goods and pa shall not be cheated @
of his favorite jam. I'll go back
IN. my roetry-writing afterward if !
he insists, but I shall start right in
nd morrow morning to do those plum
nd whatever ma says"