Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-07-12
SHORT STORY FOR
EVENING HOURS


ldll anu SlTdlBHl, CHethS Dlllh' eyes
blue as a dolls, skin so smooth that
the wrinkles were but the lightest
tracings of which Time is capable,
placid yet determined. quiet yet al
lots of thinking. firm in her belief in
the superiority of the East and rigidly
disappearing of the ways of the West,
steadfast to church and God. Charita.
BILE but not wasteful--there you have
Aunt Prue as | remember her.
She introduced to the town people
number of variations and mOdifica
tons of the accepted routine of dOmes
tic matters. Among other innovations
she employed a system of New Eng.
land cooking which fairly made the
good wives her neighbors, jealous.
Her cookies with Caraway seeds! Her
apple dumpings!
| But in particular was her chicken
Just in what respect these chicken pot.
pies differed from other chicken pies.
Just why they tasted so much better
whether because of the crust or of
the manner of preparing the fowl. no.
body save Aunt Prue could explain
She zealously guarded her secret. She
freely revealed other recipes. but not
that of her chicken pot.pie. She
seemed resolved that at least one
New England treasure should not be
surrendered into irrevercnt Iowa
hands. Time and again she blandly
permitted a willy rival-who came
ostensibly on an errand-to observe
her make a chicken pie-and time and
again that same rival hurried home.
ward, hopeful. encouraged, quite ex.
ultant only to ascertain that. after all,
she had learned absolutely nothing.
Aunt Prue was not a great reader;
usually she discovered something else
to do. However, when she did read
she read conscientiously and thorough.
ly. Occasionally she would come
across an article which she deemed
worth preserving. Such articles,
prose or poetry. she clipped. trimmed
exactly with her nimble scissors and
tucked away between the leaves of a
book. There they reposed for future
reference. and the dear woman never
looked at them afterward unless by
chance she happened upon them.
BY hundreds OF these clippings were
scattered throughout the books in the
house. Sometimes new. more often
yellowed by age, they would flutter
out when volume was carelessly
opened.
To this day do not know why, but
when sister Mary married, Aunt Prue
was strongly prejudiced against our
new relative. She alleged nothing but
she received praises of him with .omi.
nous silence-a silence almost accus.
ing. She was civil to him. but her at.
titude was one of Censure. On the
other hand, when she became great.
aunt she fashioned for grand.niece and
granddaughter many toothsome turn.
over and gingerbread boy.
/ A day dawned on which on which
Aunt Prue was taken i'll. Her unyield.
ing spirit battled vigorously. and in
secret, with her weaker flesh. 1t up.
held her until, when finally she went
, to bed, she rose not from 1t.
Since Mary's marriage Aunt Prue
had exhibited toward her a certain
primness, an attitude Of mute condem-
nation, which spoke more plainly than
words. Yet as we stood about the bed,
one evening, although she smiled on
us all impartially. 1t was to Mary that
she addressed the feeble movements
of her lips. Mary bent over, compass.
sionately. Whispered Aunt Prue - a
mere ghost of whisper:
| Page hundred-in-in-"
The sentence never was finished.
| 1t was known, in vague way that
Aunt Prue had made a will. Where
the document was, was question.
The attorney who had drawn 1t was
dead, and nobody appeared to be pos.
sessed of its contents, or Of its resting
place. However, considerable valu
able property was involved, and the
will must be found.
The message which she had com.
municated to Mary gave the search.
ers a clew. OF course Aunt Prue had
tucked the will in book, according TO
her custom. And inasmuch as she had
singled out Mary, in preference to the
others, it was easy to guess In wi
direction the bulk OF the estate would
CO.
Forthwith commenced the quest for
page a hundred" Oh. the host OF
Grant cuttings, breathing of Aunt
Prue,, encountered at every turn of a
page. The hunt was conducted sys.
tematically, and after many, many
volumes had been investigated and re.
jected, at page one hundred of a copy
of Longfellow's poems was, brought to
| light a white envelope, sealed, and
marked in Aunt Prue's slanting
script, Private"