Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-05-13

Aunt Jane Mary.
''Why, Aunt Jane Mary, you know
we've talked it over and talked it
over, until l thought you were tired
of the subject, and I let it the last
time and you seemed pleased. Be-
sides, hadn't time'
Hadn't time for what?'
ITO consult you. If hadn't
clinched the bargain she would have
thrown it up"
''Who would?"
''The boarder''
whats her name?"
I'm sure l don't know" I said
YEARLY.
"What! Take boarder and not
know her name?"
1T does seem queer, now l think of
it, but she has paid me for the room
in advance"
For how long?'
I might have said for nearly
twelvemonth, had 1 been so inclined,
but / knew that Aunt Jane Mary
would demand the care of the funds,
SO 1 said only:
II
her breakfast and dinner
How do you know she isn't walk
ing off now with my mothers sheets
and pillow-cases %
L laughed aloud as I thought of
the poor, tired, overworked nurse and
her one pair of muddy shoes. 1 said:
Because your mothers sheets and
pillOwcases are upstairs in the lit
tie hall closet. Those are my own,
the ones she has-those that the
ladies at the Hall gave me when I
went to housekeeping" l sighed.
''The clock, then
'"The clock is mine too
''The Holy Bible with the card
| board marker"
"All those things are mine, Aunt
Jane Mary. That room is furnished
with my own things. Poor creatures!
She doesn't want to walk off with
anything. She's trained nurse.
She's tired out. She has just come
from her last case. She is nearly
dead. The man died.
'What Off"
1 sat down stunned. 81 never
thought of that" I said.
Aunt Jane Mary held her hands
out as if to ward me off. go! go!"
she said. "Out of my sight! Out
of my presence! Go, and fumigate
yourself, and when you are sure
that you can bring me no infection,
come back to me and tell me the
rest"
AS I arose to leave the room, I cast
a backward glance at the helpless oc-
cupant of the old-fashioned bed
Aunt Jane Mary was a very stout
old lady. She had her head shaved
| front. She tied the ends in front in
rabbits ears. She wore a lowered
sacque with large ruffles. She was
not pretty, but she was my mothers
sister, and the house was hers, and
L had no where else to go. She
needed a great deal of waiting on,
and she scolded me unpleasantly
sometimes, but if l left her. where
would Tom come for his HOLIDAYS
my dear boy Tom! And [ must
say right here that she allowed me
to take half of all sums coming in
from the boarders in consideration
of my doing the work. She needed
an immense amount of waiting on
on account of her rheumatic govt
but there could be no question OF
my declining the service She was
helpless and she gave me home.
l ran down stairs as swiftly as
possible. I could not believe that J.
A. d. had brought infection to us
certainly not willingly. sHer pro
fession of nurse must have taught
her to be careful, and she had, 1 was
sure, come from nothing worse thar
a sudden death from heart failure
or something similar.
l went out on the veranda and re
sumed my discarded hemming.
had not sat there many minutes when
L saw man coming along the roao
leading out from Gainesville. He
was on a wheel, and, as J. A. D. ha6
done, he stopped at my door ano
jumped lightly to the ground. He
leaned the wheel against tree an6
opened the gate. There was nc
click of the latch, and in coming to
wards me he walked on the grass
which angered me little, as I hated
to have a path made in my small
lawn. He came and stood at the
foot of the steps and looked up a
me with pleasant pair of brown
eyes. He wore whiskers and mus