The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1903-05-07
After the Farm.
Observation-Disclosures

i shock on coming out on the back
porch and seeing her daughter La
vinia absorbed in conversation with a
man, and that man PARROT" Smith,
is putting it mildly. Though a wo-
man of remarkably strong nerve and
even temper, an ~uncommonly "deep'
and shrewd woman, as her neighbors
could testify, she had to grasp the
railing in front of her, so surprised
was she at the sight.
Surely the world is coming to an
end!" she gasped.
When Lavinia saw her mother, she
took hasty leave of her admirer, and
went toward the house, looking guilty
and confused.
1t was a chilly evening in autumn,
and the big, warm kitchen, with the
supper table set out in the middle of
the well-scrubbed floor, looked CHEEKY
and inviting, but it failed to raise La
vinia's sinking heart, as her mothers
gaze confronted her.
AS she crossed the threshold, she
would have almost forgone the pleas
ure of having a gentleman ask if he
might come to see her Sunday night
If that pleasure was to result in a
gaze like this. She knew she had a
right to receive the attention of this
admirer, but that knowledge was of
singularly small avail to her.
HAS that man buried his third?"
her mother demanded in an awful
voice.
"He has, answered Lavinia.
when did he bury her?"
"'Bout two months ago." came the
detected answer.
ooh, gracious Lord! Oh, Lordy,
Lordy, Lordy!" she exclaimed in a
terrible burst. 81 never, 1 declare I
never!"
At this moment Layinia wished she
could sink through the floor to escape
her mothers wrath. She knew that
nothing she could say would do any
good, so she said nothing, and tried
tu hold herself so as to be as little
a~ggravating as possible. She was
UNNECESSARILY surprised and unutter.
ably relieved when her mother sud
denly and unexpectedly dropped the
subject and said quite cheerfully:
SWELL, supper is ready, Laviny.
Come On, an don't stand there ar.
outlying about nothing all the even
ing. If you amt hungry, I am"
Mrs. Blown was shrewd. What she
said to herself was:
IF I go again that PARROT Smith
she'll stick Up for him all the more,
SO I'll hold nay tongue" She could
do it, too, being an exceptional wo.
man.
Poor Lavinia! Two tears rolled
down her weathecbeaten cheeks at
the kindly, though gruff words. She
had been working ia the harvest field
all day, and was\ cold, hungry and
tired. For years shJ had taken a
mans place on the farm, and it was
a mans old, faded coat and hat she
now took off and hung Oh a nail be.
hind the door, where long ago he1
father used to hang the same coal
and hat. She proceeded to "wash'
before sitting down to supper, just
as any farm hand would do.
Her mother, engaged in 'dhshing
up the wholesome food and pouring
hot tea, had no time to notice he1
daughters troubled c~ountenance, as
she tried to grasp the problem OF
this, her first love affair. Her moth.
er's amiability continued through tn.
meal, and even afterward. When the
evenings work was done, and the
two ome sat down to read or sew
the gentlemen" were not men.
toned.
Lavinia thought with a burning
heart of Sunday night. What would
her mother say and what would he1
feelings be on that occasion? Nc
matter. For once she would brave
her mothers wrath and indulge in
the luxury of "Sunday-night compa.
n.y." ~
Simple Lavinia! She did not know
that her mothers shrewdness guessed
as much, and was making her plans
accordingly. In their anxiety to har-
vest the crops while the dry weather
lasted, the two women apparently
forgot the PARROT Smith incident.
But when Saturday afternoon came
around and Layinia went into the vii
lage as usual to do her errands, she
purchased two instruments that her
mind had dwelt a good deal on
through the week. These were
"crimping pins" and she had come
to the conclusion that the time had
arrived for the use Of these impor-
tant articles.
But she could not help a guilty and
uncomfortable feeling with these
things in her possession, and as she
entered the house she almost felt
that her mothers eyes rested on
those crimping pins, though they
were wrapped up in a paper at the
bottom of her pocket, and her circu.
lar was over the pocket. She could
never tell the exact length of he1
mothers penetration.
When she went upstairs to he1
W little bare room that night she
surveyed her face critically in the lit.
tie square of glass that hung against
the wall above. the homemade
dresser" and even tried to get a good
idea of herself in profile. Then she
brought the glass to bear on each
feature separately, and as a result
of the examination said YEARLY:
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