The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-12-30

SIX years previous to this new year to
day II didn't matter II II were five O
siN.-Or seven or elght.-sO long as yul
subiracted four OF the years. The sig
nal code was in the back OF all the rest
Desire turned the pages to it with trem
uluus fingers She read 1t aloud as II Il
Roxy:
'Red-trOubie. Come over.
"Whitc--alls well
'BIue-nothinE but rheumatism VII
come over as soon az il clears of
'Gr"en-come to tea Have made pori
cake"
The little code" ran on through on,
or two more colors But Desires eyel
went back to the first and third signals
Rcd-trouble Come over" and theI
the third with IT. quaint enGing-Desir,
smiled over that She and Delight hat
always spoken Of their rheumatism AZ
clearing of, Instead of getting well
She and Delight had always had rheuma
tism: 1t had been strong CONNECTING
link between them always Delight ia,
Inherited hers from her mother ,--Desir,
hers from her father They used Il
laugh and say they couldn't see thai
there was much choice between the fem
mime Kind and the masculine! Both u
en- hurt
How often they used TO laugh, That
was another connecting link When they
were little bits, they had cried together
over their names and made long lists OF
the beautiful poetry the,
lunped for on the walls OF Delights shcC
-lsohel. Ethelnd -Jeannette.- Maudt
Mathilde, how they had pored over the
lovely names and chosen" again ant
again But when they grew older, they
had laughed over the quaint old names
their mothers had put their heads to-
gether and given them, I~or they haC
been named on the same day. when they
lay little red-faced, squIrming morsels
In the same big cradle The mothers
had waited until they were a month old
and then met together for mutual coun-
sci
Red trouble. Come over" Desire
shut up the diary sharply. but the words
kept saying themselves over and over to
her She could not forget them OF
course ii was a spot in the red table
cloth. drying In the sun. but II kept on
saying: Trouble Come over ""Trou.
Bile Come yer"-all the morning II
took the pleasure out OF the sunshine anc
clear. sweet air,-the soft. new-fallcn
snow and the CHEEKY calls OF the chicka.
dees, out Of the whole bright New
Years day Even Roxy could not settle
down to her alternate maps and placid
meditatluns in the sunny window She
followed her uneasy mistress about
uneasy too. and full OF wlstfu sympathy
Some things It's better not even to purr
to one another.
-Four years ago a trivial mlsunder.
standing had separated these two lonely
women II had not amounted to much in
the beeinning.-a little grievance only.
but with true New England pertinacity
they had chung each to her own hurt.
nursing il into vigorous life. 1t was
four years old now The narrow width
of country roadway that ran between
the two little brown houses might have
been the breadth OF the sea.
In the early afternoon, Desire and
Roxy had New Years callers. The min.
lister came first and prayed with them in
his simple heartfelt way. He thanked
tho Lord for peace and goodwill on
earth, for the pleasant old year and
he beautiful beginning OF the new one
1t was a grateful, comforting prayer:
there was nothing in II about mIsunder-
standings and trouble and rheumatism
Then the doctors wife came in with
her baby, and stayed long enough to
patch a pair OF little stockings. Then
Mrs. Deacon Blinn came,-then Hosy
Todd's two little girls .--last OF all. laugh
ing Jeffy Rand
Merry Chris mean Happy New
Year," laughed JefIy. Thought I'd
come an wish II. I've been TO all the
this-side- -the-street houses up TO here,
an I'm comm back on the other side |
xceptin' | shant 20 to folly Wallace's
house"
why not to Tolly's. Jeffy?"
Jeffy laughed. he always laughed.
Cause we've fell out, " he sa Id. cheer
Ily you don't so to folks houses you've |
fell out with an wish EN- Happy New
Years, do your"