Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-02-09


realized"
The mother, knowing this was true,
said nothing, only continued to shoot
rapid needle in and out of the niue
stocking she was mending.
Take the only matter of school,
continued Aunt Matilda. "Of course
it's very generous of Stephen to send
them to Miss Blacks as soon as they
are ten years old yet | very much
question the wisdom of such course.
Your children are poor, and will have
to earn their own living" Aunt Ma
tilda spoke plainly. as prosperous elder
sisters sometimes do. Attending Miss
Blacks school throws your girls with
others who are above them in station
and wealth, though not in birth and
breeding
There's Louise, now, and the ques-
ton of dress, went on Aunt Matilda,
warming to her subject under her
sisters persistent silence. Louise is
popular, and goes with the incest girls
in town. Perhaps it hasn't happened
yet, but some day Louise viii be want
ing clothes such as the other girls
have, and will be unhappy because she
can't have them, for remember, Emily,
Louise viii soon be grown up
She's only fourteen" said Louise's
mother.
Left to herself, while her fingers
flashed to- and fro, Emily thought and
thought Her brothers and sisters had
been very kind to her, but they had
never understood Perhaps it was be-
cause she has never cried it out Or
talked or told, that the loneliness was
as poignant today as on that first
strange night. Then she has sat with
Baby Joy in her arms all night, and
now Joy was seven years old.
Louise was the only one of the five
girls who remembered her father. It
setmed to Emily that she had never
had time to mourn for Fred. Grief had
been a luxury to be denied herself, just
as she gave up other things for the
cbildren's sake. She and Fred had
always given up for them.
Fred wants MS all 10 be happy.
That was what she said 10 herself
every hour Of her widowhood
If some day Fred could have come
back out of that land OF silence, il
some day, just as Of old, at half past
six, he could have flung open the gate,
taken the front walk in two strides,
clicked his latch key and slammed the
door, twirled his hal about on the hall
peg with all the old dexterity, and
run his two hands through his tawny
hair before he kissed her, he would
have found Emily at thirty-fve just
tie same girl wife as at nineteen, with
the same snyness and sweetness, the
same hesitancy of words, the same
doubtfulness Of manner everything an
iron strength of purpose.
Fred had left her one great COM
fort. The other children always said
that Louise was mothers girl quite
unenyiously, knowing web that May
and Bee and Nina and JOY were mot
er's girls as well, and also half under
standing why Louise was little diff
erent
When they had crowded around their
mothers knee to look at their fathers
picture, their mother had always add
ed, after she had spoken softly OF that
face, Louise has fathers eyes and his.
hair and mouth. She walks as he did,
and that way of holding her head a
little up and back is fathers"
Louise will soon be grown up
Her sisters words rang in the mothers
brain. Oh, how patiently she had
waited for that timei Some day once
again she would share the glad giving
up. Some day she would see again
Fred's eyes bending over her with the
old protecting tenderness.
Louise stayed late at school on these
days. Miss Black was busy with pre-
parations for last day." and Louise
was in demand Her mother hoped
she would come in before the others.
for the surprise lay all spread out on
the blue-room bed. and her mother
wished to share it with Louise first.
The spring box from Cousin Ethel had
been late in coming, but never had the
little New York cousins cast-off
clothes looked quite so dainty and
pretty.
There was a light step on the porch,
the door was flung open, and Louise,
fresh with May sun and wind, stood in
the sitting room doorway.
She sank upon the sofa and tossed
off her hat, running her fingers through
her hair to loosen it with a gesture
that was SO precious to her mother that
it hurt Somehow this spring Louise
had given up kissing her mother when
s. came in, just as she had given up
hop-scotch and hoops; but of course
Louise was just the same-of course
she was.
You're late. dear" said her mother.
Eyes. we had meeting after school
to vote for last-day marshal-you
know, the girl who leads the whole
line through the garden march and
into the chapel and directs all the girls
where they're to sit, and everything.
And, mother who in the world is it,
do you think? / ami" and Louise
jumped up and down on the bare
ribbed and springless sofa ~They
never elected fourth-cIass girl be-
fore
Emily rolled up the stockings and
thrust them into the bag that always
hung on the back Of her chair. Come,
deary. she said The surprise has
arrived. It's up on the blue-room bed.
! want Won to zee 1t first.
Things did not descend in Cousin
EtnePs family Instead they went to
Emily. The blue-room bed was de-
light-froeks, shirt waists, slippers,
stockings, bits Of ribbon and lace; but
yet Emily's heart at first had fallen
a little; evidently Cousin Ethel's girls
were not growing as fast as hers
Louise and May were tall Still there
was one dress that would do, and ii
was 50 pretty that she had given it
chair all 10 itselR It was Of white
muslin, trimmed only with FAench en-
broidery made simply but exAnisitely.