Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-08-17

A NEIGHB0RLY KINDNESS
81



Tha golden tide of sunlight crept
steadilyAacross the floor. Mrs. Petty,
from the lounge, watched it with fas-
cinated eyes. Mrs. Bilberry had been
there exactly two hours and ten min
utes. If she stayed ten minutes
longer the sunlight would reach the
table and reveal the gray bloom Of
twenty-four hours dust, and five
minutes after that it would discover
the spot on the carpet where the boys
had spilled the ink the day before,
and then the ragged place in front
of the bookcase. and Their
With a determined effort she
turned her thoughts Hospitality to-
ward her caller. Mrs Bilberry's gem
erous figure was surging back ~rfu
forth in a protesting rockin2g- chair,
sher eyes, full of srs1mrathetic interest,
-xepe,-e--7s--up upon her silent hostess,
and her hearty voice flowed on and
on.
And tomorrow morning I'm COM
ing over to do your baking for you.
No, don't say word l can do it
just as well as not. No matter if
have work of my own; | can manage
both without break ing my bones. l
know how you feel laid up with that
sprained ankle, hut you mustn't get
discouraged
Mrs. Petty had started up from the
lounge. She fell back again instant
ly, but the distress in her face was
not from the pain.
"Oh, you MUSTN'T she cried. Its
real kind of you. but couldn't think
of letting you take all that trouble.
Rachel can do everything We'll need;
she's real handy about cooking"
Mrs. Bilberry beamed with gener-
Gus kindness. Now don't go pro-
testing, Mrs. Petty she said. 81
know how much cooking a child like
Rachel will do. l sha'n't let any Of
my neighbors suffer a. long as I'm
able to be about
But Rachel cooks real well. I've
been planning things out while I've
been lying here, and I'm sure we'll
get along all right"
She looked pleadingly at her call
er, land then, reading in her de-
termined glance the evidence Of I'M
changed purpose. hurried desperately
on:
But there's one thing would be
glad Of. since you've been so kind
about offering. If it wouldn't be too
much to ask, I'd be real grateful to
have a little help with the mending.
l let it run behind while I was doing
the house-cleaning, and now it's
about got to the point that nobody
has anything whole to wear OF
course I'll be sitting up in a day or
two, as soon as my back gets straight
ened out, and then l can get on; but
Just for this week-Rachel has SO
much to do with homework and les
soas, too" Her voice trailed Of
interrogatively
1t made her CULVER to think of
anybody's seeing the way she made
over the boys stockings, or the IT.
regular darns upon Rachel's-she
was afraid Rachel never would learn
to be handy with her needle II but
that was better than having some ore
step into her kitchen.
Mrs. Bilberry carefully extracted
herself from the rocker and stood
over the lounge with an air of kindly
authority.
You're all worked up, worrying,
she declared, and ! sha'n't let you
talk another mite. AS for the mend
ing, why, that will fit in an IS easy
as can be. III be over by nine
O'Clock, and I'll cook enough to last
a good part of the week. Wouldn't
you rest better if pulled down the
curtains?
Il guess would" Mrs Petty
agreed. family. The sun had not
quite reached the spot on the car
pei tut she was too tired now to
care anything about it.
There, now. I've darkened tbs
room, and you'll have time for q
good nap before the children get
home from school Good-by, and be
sure you don't worry