The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-09-01
ANGELS CANE.

| MIS-. Neal was angry. AS sue
stalked into the front room and sank
heavily into the creaking depths Of
the haircloth sofa, her lips were press
ed tight together and her eyes were
narrowed to mere Sits. There was
something, too, indicative of extreme
displeasure in the harsh rustic of her
best black dress as she smoothed its
many folds with black-gloved hand.
But Miss Euphemia, stolidly crochet
ing her endless ''tidies' by the front
window, was oblivious to all these
potent signs of her sisters wrath.
She peered over the tops of her spec
tacles at the bulky figure on the sofa,
and observed mildly:
"Seems to me you're back dretful
early, Sarah. You amt been gone
an hour. Did everything pass off
we'll ?"
Mrs. Neal stiffened. She took off
her Grape bonnet and deposited it.,
none too gently, on the sofa beside
her.
81 call it ridickerlous," she burst
out explosively. IT never heard of
such goin's on to fun raj in my life
I always said these folks that build
their summer places here never did
the town no good"
"Well," said Miss Euphemia pla-
cidly, ''if see anything there that I
didn't like, should try to forget all
about it"
"See p shifted her sister with in
finite scorn. "See! That's just it..
I never see nothin'."
Miss Euphemia let her work drop
to her lap. She leaned forward eagerly
in her chair.
"Warn't there no fun ral?" she in
quired, in tone which showed she
was prepared for the worst.
'Oh, I guess there was fun raj,
all right" Mrs. Neal replied, "but
never see hide nor hair of it." She
pushed the bonnet viciously to the
other end of the sofa, and began pull
ing off her gloves. II got up there
about half-past one," she went on,
"an' would you believe it, when
tried to go in the front door it was
locked | So I rings the bell an waits
on the front porch. Bimeby the door
opens soft like, an there stood one of
them maids with little white cap on
her head.
"'Who did you wish to see? says
she, calm as you please.
"'I've come to the fun RAIL- says I.
cat that she pushes the door to
closer, as if she was afraid / was goin'
to try to sneak in when she warn't
lookin.'
"'The fun'r raj, says she, is to be
private an she shuts the door with
a click square in my face.
"I don't know as was ever so took
back in all my days." the indignant
lady concluded. "Did you ever hear
of anything so out an out unsocia-
ble?"
Miss Euphemia looked out the win
dow with wrinkling brows.
II suppose they've got a right,
Sarah, to have the fun'ral private, if
they've mind to" she hazarded at
length.
II suppose they have" snapped
her sister, but I call it uppish of
'em, specially since we amt had a
fun raj since Grandpa Baggs' last De-
cember."
can they do say" continued Miss
Euphemia, "that young Mis- Burton
takes it dretful hard"
"She'll git over it," was Mrs.
Meals grim rejoinder "They always
do, when they're young and good
I.lookin.' An I dunno as there's any
partic'ler sense in treatin' your neigh
bors shabby jest because your hus-
band got throwed off his boss an
broke his neck. You wait. The
next time Mis- Burton an rne comes
together anywheres, she's goin' to
git good piece of my mind -
"Now, Sarah" Euphemia be-
gan, but the other cut her short.
"She's goin' to git a piece of my
mind, mark that" she repeated with
determination. "I'll show 'em how
to have their maids slam the door In
my face when I take the trouble to
go to their fun rails %
Mrs. Neal arose from the sofa and
snatched up her bonnet and gloves.
"You goin' off again % Euphemia
asked.
eyes, I'm goin' to run in to Mis-
Jones' for minute, an then I'm
goin' up to the cemetery to have a
look at the flowers. They say down
to the depot there was terrible sight
come last night. I don't suppose the
cemetery'll be private, even if the
fun'ral was -
She went ponderously ont of the
room, and Euphemia, after thought
fully polishing her spectacles for a
time, took up the neglected tidy again
1t was nearing dusk when Mrs
Neal climbed the hill to the cemetery
A great cloud hanging in the west
flashed crimson and ocher along its
lower edge; by the roadside the tree:
and bushes Haunted gorgeous autum.
nal colorings; but she toiled grimly
up the slope, with no eye to the splen.
dors of the dying day. She gained
the summit, and pushed open the
little iron gate.
Close to the entrance was lot will
a single new-made grave banked higf
with flowers. Mrs. Neal made hel
way thither, and stood there feastins