The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-01
THE EVENING STORY
SFoLIY's LITTLE PIE.
lBv Joanna singIe.l


/ blew about the thin fringe of white
hair beneath his old fur cap, and
| brought tears to his still fierce black
| eyes He groaned as he went with
his burden toward the neat little farm
/ house. He was labOriOusly filling the
woodbox after doing the morning
chores and he was very tired.
Ma opened the door and closed II
after him. but she did not speak ne
avoided her gentle blue eyes. 1t had
been almost six years since he could
/ talk to her without disagreement Ma
went back to her pie-making on the
table near the window and looked past
/ the sere cOrnstalks, half buried IN
snow, to a little brown house from
whose chimney the smoke seemed TO
/ rise almost gaily into the dead gray
/ day. There was a red barn near the
/ little house. and to and fro in the yard
ran small figure in a red coat ana
/ cap. Mas heart yearned toward her
| daughter Molly's four-year- Jimmy.
Then she sighed and looked around at
/ her husbands obdurate face.
John Davis was what is called
good man. but he was hard; he boast
ed that his great-grandfather was an
! Indian, and that he himself never for
gave an injury. He had wanted Mol
| ly to marry Peter Andrews, and had
therefore considered himself hopeless |
| ly injured when she insisted on loving |
and marrying Richard Burns, though
he had no real objection to Richard In
himself. Molly was a stubborn as he
and there had been no visiting between |
the two households, by his own COM
mand He was master in his own |
house and Ma obeyed. though under |
protest, for their two sons were out
west and Molly was all she had. She |
had long since ceased to argue with !
Pa about it, and though she did not
go to Molly's house, she made the
most of any chance meetings with her |
or the small Jimmy. She had not been |
in her daughters house since the time |
.i1 tried
stop her then.
And now it was the day before the |
New Year began. Ma went on with |
her pies, big and rich, and thick with |
her best mincemeat, and she did now
as she had always done since Molly |
had been a tiny girl-made one pie in |
a little yellow saucer-Molly's little |
pie. Each year she continued to DO |
this, her husbands contempt notwith- |
standing. This time she did it oSten- |
tatiously, holding it high on her hand I
as she trimmed the crust off around I
the edge. She intended to attract his /
attention.
He had removed his mittens and had |
taken down his old gun from the rack; |
he sat cleaning the gun, with his feet /
on the hearth, and his teeth set. He |
was in torture from rheumatism, and |
SO weak he could scarcely get through /
with what work must be done out OF
doors, but he carefully hid his cOndi- |
ton from his wife; Ma would put him |
to bed and dose him and tell him he
had to forgive Molly and have Richard /
over to relieve him of the heavy work. /
Richard wanted to do this too. Ma /
would be scared and say he was too /
old to be alone, and too old to be un- |
forgiving. He was only sixty, and he
never had forgiven any one, and he
did not intend to begin now. And he /
had said he would never see Molly's /
baby and he never would eitheri
Then he looked up and saw Molly's |
little pie balanced on her mothers |
hand. It was the last straw.
Ma" he said, you're a worse idiot /
every year Quit maxim that little /
fool pie! Molly'u never come over
here to eat it, and you can make up
enough! And I forbid you to be ever
lastinly meetin' her an Burns like I
know you do Ill-Ill lock you up, /
old as you be, if you can't have any |
this ag'in next yeari lou throw that I
pie into the slop-bucket this minute or |
I'll come over there and do it myself |
He rose but his rheumatism made him |
pause. And then Ma did what she had I
not done once before in the forty years /
of their marriage. She faced him with |
blazing eyes and dared him to touch /
her or the pde, and he stood speech /
less beneath the torrent of her words. /
He had not seen Ma reused before!
John Davis" she finished, after she /
had talked awhile, the Lord can take
down your wicked pride II l can [. on 1
know Molly had a right to marry Rich I
ard; you know you're as wild to see
your only grandson as am. too! I'm /
going over there after this just when |
I pleaSe-I'm going to take this pie /
over when it's baked. I've sent it on /
the sly too long-Im tired of sneak |
in'i I've knuckled under to your within /
as long as ever intend to. You're too
old to be so hard. You better just |
stop tempting Providence with the |
hardness of your heart, and go and /
fetch home Molly an Richard an !
Jim Illy-I'rn eookin' the best in the |
land like / always do You do what 1 |
say an see how good it feels to be de- |
cent once. This will be New Years
eve. an a good time to begin. This is /
the last word I'm goin' to say about
it" She closed her mouth and slammed |
the oven door on the pie.
Pa stood in the middle of the room /
holding his gun, too dumbfounded to /
the door and she called him in her
usual voice:
Its most eleven an dinner'n be
ready at twelve What you want with |
the gun, PAP He answered duly:
Saw some fat rabbits over in the |
cornstalks-thought I'd like to taste !
one-we amt had any this winter |
He marched out Of the house, and /
plow through the snow and cornstalks |
till he passed out of sight behind /
some old shed and haystacks back of |
MOlly's barn.
one put OAlilel on the ldDle at Twelve /
and called loudly to the barn. She |
waited awhile, then put things in the |
oven to keep warm. In the pantry the /
pies stood in delicious brown crispness
beside the fruit cake and cranberry /
jelly and ali the delicacies the farm /
afforded.
At one o'clock he had not yet come |
and she grew impatient She had +
heard the gun once or twice, but that |
was some time back. At two she was l
openly anxious and went out to search |
the barn.
Then she dared to hope that he had |
taken her a her word and had gone |
to Molly's. but looking over she saw 1
nothing going on except Jimmy still in |