The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1907-09-19
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BARBARA'S
PRAYER.
By ANNIE HAMILTON DONNELL.
Icopyrlght, BY Joseph B. powles.l

airy; she did not want to hear what
he had to say.
81 know. It's a barrel" she thought,
as she hurried along. IF l turn
'round-if he knows hear hlm-he'll
say, 'Thar's bar'l down to the
Crossin' for the parson, Barb'ry.' I'm
not going to turn round for him to
say that to me! II he or anybody else
brings 1t up can't help 1t, but can
help turning round, can't II"
The girls heart was bitter-bitter-
bitter And the desolation of the
great fiat prairie, scar in It's fall dress,
entered into her heart and "roomsd"
with the bitterness, Barbara Bigelow
loved greenness and hills and pleasant
things. She hated with all her indie
pendent, proud young soul-barrels.
1t was barrel time. OF course that
was what Uncle Zachary was calling
her for. He was plodding his bent old
way up from the little Crossing sta
ton-he had seen the barrel. Every
body would see it-would know,
That everybody" at Lonesome
Prairie was only Uncle Zachary and
the Tilt Tobeys and the Philoon
Moodys and few others, did not
make Bsrbara's musings any less bit
ter. All Lonesome Prairie would
know, anyway. And that wasn't the
worst Of it-she would knowl
Daddy - poor Daddy-and the
Mother are getting accustomed to
'em"-she meant barrels-"but not l.
no, no, no! / shall never get accus-
toned, If live to be hundred! l
shall always hate the sight of barrel
till then!"
Six years they had been out on this
desolate prairie; the Little Parson had
been baby when they came, and now
he was a boy in pockets and whis-
tie. All those years the Mother had
dressed him In barrel clothes. II they
were too big she took them in; II they
were too small she stretched them.
The barrel shoes sometimes pinched
his toes.
Most of Daddy's-poor Daddy's-
clothes were barrel clothes. Most Of
the Mother's-most of Bafbara's and
the Twins. You could tell barrel
clothes the minute you set eyes on
them, by their occasional fancy
streaks and their creases and theiI
general air of having been worn Out
before they got into the barrel.
Every year about this time one had
come-one year two came. Every
year Barbara had been getting more
bitter. The horrible sensation of be
ing-of being secondhand, from Daddy
down to the Little Parson, hurt hel
to the quick.
The people-those people far ava,
where there were hills and greeAnes.
and pleasant things-were kind, Dad
dy said. They were thoughtful. tht
Mother insisted In her gentle fashion
because there were little clothes ant
middle-aged clothes and grown-uI
clothes in the barrels. But bitter, bit
ter Barbara hated these people. The,
were not thoughtful, they were no
kind! They Inundated other people
who lived in untitled, ungreen, I'm
pleasant places, just because they di(
live there and we've peer and preached
in Lonesome PvMpies.
This year, with the patient Mothe
and patient little Rebec' both sick
things were badly of at the prairie
parsonage. In her soul Barbara knew
that they needed that barrel. TIE Lit
tie Parson needed more fady, too bill
or too little trousers, and Daddy need
ed more coats. All four Of the women
people needed most everything.
And Barbara knew in her soul tina
the Mother and Daddy were watching
for 1t.
ITO think they should want I'll" sh
famed, Indignantly. ITO think the
should be willing for 1t! oh, I'd rattle
60 baretooted In the snow and wea
meal-bags!"
But would she rather have tn
Mother and the Twins and the Littl
Parson and Daddy-poor Daddy?
1t turned cold-bitter coId--tha
night. A pitiless wind swept tn
prairie, unhindered by hill or forest
In the parson-man's homo IL was har
to keep warm. Barbara put her ow
thin feather bed over the Twins an
took all the available quilts into tn
sick chamber. She heated bricks an
stove-lids for everybody, padding Iii
tie Rebec's with careful pains The
she got her work and sat down with
on Mothers side Of the bed.
"Oh," sighed Mother, softly, "hav
his everyday ones given out, too?
For 1t was the Little Parsons ever
day trousers Barbara was patchinl
The patches were Of different shad,
and babe fair to stand out boldly an
conspicuously. The Little Parson wa
proud--poor Little Parsoul
He prayed for barrel o. new one
tonight" Mother smiled with VISIT,
tenderness, "''Thout any patches on
You would have cried to hear hin
Barby. He was SO dear. II you
'zaCtly as lives. dear Lord. cause the
call me Patches hind my back wher
the patches are, You know how har
it is, dear Lord, to be called Patches
And He does, Barby; know He does
think He will send that barrel"
"Tll make over my old cloak ini
pants and wear Mothers shawl
thought Barbara, detiantly. "Tll mai
aver the shawl and wear a tabl
cloth"
Suddenly Mothers thin, blue-veins
hand stole across-quilt to Barbara