The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-10-25
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A cheerful. -year-old voice
drifted back up the stairs, up the hall
Il don't know. III count EN-"
Il know she didn't" groaned the
anxious voice in the period OF waiting
and she had all her best clothes on,
as she always has when it's cloudy"
"She never! Here's four in the UNI
brelia stand But don't you go to
worrying, marmie; it only looks like
rain"
airs Heath resumed her darning and
her worrying. She was tiny woman
who should have been pink and white
and smooth. unworried. Faint care
lines, as it was, crisscrossed her gem
tie face. Umbrellas was but one item
of her daily program Of anxieties. she
was the family worrier-all the pos
sible and impossible calamities that
might or might not happen to seven
lusty Heaths happened to them in her
imagination.
THAT lovely hat! Caroline is SO
care Mercy, I'm sure smell smoke!
She hurried to the head of the stairs
Mig! Mig"
"Yes'm," against the cheerful young
voice.
you there?" Mrs. Heath was mild
ly addicted to needless questions. i
smell fire. Is the baby anywhere near
the matches?'
The baby was five and utterly un-
reconciled to his notifying title
Hes In the same room, but he's on
the floor, and the match"
'Then it's Thyrsa. She's probably
lighting the fire with kerosene. Run,
Mig. quick!"
Il will I'll put her out-never you
mind, marmie!"
There was n scurry of light feet fol-
lowed by dumping little ones. It was
the baby who reported, moment lat
err
"Nothin's burnin' cept the fire" he
shouted at the top Of good lungs.
"Weu, it's mercy! Something
else will burn one OF these days, with
everybody so reckless. We shall wake
up some morning and find ourselves
burned to a crisp, | wonder where |
dropped that needle? Now some one
will step on it and have lockjaw! l
shant take a minutes peace until
find IT,
She took very few minutes peace,
day or night. Did Griffith II. read his
Latin over the second time before he
went to school? Had Griffith !. re-
membered to order coal? Was Thyrsa
coming down with another earache?
What il the new neighbors turned
out TO be the wrong kind? What il
the dressmaker got Mig's dress too
short-or too long-or the sleeves
skinny? What il a hundred other
dreadful things happened?
The seven other Heaths enjoyed life
in a healthful untroubled fashion that
to the little family worrier appeared
incOmprehensible. The weight of the
cares they ought to feel and the wor-
ries they ought to worry added to her
own full CULVER until the burden grew
almost too heavy for her slender
shoulders 1t happened that this par
ticular afternoon was destined to be
the fateful one. Quite suddenly and
unpremeditatedly the half-mended
stocking dropped from Mrs. Heath's
fingers.
I'm too tired to worry about an
other thing!" she said with a curious
air Of fnality. Somebody else must
do 1t now-Iye done my part" Her
tired eyes had a strained look. She
was conscious of a sudden desire to
change places with the baby, so that
she might cry, She put her hand to
her head. II anything should snap
she had never been afraid before that
anything would snap.
i've got to stop worrying she said
aloud. Henrietta Heath, you listen
to me. When / say three you stop"
She had left her little STRAIGHTFORWARD
sewing chair and sunk into Griffith Us
soft rocker. Conceive" she counted
slowly, three! Have you stopped,
Henrietta Heath?"
Il have stopped" nodded Henrietta
Heath from the depths of the great
chair She closed her eyes in relaxed
abandonment of earthly cares. But
unconsciously she worried on because
she was not worrying. Some one must
worry-a helpless family could not be
left in the lurch like this. She must
find some one to take her place
"Pn advertise" she thought and got
paper and pencil.
The wording Of the notice gave her
little trouble; it was odd how her pen
Gil few from line to line Things one