The Washington herald., 1907-06-09
coNcLrpEp Loo LAsr suNpAY.

10 help Mary and get her dressed in her
widows clothes. She was actin queer
and dazed. and nothin' seemed TO make
much impression on her. I was fastenin'
her Grape collar on. and she says 20 me:
7 reckon you think it's strange / don't
cry and take on like women DO when they
lose their husbands But says she, you
wouldn't blame me # you knew
And then she dropped her voice down
TO a whisper. and says she. You know /
married Harvey Andrews. But after l
married him. I found that there wasn't
any such man. I haven't got any cause
10 CRY. for the man married ain't dead
He never was alive, and so, Of course. he
can't be dead
And then she began to laugh; and says
she. I don't know which is the worst;
10 be sorry when you ought to be glad,
or glad when you ought TO be sorry
"And I says, Hush. Mary. don't talk
about IT, I know what you mean. but
other folks might not understand
Mary aint the only one. child. that's
married a man. and then found out that
there wasn't any such man. I've looked
at many a bride and groom standin up
before the preacher and maxim promises
for a lifetime. and I've thought 10 myself
You pore things. you, All you know
about each other is your names and your
faces. You've got all the rest 10 find out.
and nobody knows what you'll find out
nor what you'll do when you find it out
Folks said it was the saddest funeral
they ever went 70. Harvevs people all
lived down i'm Tennessee. His father and
mother had died long ago. and he hadn't
any near kin except a brother and sis
ter and they lived too for off 10 come 10
the funeral in time. Abram said 10 me af-
ter we got home. Well. I never thought
I'd help to lay q friend and ne.ghbor in
the ground and not a tear shed over him
If Mary had "a cried, we could a cried
with her But she set at the head o. the
coffin with her hands folded in her lap.
and her mind seemed 70 be away of from
the things that was happerin around her
7 don't believe she even heard the Clods
fsllin on the coffin and when we started
away from the grave Narthy Matthews
leaned over and whispered to me: Jane,
don't Mary remind you Of somebody
walkin' in her sleep|
"Mary's mother and sister hadn't been
with her in her trouble. for they happen
ed 10 be down I'm Logan visitin' a great
uncle. So Marthv and me settled 1t be
tween us that she was TO stay with Mary
that night and I was TO come over the
next m9rnin'. You know how much there
is 70 he done after n funeral. Well. bright
and early I went over and Marthy met
me at the gate. She was goin' out as 1
was comm in. Says she. Go right up
stairs. Nary's l0okin' for you. She's more
like herself this morniu'; and I'm thank /
fuI for that
The minute I stepped in the door !
heard Mary's voice. She'd seen me comm /
in the gate and called out to me 10 come /
upstairs. She was in the front room. her I
room and Harvey's, and the closet and /
the bureau drawers was all open. and l
things scattered around every which way. I
and Mary was down on her knees in front l
of an old trunk, foldin' M Harvey's /
clothes and putin EN- away. Her hands /
was shaHin', and there was a red spot on /
each Of her cheeks, and she had a strange
look out Of her eyes
I SAYS 10 her. Why. Mary. you amt /
fit 70 he doin' that work You ought 70 !
be in bed restin'' And says she. I can't 1
rest till 7 get everything stra aightened out
Mother and sister Sally are comm. says
she. and I want 10 get everything i'm or /
der before they get here And says. /
Now. Mary you lay down on the bed /.
and I'll put these things away. You can /
watch me and tell me what to do. and .
I'll do it, but you've got 10 rest So /
shook everything out and folded it up as
nice as 7 could and laid it away in the
trunk, while she watched me. And once
She said. Don't have any wrinkles in
'em. Harvey was always mighty partic-
ular about his clothes.
Next 70 lawn the body I'm the ground.
child, this foldin' up dead folks clothes
and putin 'sm away is one O. the hard
est things people ever has to do. It's
Jest like when you've finished a book and l.
shut it up and put it away on the shelf
knew Jest how Mary felt. when she said
she couldn't rest till everything was put
away. The life she'd lived with Harvey
was over. and she was closin' I'D the
book and putin it out Of sight forever. 4
Pore child, Pore child,
"NeN, when I got all o. Harvev's
'lotles put away. I washed out the
mptv drawers, lined 'em with clean paper
md laid some o. little Harvey's clothes i'm
EN-. and that seemed to please Mary.
The father was gone. but there was his
0n 70 take his place. Then ! shut II up
ight, and Mary raised herself up out o.
'ed and says she. Take hold Jane: I'm
yoi1 10 take this 90 tAe attic right now
And take Il we did. though the trunk was
leavv and the stairs so steep and mar
er We had % stop and rest on every step.
Fe pushed the trunk way back under
le caves and it may be standin' there
ret for all I know.
When we got downstairs. Mary drew
long breath like she'd cot big load
If her mind and SAYS she. There's one 5
more thing I want you 20 help me about.
nd then you can 60 home Jane. and I'll
70 TO bed and rest. She took a KEY ont
f her pocket. and says she, Jane. this
S the key to the little cabin out IN the
ack yard. Harvey used TO keep some
hing in there, but what il was 7 never ]
new. As long as we lived together. I {
lever saw inside Of that cabin, but I'm {
oin' to see It now
The children started to foller MS when 4
'e went out on the back porch. but Mary ]
i've EN- some playthings and told 'em to =
tay around in the front yard till we come
ack- Then we went over 10 the far cor 7
er Of the back yard where the cabin Z
.as. under a big old sycamore tree. IIr
coliect how the key creaked when Mary a
lrned it, and how hard the door was to {
pen q
Mary started to go in first. and then n
he fell back, and says she, in a whisper. d
tCu so in first. Jane; I'm afraid So 1
enr in first and MaAy follered. For a a
inUte We couldn't see a thing There "
as two windows TO the cabin but they'd O
cen boarded up from the outside. and $
lere was jest one big crack at the top a
one OF the windows that let in a long h
reak Of light, and you could see the C
lst dancin' in g. The door opened Jest
lough 20 let us in. and we both stood II
lere Deerin' around and tryin' 70 see z
hat sort Of a place we'd got into. The ?
-st thing | made out was a heap OF old il
lsty iron, I started to take a step. and v
y foot struck against It. There was old {
Its and screws and horseshoes and b
raps Of old cast iron and nails Of every n
ze, all laid together I'm a big heap. The d