The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-05-31
THE SCAREDNESS
OF D0RCAS TRIP
By ANNIE HAMILTON
D0NNEIL.

Dear land, yes, we've had an epi-
demic fast enough, down to the
Bridge. But it's over n gone, thank
goodness, an nobody dead, without
it's me-" Aunt Roxy Knapp's lean
old face wrinkled into a smile. My
DEAR she added, Il can count the
little creatures that | didn't nuss on
the fingers o one hand"
Aunt Roxy had come up river for
her annual visit to fittle Rosemary
Lamont. Rosemary claimed Aunt
Roxy because, she reasoned, she
might have married Uncle Rufus La
mont "as easy as not" in which case
she would have been an aunt,
wouldn't she?
Il suppose you ain't heard how it
happened? No, of course not-well,
soon's / get my breath I'll tell you
the hull story. It's a kind of funny
story the way it's turned out, but,
dear land, it might've been solemn
enough. The Bridge folks amt liza
bic to forgive Mis- Trip for one
spell"
Miss Tripp?" Rosemary queried,
ooh, Mrs. Tripp, with so many little
Tripps!"
'Five-boys and girls equally di-
vided. She's the one / mean, my
dear"
Aunt Roxy" Rosemary whirled
about from the kitchen stove, how
do you equally divide five children"
Two boys, two girls, an the
twins-one boy an one a girl, and
neither Of 'em but half. Two an
two's four an half n a half is an
other. There's your five children,
equally divided, my dear!" Aunt
RoXy's laugh wrinkled again pleas
antly. She put out slender old hand
for Rosemary's cup of steaming tea.
Under its benign influence the epi-
demic story unfolded.
"Dorcas Tripp was born scared,
an il grew on her, till when she
come TO be married and have children
declare to goodness if she wasn't
most too scairt TO bring EN- up! Ep-
idemics was her worst dread of all.
She was always certain the children
were going to catch something. 1t
frightened her nigh to death to hear
they was a case o measels in town,
or mumps, an when somebody
dropped in an up n told her Corne-
liza Higgins boarder's little girl had
the scarlet fever, you ought to've
seen Dorcas Trips face! Before
that caller dropped out all the little
Trips had the scarlet fever and the
twins was dead an buried.
well" Aunt Roxy took a reminis-
cent sip or two, Il heard how scairt
she was an | went right over. Aunt
Roxy, says she, as pale as ghost, i
wish you'd button the children up,
I've got TO finish packing
L" Packing / says, took all in
heap Then / saw she was cramming
things into valises like one pos
sessed She never looked up but
KEEP right on talking I'm going to
Cousin Flavilla's,' she says. The
children's got their best dresses on
for traveling-if you'll button 'em
up. An | wish you'd hurry, Aunt
Roxy, says she, hurrying like every
thing herself, I'm not going to stay
in this plague-ridden town a minute
longer thar | can help. Do you sup
pose want to bury my innocent lit
tie children, The twins are delicate
none o the children could ever
stan the scarlet fever. What | say
is'-kind of screaming 1t out-'that
people no business taking summer
boarders an perilling the lives of
their innocent neighbors! Cornelia
Higgin ought TO be ashamed OF her
self First she knows she'll have
blood on her soull'"
Aunt Roxy rocked creakily. Yes.
she didn't know but she'd have an
other cup o. tea. Rosemary got IL
with alacrity, it's fragrant steam fill
ing the little kitchen pleasantly.
Well, my dear "a mite more SUI
gar, IL you please), Doreas went. In
less'n four hours after she heard the
news she was on her way 10 her Cou-
sin Flavilla's. You know where Fla
villa Cross lives, don't you? A
dreadful manufacturing place, swarm
ing with furriners. IL used TO be real
n -