Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-21

49, She lived : ..
and felt her loneliness keenly. She
was rather bright woman. and she tried
to be a good one: but she wasn't pretty
and she had never had lover In her
whole life.
All the other Sparrers had gone TO Try
the further life of the unknown. Even
the house had been changed. as one-hali
of it had been sawed eff and moved away
and the scars were covered now by huge
grapevine that grew as if it knew what
was expected of ii. She had covered part
Ut the inside wall by her beautiful mahoS-
any secretary with it's beveled glass; its
brass inlay and exquisite metal mounts
She expended much time and labor on that
brass; and she always felt that her dead
and gone people were doing something for
her as she did so, since at such times she
was unable to think of her loneliness
Miss Sparrer's loneliness oppressed her
She looked at other women with their nus
hands and children with silent envy. II
one of those boys were hers. But she
checked the thought as an indelicacy And
there. If she had ter sons, what In the
world could she have done with them!
She. who could barely keep herself. But
it would be so pleasant to see them grow
Ing. their minds and souls expanding, to
nave only one of them come stormins IN IN
snowy weather. to have his love and COM
ranionsaip, his arms clasped round her
nec. his head lying on her shoulder, when
at twilight she told stories and sang songs
and they exchanged the days condolences
together. oh, how bitterly lonely she
was, She hadn't even a cat, for she
couldn't afford meat for one. and there
wasn't a mouse in the house. And she
didn't like cats, either She was afra.d
Of them: and they made her sneeze She
would have been glad of a dog. But there
again-a dog liked his bone. So one dull
day was like another; and although she
ras not unhappy. she constantly felt how
much happier she might be. with some
one to love and some one to love her.
Miss Sparrer held herself rather loftily.
Her father had been the village ne'er-do-
weel, INDUCED. beloved, pitied and par
doned by every one. But his father had
been the doctor. and the father before that
the lawyer and squire of the place. There
are some things that long descent make
obligatory, fine manners. and certain
kindly condescensIon among them. And
IN those Miss Sparrer never failed. She
maintained the tradition Of her great
rrandfather's hospitality by tea party in
winter, along toward March. when her
hens were laying WELL at which all the
parish was made welcome; the rejection
Of which, it was understood, was to be
scrambled eggs, her famous cream o tar
tar biscuits, with some of the honey Of
her two hives, and a dish of peach pre-
serves. The little peach tree, If the sum-
l..5- pre,c warm, gave her a few jars. AMI
they were treasured so long that they
-.ere candied
in summer she gave a garden party t"
tie same guests, who each brought her
oxn basket. And If with any generous
Intention they brought more than could
be used. the next day Miss Anna made a
round Of brief visits, taking to Mrs. Green
me of Mrs. Browns delicious cakes,
and TO MS. Brown some OF Mrs. Whites
Gaky tarts and to Mrs. White some OF
Mrs. Green's delicate rusks. so it could be
seen that none of these dainties was re-
served by herself
ON the contrary, She often bestowed
Charity. There was Andrew Madame
how many a time had she called him in
and given him a slice of bread and butter
spread Tricky with brown sugar? How
many time had she given him penny:
She had gone without her dinner more
than once in order to feed a hungry
tramp II gave her a sweet sense of the
bountiful behavior of some fictitious lady
OF the manor.
Andrew, at any rate. had an idea that
Miss Sparrer was person of vast riches
and exalted rank: and he always stopped
uitcning coppeTs and swearing at the
other boy when she passed by. But An
drew knew nothing OF her multitudinou5
economies To him she was the lovely
LADY richly dressed of the ballad.
Even those who did know of those econo-
mics felt, in some mysterious way. that
she vas one 6efraude of her rights. Some
OF the splendor of the old squire hung
ABOUT he- still. and they took her on her
own valuation, as people Will, and felt
honorci by her recognition and her calls.
They would have been sure that anything
she chose to do was propriety itself. and
t,.ey enjoyed their rather ceremonious half
hours in the parlor VIII the generations
old carpet was too threadbare to discover
the pattern. a room quaint with we'll kept