Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-22

edge of her cup
She lived alone and felt her loneliness
keeny She was rather bright woman, and she tried
to be good one but she wasn't pretty, and she had
never had a 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-ha of it had been sawed off and moved away;
and the scars covered now by huge grapevine
that grew as if it knew what expected of it. She
had covered part of the inside wall by her beautiful
mahogany secretary with its bevelled glass; its brass
inlay and exquisite metal mounts. She expended much
time and labor that brass and she always felt that
her dead and gone people doing something for her
as she did So since at such times she unable to
think of her loneliness
Miss Sparrer's loneliness oppressed her. She
looked at other women with their husbands and chill
dren with silent envy If of those boys hers
But she checked the thought inde1icacy. And
there If she had sons what in the world could
she have done with them? She who could barely
keep herself But would be pleasant to see them
growing their minds and souls expanding to have only
one of them come storning in in snowy weather. to
have his love and companionship, his arms casped
round her neck his head lying her shouderSwhen at
twilight she told stories and sang songs and they ex
changed the days condolences together Oh how Bit
tery lonely she was She hadn't cat, for she
couldn't afford meat for one, and there wasn't mouse
in the house And she didn't like CATS either. She
have been glad of dog. But there agan-a dog liked
his bone So one dull day was like another; and al
though she was unhappy, she constantly felt how
much happier she might be, with to love and
to love her.
Miss Sparrer held herself rather lofty. Her father
had been the village -do-weel, INDUCED, beloved
ptied and pardoned by every But his father had
been the Doctor and the father before that the Law
yer and Squire of the place. There things
hal daec DO fine nd a
certain kindly condescenson among them. And in
those Miss Sparrern failed She maintained the
tradition of her great grandfahers hospitality by tea
party in Winter, along towards March when her hens
laying WE'LL which all the parish made well
come; the rejection of which, it understood was
to be scrambled eggs her famous otartar bis
cults with of the honey of her two hives, and
dish of peach preserves The little peachtree if the
Summer were warm, gave her few jars, and they
were treasured so long that they candied.
In Summer she gave a garden party to the same
guests who each brought her own basket And if with
any generous intention they brought more than could
be used the next day Miss Anna made round of brief
visits taking to Mrs. Green of Mrs. Browns de-
licious cakes, and to Mrs Brown of Mrs Whites
aaky tarts and to Mrs White of Mrs Green's
delicate rrsks, could be that OF these
dainties were reserved by herself
On the contrary she often bestowed charity. There
was Andrew Maclane-how many time had she
called him in and given him slice of bread and butter,
spread thickly with brown sugar? How many time
had she given him penny? She had gone without her
dinner more than once order to feed hungry tramp
It gave her sweet of the bountifu behavior of
some fictitious lady of the manor.
Andrew, at any rate, had idea that Miss Sparrer
was person of vast riches and exalted rank; and he
always stopped pitching coppers and swearing at the
other boy when she passed by But Andrew knew
nothing of her multitudnous economies. To him she
was the 'lovey lady richly dressed" of the ballad
Even those who did know of those economies felt in
some mysterious way that she was one defrauded OF
her rights Some of the splendor of the old squire
hung about her still; and they took her her own val
uation as people WILL and felt honcred by her recogn
ton and her calls They would have been that any
thing she chose to do propriety ITSELF and they
enioyed their rather ceremonous half hours the par
lor where the generations carpet was too thread
bare to discover the pattern room quaint with we'll
kept Chppendae and Sheraton furniture,-athough no
one there knew that it Chppendale or Sheraton
and illuminated with bits of precious china But they
smiled at the ancient spindle-egged English piano.
whose strings with their cracked tinke had known no
tuner in half-century, but which might have been
worth nearly its weight in gold for its maker, its
its shape its inlay of ivory.
Poor as poverty Miss Anna Sparrer sat in the midst
of wealth but knew it not. This Grandmamas
and that was Grandpapas; and in that harp-backed
chair Mama sitting when Papa proposed; and IN
the drawers of that lowboy she kept her marragecer-
tcate and her FAM and her few lovetters and at this
thousandlegged breakfasttable, larger then by leaf
or more they had all slipped their tea their port after
blessing had been asked The things stood to her in
the place of people and of family; for they were
thronged with memories.
And when the old clock in her little vestibule pealed
the hour she heard again her gandfahers voice as he
drove into the yard snowy day. and the lingering
cadence after had struck like the sweetness in
her fathers voice when he sat singing songs OF hobby
Burns and slipping something he called mountain dew
The giltedged cutglass tumber that held his today
the spoon with when he stirred it, with its crest OF
sparrowhawl things sacred as II ne had peen
a saint instead Of an immensely good-natured scamp
One L.. ,La An,re, hroioht her daily pint of milk