The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-02-19

""'o pam ldIu anu De uOHs WIN IL
Give me- says l, a streaked chunk;
streak OF lean and a streak OF fat
Then | put 'em in the oven and bake
EN- all day and by night they're
ready. SO when Jehiel says 10 me.
Hannah, / don't feel like beans I
set and looked at him"
Did he look like emf" asks Van.
Hannah Jane switched round on the
step and stared at him. But he was as
sober as a church and Just running
over with sympathy, seemed SO, SO
she shifted and went IN.
HE looked SICK" she says, and I
could see that he was sick, too. SO I
got him to bed and what a night I put
in! Oh, the hot jugs to his feet! oh,
the running for the doctor! We had
DR.. Blake here then, Mr.. Pratt. You
remember him, don't you? Great big
tall man with gray whiskers. No,
wait a minute. Twas DIR. White that
had the whiskers; DR.. Blake was
smooth-faced. No, seems to me he
had a mustache. / remember he did
because he vas engaged to Emma
Bakers sisters girl and she used to
say that when she once got him for
good he'd have to raise more beard
than that. She said a doctor without
a beard was like a s~oft.boiled egg with.
out-without-without something or
mother in it. Strange l can't thinki
An egg without something in it.
Chicken, possibly" suggests Van.
mo, indeed. Salt! that's what twas.
A soft-biled egg without salt in 1t.
Now you'd ought to be as careful
about billing eggs as you had about
anything else. Way some folks bile
eggs is a sin and shame. I've ct eggs
so hard that you could build a stone
wall out Of EN-, seems so; and then
again I've ct EN- when I've actually
had to drink 'em. Now when l bile
eggs I always-let me see; l want
speaking Of eggs when I fust started.
Where was II"
you were telling us about beans, I
believe, Mrs. Purvis," purrs Van
again, sweet and buttery as can be.
Il seem to have a dim recollection Of
beans, Mrs. p"
"Oh, yes, yes! / was going on to
tell of Jehiel's sufferin's. Mr.. Van
Brunt. II l could only begin to give
you an idea of that poor critters
agony. Why, he-who's that at the
back door,"
Twas the neighbours boy, as 1t
turned out, come to borrow a cupful
Of sugar, but he took Hannah Jane
away from us, which was a mercy.
She dropped the dishpan and went in.
| side.
Van Brunt looked after her. will
some n please inform me-" says he,
whether I've been at a clinic. or a
funeral, or just a cooking-school ses.
sion?"
"Humph!" says Hartley. "Unfor.
tunate interruption. Now we shan't
learn what became of the long-suffer.
ing Jehiel."
"Oh, he died." says Van. 81 wanted
to find out what became of those
beans"
:" understand now why they put
AT Rest on Jehiel's gravestone,"
says.
Hartley turned to me. Skipper
he says, you mustn't think that Van
and l are altogether cold-blooded be-
cause we refuse to weep over the de.
parted Samuels. The lady has
cheered us with happy little memories
of this kind ever since she agreed to
demean herself and make 'riz biscuit
at four-lfty per. She began with her
cousin. who died of smallpox, and
she's worked down through the family
till she's got to her husband"
YES" says Van, 'and he's only her
first. We shall hear later how Mum.
Der Two fell into a stone-crusher or
was boiled in oil. Lord!"
Hank Purvis had five brothers,
says I; "and they've all died within
the last ten year. You've got more
funerals coming to you"
1t was quiet for a few minutes. Out
back we could hear Hannah Jane lay.
ing into the neighbours boy because
he tracked mud on the kitchen floor.
1T was no use," says Van, decided.
Il refuse to enc my subscription to
The Daily Morgue. All those in favor
of parting with the Widow Purvis at
once, immediate, P. D. O., will say
Aye Contrary minded, No It's q
vote. Hannah is erased. What shah
we do, Martin-go back to James and
dignity, or feed ourselves?"
Hartley seemed to be thinking
Skipper" say he to me. you can
cook. I-even l, the interesting in
valid-can eat YOU chowder and like
1t and come back for more Will you
come and help us out? What do you
say?"
Van Brunt sat up straight. Mar
tin," says he, you're as comforting as
the shadow of a great rock in Ain a
something or other. You're a genius.
Pratt, you've got to come here and
live x,itl ,,e yIa DaaA fhao 1,,o..