Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1910-03-04
,.,an ,v,uea rne napkins up ant

some, Sarah remarked, lOoklnS hdiu
at something out Of the window that
seemed to have a mist about 1t.
"No, | s'pose not" Priscilla said
softly.
There were a few minutes OF rock
ing and looking out of the window.
"Only fourteen years DID, Sarah
mused, half to herself.
What did yor say Sarah?" Priscilla
asked.
"Nothin-I was just thinking" re-
turned Sarah.
"You know" Priscilla said, after a
pause. "if anything was to happen
that my Minnie was to be left alone
| wonder if could send down a pray
er that would go into somebody's
heart and not let 'em rest until they
went an found her an took her in an
gave her a good home-like your'n,
for example" she said.
81 don't know" Sarah returned,
slowly. "A good many prayers are
sent on wild goose chases-like some
I've had to do with. | used to pray,
night after night, but | guess they
went up when everybody was out"
she added somewhat bitterly.
you mustn't, Sarah, you mustn't
cried Priscilla, "it's a blasphemy.'
"What-prayef?" Sarah inquired.
NO, talkin' like that" said Priscil-
la.
Well, amt | goin' { give tn nap
kins TO tn guild?" Sarah retorted.
1T amt napkins tn Lord wants"
suggested Priscilla.
What is it, then?' inquired Sarah.
Its hearts-good, lovin', tender hu-
man hearts-that's what it is"
well, mine was good an loyin' an
tender once" Saran said, slowly. But
it's old an hard an dry now like an
old cheese rinnd."
"Mebte He's tryin' TO make it low
in an tender again an give you some
thin to put into II that'll take it back
to where it used t be" Priscilla sug-
gested.
"How?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, don't know" Priscilla re-
5ponded. He works in mysterious
way-thats what the poet says
You mean for me to. take her
that girl Of Hetty's?" demanded Sarah,
fiercely.
No; l mean for you to take her
that girl OF Robins" Priscilla answer
ed her.
II forgot" Sarah responded, less
bitterly.
Her name Is Robin. same as his
Priscilla informed her. It's the kind
of a name you can give to a girl or
bov either-th' boys after Robin Hood
an tn girls after Robin Redbreast.
mebbe.'
She told him lies" Sarah cried,
her bitterness returning. She told
him lies and he" She rested her
chin on her hands and her elbows
on her knees and looked hard out OF
the window, where everything was
misty.
Il know" said Priscilla soothingly.
But she is dead an he IL dead an
you an me are here
Il never knew about her fallin
down with Us butter" Sarah said.
Then she added: Was Ii true that
they got pretty poor before she died.
Il guess they were in bad straits,
Priscilla said. They say little Robin
amt hardly got clothes enough to
keep soul an body together"
Her mother should a talked less
an sewed more, Sarah ventured.
"Hetty Granger want idle" Pris'
ella objected. Give tn dead her due.
She was always busy. but a woman
can't DO much in tn way of earnin'
IN way things go"
T suppose not" Sarah said. Does
she look any we like her mother?
They say she's tn image Of her
father. She's all alone in tn house
up there, with nobody but Kate
Adams, an Rates been havin' such a
time mournin' openly for Hetty I'm
afraid she'll have poor little Robin
scared to death before night. Kate's
a good soul but she's a powerful
mourner, so I'm goin' up to get Robin
and bring her home for a few days
with me. Jimmie an Willie an Lit
tie Peter can sleep together in the
three-quarter bed, an that1l make
room for her with Nellie"
81 don't think ever saw her." Sarah
mused. IL amt looked at one OF 'em
for fifteen years"
"You better peek out when we're go
in by" Priscilla suggested.
'I'll rattle my parasol stick against
tn fence pickets."
81 don't s'pose she'll look at me.
Hetty probably filled her up with stun
about me-"
"Hetty never told her a word" re-
sponded Priscilla. "She told me so
on her dyin' bed, and tn truth will
out then"
(Which is some better than never.
said Sarah. well, mebhe I'll peek
out Don't scrape tn fence pickets
too hard. They're fresh painted.
It'll crowd Jimmie an Willie ana
little Peter TO sleep three in a three.
quarter bed, but it's crowdin' In a
good cause" Priscilla suggested. III
must be strange to live without
crowdin'. Sarah. We can't turn around
home without runnin' into a trunk or
table or a chair or a baby"
"If you think she'd come"-Sareh
hesitated-''lf you think she would
care 10 come Priscilla | will let hei
have the front room upstairs-for
night or two"
Priscilla rose from the rocker ano
touched Sarahs forehead with hei
lips.
.1t's like when we were girls again.
she said.
81 don't s'pose she could help wha'
her mother did before she was porn''
admitted Sarah.
II don't exactly see how sh'