Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1910-03-04
How Sarah
Was Converted

ing aside her bonnet and sinking COM
fortably into a rocker. God rest her
soul" she said, devoutly.
"And her tongue" added Sarah
Potts. tartly.
"Well-I suppose it will rest, now
she's gone" admitted Priscilla. Then
she added: IL low it's earned a rest.
anyway"
at want exactly In need of exer-
cise," observed Sarah dryly.
ut seems strange TO think Of Het-
| ty gone-that we won't sc her comm
out of the back way any more with
plate to borrow butter on" Priscilla
| continued. Il remember her comm
over one afternoon when she had CON-
pany to tea, unexpected like, with that
| old blue plate-you remember that old
| blue chiny one her great-grandmothe
handed down-no, you don't either,
because you amt ever been inside OF
| their house as know of-but anyway
I let her have piece off my last print
| Of butter an me not gettin' any more
| till Saturday, which was Dave Jenks's
rsg'lar time to bring it in, an Het'
| ty goin' back home so careful like an
slippin' where some one thrOwed out
dishwater, and losin' the butter an
breal1in' tn chiny plate all to pieces
an her lookin' all around to see IL
any one was lookin' an then pickin'
up the butter and wipin it off on
her apron. But the plate was too fur
gone for sayin' although | believe
she did afterward gather up the pieces
and glue 'em together. Poor Hetty!
It seems strange to think of Hetty
gone-in Paradise"
1T does seem strange" Sarah ad.
mitted.
"What% said Priscilla, absently.
ITO think of her-in Paradise"
Sarah said. Il don't s-pose she'll
make any great stir in Paradise?" she
continued, in half inquiry.
well, mebbe not as much as she
will after she gets her bearin's," Pris-
ella agreed with qualification. "Het-
tvs bounI to be busy, in the flesh or
in the sperrit Hers amt no sperrit
70 sit by with folded hands and watch
things takin' place. It's my belief
she'll be active even in the sperrit.
She was a powerful cleaner, Hetty
was. don't know of any one in
the neighborhood that had rugs an
curtains out on the line oftener n
Hetty did"
AN certainly no one had her
tongue out oftener," observed Sarah
litingly. a
I'VE don't want to be too hard on
I'm as is departed, Sarah Priscilla
said. with mild rebuke.
Truth don't hurt nobody, livin' or
dead" Sarah declared, epigrammati-
| cally.
"Well, it amt so apt 10 hurt tn
dead as it is tn livn'," Priscilla
| agreed.
"An' it amt told about tn dead as
| often as it is tn livin', either" Sarah
retorted.
Sarah" she began, you won't
mind if talk to you like a sister o
yourn, will you?"
IF you talk ike good many sis
ters do, mebbe you better not" an
swered Sarah, with a frown and a
drawing down of the corners of her
mouth.
81 wouldn't feel hard toward her,
now she's dead" Priscilla volunteered.
feeling her way along cautiously. Il
know she-she did you lot O. wrong,
but mebbe she liked him better'n you
did, an it was al years an years ago,
an she's dead an he dead, an"
A tear trickled down Sarah's cheek.
"Mebbe she did," she admitted "she
| talked faster'n | did. anyway" She
| brushed the tear away impatiently
! and left a shiny streak on her face.
"Thft amt neither here nor there"
Prisci a declared.
well. there was good deal of it
here when she was" observed Sarah,
an there's apt to be good deal of
it there-if sperrits talk, an | fancy
they do-when they get rested up,
anyway" she finished sharply.
Priscilla rocked again.
you've got nice things, Sarah" she
said, looking about her through the
big room. II remember when you an
me was girls together how We used
to build dollhouses an wonder about
all the nice things we'd have when
we growed up an got-married"-the
last word came with an effort.
"An' then when we got along about
the marryin' age, who should come
along but Peter Pipp, with nothin but
poverty an prospects, an before |
knew 1t We were married, an while
we Amt had no money to brag Of,
we've always been comfortable, an
Pipp's made good husband, aside
from his mothers interferin some
times. An afterwards ! remember
how you aD'-wen, you fell in love
an someway u got broke of an he
married Hetty, an you lived with yous
father OF tn old place for so many
years, an then Ne died an left you
comfortable for the rest Of your days" "
II never knew what broke 10 of,
2 Sarah," Priscilla said. suggestively.
I'm goin' 70 give EN- 10 tn guild
when ! get 'em all hemstitched,
Sarah volunteered this much In the
way of information.
Priscilla went back 10 rocking.
"Hetty's left girl, too" she went
on. as though the destiny OF the nap
kins did not impress her. They say
she looks more like him every day. Its
too bad, amt it-pst the time she
needs a parents sare the most, an
both of 'em gone an nothin' left IN tn
way of money OF property. ! wonder
what shen d. ple ventured.
what she can. mebbe-Hke tn res
of u.s." Sarah suggested harshly.
They say she Amt got no rela
tives" Prissilla added.
= Which ain't always an unnnAnss