Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-02-17
Hannah Pay''ne's
Mulberry Tree
A Feud Between
Two Friends
By CLARISSA MACKIE
By CLARISSA MACKIE

q dense shade that quite nlu tue view
from Hannah Payne's windows as wei
as it deprived her left hand neighbor.
Abigail Hodson, Of any glimpse Of the
village street
Once several years before this story
opens Abigail had crawled through the
gap in the fence that divided the two
houses and knocked at her friend s
back door.
Hannah" she said, with a note Of
complaint in her voice, what do you
Think"
"Well?" queried Hannah sharply, for
she resented Abigail's complaining
tone.
when + got up this morning 1 no.
t1ced the mulberry tree had leaved out
SO I couldn't see mite Of the road.
It. makes it dreadful lonesome not TO
see anything at all"
"Well?" repealed Hannah.
what are you going to 10 aoolit
it?" demanded Abigail, with asperltE'
Nothing" Hannah had said.
81 thought maybe you'd break on u
long branch of 1t SOS I could have u
view"
at cuts of my view, too" returned
Hannah.
II should think you'd want to see
the street. You always set store ~
seeing the street." persisted the tact
less Abigail.
"I'ye got enough work to do Will.
out peeking at the street." said Han
nah loftily.
That was the beginning OF the BIT
terness between Hannah Payne AMI
he. friend Abigail Hodson. FROM Il
col,i nod the breach widened until they
did not spea!: Mt all. and then early
one morning Abigail arose and replaced
the t!rcc picl:ets that had been re-
moved from the dividing fence. Han
nah heard the sound Of the hammer
and came to the window, but she SAL!
nothing, only the stubborn looE remain.
ed on her face.
Three years had passed, and the null
berry tree throve nightly. 1t sent GU!
broad green leaves that cast dense;
shade over Hannahs house and keFt
the sunshine from the rooms. S1c
had to keep q keener watch over hef
books and clothing, for the little mouse
seemed damp, and mold gathered qulc;
ly on different articles.
The fruit ripened on the tree, ann
the birds came and carried it of. Dur
ing the season when the mrllDerrle'
were ripe the birds came in hocks 10
feed upon them, but Abigail Hodsol'
would have scorned to touch one o.
the ripe berries, although in the pass
she had been very fond of them.
On this particular summer morning
il was very dull in Green lane, where
the two women lived. Abigail had
finished her homework at Q O'CLOCK
and taken her sewing out to the from:
porch. She could see Hannah Payne
rocking to and fro on the next porcc.
but neither woman could see beyond
the low hanging branches Of the nu'
berry tree.
All at once there was the sound OF
drum and fife and distant murlnur
of voices from the street. Abigail rec
objected that a small circus was to pa
rade that morning. and in the evening
there was to be a performance in 4
tent on the village green. Abigail was
Baptist and did not dream of goin-
to the circus. but Hannah Payne
would 90. Hannah was q Baptist. az
were her forefathers. but they ali
went to the circus.
1t was rather lonely there on Ahi-
gals porch. The ,honeysuckle vines
screened it well, and there was n"
sign Of life except the frenzied dart
ing of a ruby throated humming bird
among the flower trumpets. the buz-
zing Of bees and now the sound Of
approaching music.
If Abigail Hodson had not been so
proud she would have tossed aside he"
sewing and fastened to the front gate.
from which point she might have look.
ed down the lane and watched the cir
Gus parade 60 along the main street.
But she did not stir. If she had Han.
nah Payne would know that Abigail
was suffering inconvenience from the
obscuring mulberry. tree, and that
would give Hannah Payne a chance to
laugh at her one time friend, and that
privilege and advantage Abigail Hold:
son would not permit.
Abigail Hodson snapped a needle
and tossed the broken pieces into tn"
grass. 1T wish l could cut that OLD
tree down." she muttered, not know
ing that the same unspoken wish wa.
in Hannah's heart, not realizing tina.
her anger against the tree was stim
ulated by the feud it had caused mucl.
more than by the lost view of the vii
lage street.
II wish l could cut the old tree
down" repeated Abigail again am:
again, and with each repetition Of thr
desire there grew upon her the convic
ton that the tree must be cut down O.
things would never be right for her il,
the world.
She sat out on the porch until sunse:
and then went in and prepared simmer