Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-20

boy Of sixteen, a kind Of jealous anger
fell on Demus' unnatural heart and de-
spite Sis James pleadings he drove the
boy she would have mothered out in the
night. Thereafter her married life was a
desert Of endurance with one oasis. Ivy
Rose, the child that came at the end Of
the second miserable year.
The child was as dainty and exquisite
as carved ivory, with the loving spirit Of
Sis Jane shining from her long dashed
black eyes. Matilda Corey, Demus' sis
ter-no great Improvement on Demus in
heart-insisted that Sis Jane name her
babe "Tildy Maria" but the mother
| called her Ivy Rose.
isis Jane haint ugly no more; had you
noticed hit, Abel?' Molly Sarvis remarked
to her husband soon after the advent Of
| the little Ivy Rose. Seems like the Lord
has put somethin' on her that's purified
her"
Molly was right. Heaven had opened
| to Sis Jane and glorifled her homely face
with the light of gladness. And now
Molly stood in her door and pitied her.
In the fifth year of his marriage Nico-
demus met his death from big chestnut
tree that fell the wrong way. He had
been a bad husband to Sis Jane, but her
| married life to him had given her Ivy
Rose and Demus had never Ill treated the
| child. Sis Jane wept at the grave almost
| as if she loved him.
Gimme the baby. Me and Jethro air
! better able to pervide fer her ner your
| Tidy Corey, who had no children and
who coveted the beauteous little Ivy
Rose proposed to Bis Jane the day after
Demus' burial. But Sis Jane refused with
| such f1erceness that Tidy was bitterly In
censed.
A month afterward Sis Jane, grubbing
on the rocky little farm whose possession
was sorely grudged her by Tfldy, met
| dislodged by her hoe, fell on her left
hand. crushing it so that amputation
was necessary.
| While she lay unconscious on the oper-
ating table Tidy Corey, refusing Molly
| Sarvis' offer to care for little Ivy Rose,
carried the child home with her
It was not until six weeks after, when
she was able to drag her weak body the
| five miles to Tildy's house. that Sis Jane
| got to see her baby again. Then. the
| next morning, when she was ready to
make her return trip Tidy refused se.o to
| crippled up like you air, to raise a young
| un," she declared. "Demusd a. give her
| to me. anyway. eff he'd "a seed what wuz
| comm I heerd him say lots O. times
yourn. Anyway. tell We. Sis Jane. I'm
a'goin' to keep her an the law'li uphold
| me in hit!'
Like one stupefied Sis Jane stumbled
| along home. She believed that Tidy
was telling her the truth when she
to keep the child. When she appealed
to Jethro. Tildy's henpecked husband, to
| know IL 1t were true. -Jethro had given
one look at Tidy and quailed. Il low
! Tidy is right he had muttered, red
dening in shame.
THE law. hit air allus onjest to
women" Sis Jane reflected bitterly. En-
outv'
Suddenly there came across her tor
tured mind vision Of the slim young
fellow who. for few months after her
.'Mother''-oreb. for whom she had
begged Tidy to send when his father lay
dying. Her heart bounded with hope.
"Ory-hes twenty-one-he's got right
| to take keer O. his little sister, she
thought He'd make 'em let me have
| her, an could arm Twin for her!''
| That night Sis Jane made her plans.
! Bran Seal, a cattle trader of the coun-
! ty, had told her just before Demus'
death that he had seen Oreb over In
! kentucky. working at the carpenter $
trade. She would hunt up Bran and
lived. She would tell no one. but when
she had harvested her crops she would
In late November she was ready. her
| crops gathered and her cow secretly
sold to Bran Seal Dusk Of the same
day saw Sis Jane secreting herself. a
! little bundle of clothes. a warm dress
and shawl for Ivy Rose, and a larger
bundle of cooked food, in the laurel
! th1cket above Jethro Corey's house.
mountain she lay huddled in the thicket.
| Then she strobe across her sister-in-
| laws eodden yard. The outer door of
| Tudys sleeping room was ajar. Sis
Jane removed her shoes ana tipped inside.
Fearfully she looked about her. but Tidy
l az LET hre in