Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1915-03-19
COPYRIGHT BY HzE cEn7uy7Y co.

auctioneer's Going, going, gomez"
while the flush deepened in Angy's
cheek. Again she fastened her gaze
upon the indomitable red rose which
hung a pendant earring on the right
side of Abraham's head.
"Yew wouldn't "a had folks a-comin'
here ter bid jest out o. charity, would
yew?" she demanded. "An' anyhow"
in a more gentle tone-the gently posi-
tive tone which she had acquired
through forty years of living with
Abraham-"we hain't SO bad off with
one hundred dollars an tew cents, an
-beholden ter nobody It's tew cents
more'n yew need ter git yew inter the
Old Mems, an them extry tew cents
ii pervide for me jest bewtiful." Abra-
ham stopped rocking to stare hard at
his resourceful wife, an involuntary
twinkle of amusement in his blue eyes.
With increased firmness, she repeated,
Jest bewtiful!" whereupon Abe, scent
ing self-sacriice on his wife's part, sat
up straight and snapped, "Haow so,
haow So, mother?"
~ ~ POoLceO stamp WIN =
it?"-she was fairly aggressive now
an thar's a envelop what want put
up ter auction in the cupboard an a
paper bag | kin iron out-ketch me
a-gwine ter the neighbors an a-beg-
gin fer writing paper-an' I'll jest set
daown n write a line to Miss Hal
sey. Her house hain't a stun's throw
frnm the Old MonfC. nnJ III 0ffoT, tor
come an take keer o. them air young
'uns O. her'n fer my board an keep
an'-ten cents a week. l was a-gwine
ter say a quarter, but | don't want ter
impose on nobody. Seem that they
halnt over well-ter-do, | would go fer
nothin', but l got ter have somethin'
ter keep up appearances on, so yew
won't nave no call ter feel ashamed
of me when l come a-visitin' ter the
hum I~nvoluntarily, as she spoke,
Angy lifted her knotted old hand and
smoothed back the hair from her
brow; for through all the struggling
years she had kept a certain, not I'M
pleasing. girlish pride in her personal
appearance.
Abraham had risen with creaks of
his rheumatic joints, and was now
walking up and down the room, his
feet lifted slowly and painfully with
every step. yet still his blue eyes fash
ing with the fire of indignant protest.
me a-bunkin' comfortable in the
Old Mems, an yew a-takin' keer o.
them Halsey young 'uns fer ten cents
a week! wouldn't take Keel O. 'em
fer ten cents a short breath. Thar be
young uns an young 'uns," he eluci-
dated, "but they be tartars! Yew'd
be In yer grave afore the fust frost;
an who's gwine ter bury yer-the
taown?" His tone became gentle and
broken: mo, no, Angy. Yew be a
good gal, an dew just as we calculated
on. Yew jine the Old Ladies'; yew've
got friends over thar, yewll git erlong
splendid. An I'll git erlong tew. Yer
mountaineering his shoulders back,
he assumed the light, bantering tone
SO familiar to his wife-'the poor
house doors is always open. I'd Jest
admire ter go thar. Thar's a rocking
chair in every room, and they say the
grub is A No. l." He winked at her,
smiling his broadcast smile in his at
tempt to deceive.
Both wink and smile, however, were
lost upon Angy, who was busy divid.
ing the apple sauce in such a way that
Abe would have the larger share with.
out suspecting it, hoping the while
!, that he would not notice the absence
of butter at this last home meal. She
herself had believed in butter.
: ing bread when there was sass" to
: eat with it.; but Abe's ~extravagant
tastes had always carried him to the
point Of desiring both butter and
sauce as a relish to his loaf.
"Naow, fur's I'm concerned" pur
. sued Abe, II hain't got nothin' agin
the ~poorhouse fer neither man mel
: woman. I'd as lief let yew go than
Std O. me; fer I know very we'll that's
what yew're a-layin' out fer ter do
Yes, yes, mother, yew can't fool me
t But think what folks would say!
Think what they would say! They'6
4 crow, 'Thar's Abe a-takin' his comfort
in the Old mems hum, an Angeline
+ she's a7eatin' her heart out in the poor
housed"
Angelina had, indeed, determined to
be the n to go to the poorhouse; but
, all her life long she had cared, perhaps
to a faulty degree, for what folks
b would say" Above all, she cared now
for what they had said and what they
- still might say about her husband ant
this final ending to his downhiTl road
She rested her two hands on the tabl,
and looked hard at the apple sauc
until it danced before her eyes. Sh,
could not think with any degree o
t clearness. Vaguely she wondered 1
their supper would dance out of sigh
before they could sit down to eat il
So many of the good things of lif,
" had vanished ere she and Abe copl,
9 touch their lips to them. Then sh,
I felt his shaking hand upon her shout
der and heard him mutter with husk,