The Monticellonian., 1918-03-01

F full of chips and started fire. just as - she had done every morning for twenty ? nine years, and she put the cofeepot
 on the greasy stove and boiled the brew s of yesterday, which was also her habit. : She sat for some time with her head !, leaning upon her grimy hand and stared Q unseeingly out upon a peach tree in Q full bloom and at pair of busy robins l who had chosen a convenient crotch for { their nest. Finally she rose stittly, as
 if she had grown older within the last n hour, and went outside to the place 2 where she had been mending the irri- E gating ditch the day before. She knock
 ed the wet sand off the shovel she had ;? left sticking in the soft bank and went n out of the yard and up the slope toward d the rock wall.
 On tiny, level place above the main e ditch and just under the wall Marthy I began to dig, setting her broad. fiat foot I uneompromisingly upon the shoulder of 2 the shovel and sending it deep into the Q yellow seil She worked slowly and
 
 did everything else. When she had dug
 down as deep as she could and still n mlnage to climb out and had the hole wide enough and long enough, she got
 awkward}y to the grassy surface and
 sat for q long while upon rock, star
 ing dumbly at the gaunt, brown hills across the river.
 She returned to the cabin at last, and, n with the manner of one who dreads do-
 ing what must be done, she went in
 wher, Jase lay stiff and cold under the ,! .L.lsRl9 blsRln ,ets.
 ,ou wa,s1y that afternoon Marthy went firing up the slope. wheeling Jase's her on the creaky home Goes orwheelbarrow. In the same harsh,
 tive manner in which they both Marthy buried her dead. And in life she had given him few save in command or upbraiding, Mrs IEver hint of love to sweeten the
 lOr either, yet she went whimper- Fay from that grave. She broke ITS. J tree branches of precious peach elativessps ana carried them up the slope.
 luck them upright in the lumpy Mrs. ,ler Jase's head and stood there a,rh4o,, while with tear streaked face,
 'g down at the grave and at the axe, ae pink blossoms.
 his city. .. Louise rode singing down the his. s|itrail through the deep. narrow aughterto where the hawthorn and choke ral. tes hid the opening to the cove. sn there to the pink drift of peach 'Gurneq against the dull brown of the Mu D Blue galloped angrily, leaving
 i'black prints in the soft green of slt to hSadow. So they came headlong rhittin 1arthy, just as she was knocking
 low clay of the grave from her II h0u ooing shovel against the pole fence obona |, c pigpen.
 Marthy v Once before in her eStic ooay Louise had seen Marthy's chin Id prices1g like that and big, slow tears ,d Co.i down the network of lines on
 ts leathery cheeks. With a Mr. w. slump her spirits went heavy -er sympathy. "Marthy!' u Nii"'oe knew without word of expla- hlte & just what had happened. From short. by's bent shoulders she knew and
 her tear stained face and from Mir. Fellow soil clinging still to the or,,o++ in her hand. The wide eyes of
 Louise sent seeking glances up CslOpe where the soil was yellow; went to the long, raw ridge under the e wall with the peach blossoms standing II pitifully awry upon the western end. 'i Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Mar Il thy! When was it?"
 Tn the night, some time, I guess"
 Marthy's voice had harsh huskiness
 He was-gone-Whe I woke up We'll
 he's better of than I be. I dunno s what woulda become of him if I'd went ;. first" There, at last, was note of P. tenderness, stifled though it was and 10 leeting. "Git down, Billy Louise, and !. come in. I been kinda lookin' for yuh I to come ever sence the weather opened q up. How's your maw?"
 If What are you going to do now, Mar @ thy?" Billy Louise was perfectly capa-
 ble of opening a conversational door even when 1t had been closed decisively in her face. You can't get on here I alone, you know. Did you send for that \ nephew? If you haven't you must hire d somebody till"
 I He's comin' That letter you sent | over last month was from him. dunno Y when he'll git here; he's liable to come l most any time. I ain't going to hire N nobody. Charlie Fox, his name is hope he turns out good worker. I've never had a chance to git ahead any, \ but if Charlie II jest take holt I'll meb- by git some comfort outa life yit" He ought to, I'm sure And every NJ one thinks you've done awfully well, s Marthy. What can I do now? Wash q the dishes and straighten things up, f guess"