Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-04-02
CHAPTER XIV
The Mills Of the Gods Keep a Grind
ing Grinding, Grinding, and Five
Country Folk Journey 10 the City
to ook Upon Its Tinsel for Little
While.

There were two times in those
years when she was raising her
youngsters that Mary Purse went a.
way from home on vacation. The
first was the two weeks that she
spent with an aunt of Jacks up in
North Sidney, taking the boys on Il
never-to- be- forgotten visit. The Sc
cond was the time that she went
with Sam Hold and myself and our
wives down to Boston to the famous
Fair in the old Mechanics Hall.
This tired scribe has forgotten now
exactly how it was that We happen
ed to go and take Mary. | think she
had broken down temporarily after
Fred had the scarlet fever and for
Il week or so just after Tom left for
college and fearing for her health, |
think we utilized our railroad paSSc'
freely issued to newspapermon II
those halycon days Of country jour
nalism-and made Mary the fifth
our party.
But if we of the Office have for
gotten the little details OF how Mar
CHANGED to be with us, cmphatlcall
we have not forgotten what happcnc'
on that trip and the pathos OF the %il
. wl,u Ino.aie-' -Ja~'. p,llSn for lnVc--E
one situation that came from tha
journey.
For we saw the Great Ioltht
Truman woman, nee HendcrSon--ir
all her glory.
1t was Sam who found the notice in
u newspaper as we lounged late one
winters afternoon in the lobby of
the old Parker House.
"The famous contlalto, the Great
Zolav he cried "Suffcrin' Moses, Bill,
do you suppose that could be Mbb,"
"What about the famous contrato,
the Great Zola?"
"She's singing here! She's giving
Il concert here tonlght!
We read the advertisement. We
passed it to our womcnfolk and to
Mary. 1t was Mary who turned the
page in trihe of bewildermcnt and
uncertainty . and we fancicd
bit of usefulness. And it CHANGED
then that she turned open the pages
of the theatrical section. From the
page a picture stared at US. There
was no installing that picture. 1T
was indeed Mibb-Mabel Of cur office.
And beneath was the usual press
agent wrote-up of Mibb's wonderful
talent.
at sort of slops over" declared
Sam dsgustcdly. "All the same, II
she can sing now as she sang in the
old days, she's certainly some warb- {
Ter. Folks! let's go to that
concert" {
Mary whitencd trile. She bit !
soft lip. Then forced smile broke t
over her carcwoyn countCnancc. {
ayes" she said, "lct's; go to THAT &
concert. Lets 60 and hear MIbb sing '
in public"
And we went. f
We secured five tickets from side Y
walk brokers. | think we paid five a
dollars apiece for them. sam made Il r
primacc as he gave up the money. t
Maly was careworn and tribe a
ShaDDy us Oh Olu, liiouGi NV :.
preference the good Lord knows IN f
His heart. She had matured into o
mellow matronhood; the gray was be-
rinnirp to be more and more notice
able now in her hair; her face was t,
n trifle sallow: her hands were grow
inc ynarled, alas like her mothers Fl
The five of us made somewhat OF
shoddy appearance in that patrlclan Y
Bostoneee audience.
As we sat there, from the corner V
of an eye I saw Mary watching those
Boston folks. Then, poor soul, kne"
by the expression on her face that Il
she was comparing herself with them Fl
and finding poor consolation in the d
comparison. She pulled at her a
sleeves, fixed her hair, arranged A
frail little bit of ribbon at her throat. i,
But it was all poor excuse at best ft
for the lack of fncry-real fincry- ri
which the starved womanheart of her &c
craved. A feeling Of sadness came SC
over me and sympathy for Mary j. T
hat moment such as ] had not felt OF
before, verify not even the afternoon tn
Of Jack Purses burial. And as that is