The Meeker herald., 1919-06-14

For quarter hour only the crickets
had broken the silence In the Comp
ton orchard. where old Tobias and Je-
NINA and Minerva. their granddaugh.
ter, assorted some mighty mounds OF
fallen wlnesaps. Then Minerva spoke.
sZack wants me to run Oh and mar
~ him. grandpappy. after fodder
strippln's over"
Lord. Merry. don't vel" old To
bias faded eyes were piteously be-
seeching. "Stay by US. honey. No
body feels for US old ones like you do.
Nervyi"
Minerva smiled faintiy. n told
lack. grandpappy. couldn't marry
him II ma wasn't wIllin'. Shed drive
me of and surely mistreat you and
grandmammy II l married against her
WILL"
"Was Zachariah frettedT the grand.
mother asked anxlously. Minerva
crimsoned. They must not know how
much lack was '-fretted!"
"He-he said he'd stay away until
! sent for him. there's mai"
In southern Appalachia 1t Il custom
ary for the aged father and mother to
live with the youngest son In the old
home. But old Tobias log dwelling
was an unusually large ONE most
desirable home. and Eliza, the wife Of
the eldest son. by skillful machina.
tons contrived to get Charley. the
youngest son. and his wife. Phoebe.
away and to get her own family In
stalled.
Lazy herself. she depended almost
entirely on her young daughter. her
only child. to do the work Of the house.
and to keep her services she had de-
terrnined Minerva should not marry
any but some young man she could
take into her house and rule, ~ she
did Joshua. the girls henpecked Il.
ther.
BY her orders, zachariah Burden.
who was not the humble sort" she de-
sired for = son-in-law. stayed away
from the Compton house. but Tack
was resourceful and managed often
to see the gentle little creature who
was like guardian angel to the old
ones.
sCryin'. Jenimy !" old Tobias. sitting
smoking on their bedroom hearth that
evening. asked uneasily. Jemihas
wiped her eyes
II got to sfudyin' about Mlnervy
waitin' on her happiness on account
Of us and II worried me some. Blast"
she confessed.
After JemIma slept. Bias still cat on
ths-hcarth. Minerva WIS ~ Ate. IKE
their little Kettle who had died stx.
teen years before. three months after
the soldier sweetheart they had not
been willing for her to marry had been
laid under Cuban palms
Little Hettie! Little Hettiei" he
murmured. Lord. II I'd let her had
her way about Jess Duty, she might
not have pinned awayi Jess. he wasn't
Q bad bOy-I wish hadn't stood In
her way-l do wish II. Lord!"
His pipe clattered on the hearth.
His heavy groans awakened Jemlma.
THE pain Doc Higgins said was
from my heart. It's pinchin' a little r.
he labOred out. his hand clutching his
chair eungs. his rugged old face
chalky.
Jemima tyembled a. she measured
out the drops the young doctor had
left for him. The doctor had warned
her all worry must be kept from To
bias. and he had worried because he
had caught her crying about Minerva!
"You reckon you worked too hard
At the apples. Bias1" she asked him
when at last she got him between the
bed covers.
"No. got to thinkin' about our
little Kettle. WINS wishln' I could
90 hack them sixteen years and tell
the little. town thing her and Jess
might marry before he went to the
nghtin'. Then the pain struck me-"
She parted his hands In kcntie
soothing. "Hettie and Jess wasn't
long separated. Bias. honeyi The
Lord saw to thati Now try to 60 10
Sleep"
But II was long before be closed
hts eyes.
''Thcy could come and live with 10
and things would be all right" Jemlma
heard him murmurIng over and over
In his fltful sleep. "if Eliza was will.
in'!" Then once he cried out:
.she's agoin' like Kettle. Jemimy-
Hike Hettiel Can't you see FTP
When he was quiet again. Jemimn
arose and dressed herself. II he woe
ned himself much more be might bring
on another attack. and Joel Higgins
had said two attacks close together
might XIII him.
Il can ind my way to Aaron Bur.
den's," she said to herself. "some way,
dark a. II Ia. I'm bound to see lack r.
Two hours later she stood breath.
lees In the Burdens yard on the top
of the mountain. The dog slept. but
fear Of him set her kneea shaking
With . trembling hand she tapped o.
the window Of Zack's bedroom.
Near the dawn, when Zack helrcd