Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1919-07-24
Sissy
By s. 3. HAcKLEY


a-comin' acrost old man Shearer's pas
teri Eff Johnny Beals a-hadn't Jest
been here a Sunday, I'd be willin' to
swear hit us him. Now haln't It'll"
Alice Emily Towers eyes, black and
wondrously soft, followed her moth
er's lean forefinger.
"Yes'm, It's him"
Minerva flung a screening sheet over
the line.
'You git in the house" she ordered,
"and skin Off them sudsy things you
got on, quick, and put on your new
penang, and tell Matte Lou to kill
two Of them fryln' size 'Nocker chick
ems the biggest unsp
Minerals command was tense with
excitement. 1t was as though the
king, a hoped-for but unexpected guest,
approached. Indeed, Johnny Beals,
queer, ffty-year-old Johnny, the gro
Ger, with his reputation for wealth,
boarded and being added to, was to
her a monarch, and the brilliant blue
suit of clothes he wore, the coat gilt
tering with the golden double-eagles
that served for buttons, the trappings
of royalty.
Poor Minerva, for 80 years a tobac-
| co-growing tenants wife, with an I'M
satisfied longing for an abundance of
life's good things physical, hoped
| through sons-in-law to bring riches to
the family.
For two years Alice Emily, now
| eighteen, had lived in the heart of
Beverly Dixon, who daily drove one
of the Green River Wholesale Grocery
company"s big delivery trucks. But
since that unfortunate May day when
Alice Emily came into Beals' store
with her little basket of eggs, Johnny
had spent three Sundays at the Tow
ers' ramshackle abode-a tenant house
on the Isom Tewmey farm, and each
time he had brought presents for the
family. With two exceptions, the fam
lily was highly elated over Alice En-
ily's rich beau. These exceptions were
Alice Emily herself and Matte Lou,
the elder daughter, who was twenty
eight, and lovingly sympathetic In the
plans of Beverly and the little sister.
Ten years before Matte Lou and
Ellis Brooks, a fine young fellow who
cropped for a neighbor, In the tobacco,
wanted to be married, but because of
his poverty Minerva had raised objec-
tions so vehement and strenuous, Ellis,
angered, had gore away. and Matte
Lou had never seer him again.
On the first two Sundays of Johnny's
visits Beverly had not been able to
make his usual Sundays visits to Alice
Emily because Of his sick sister, but
on the third Sunday afternoon he had
gone joyfully to the Towers. Minerva,
eating luxuriously from a ive-pound
box of chocolates, greeted him.
"Them's what Alice Emily's new fell
Ter fetched me, Bev !" she had exulted.
"Hit's Johnny Beals! He's been to see
her twict sence you been here, and
now he's tuck her out a%.walkin'."
"Johnny's cut We out shore, Bey," AL
yah had spoken up, SER good and ALL"
Then remarking the whiteness that
came over Beverly's brown face, he
had thrown a c~onsoling arm about the
boys broad shoulders.
ether, don't We feel that Away about
hit, Bev. Gals is curtis, and theirs a
minny another purity one in the world
sides Alice Em'ly!"
Beverly had laughed, but his laugh
was queer and forlorn. When the.
strollers had returned, Minerva had
slyly but successfully frustrated his
maneuvers to speak Q word alone to
Nlice Emily. Hurt and miserable, he
had refused friendly old Alvah's
pressing invitation to stay to supper.
On the next afternoon he had re-
ceived at the post office a hastily pen
ciled note.
Dear Bev," 1t read, "ma and pa
and the boys would be mad at me if
they knowed l written this, but l can't
stand for you to think Alice Emily is
carried away with Johnny Beals
and his money, like they are. She
amt, but they've got him to thinkin'
she is. You try to come down here
about Wednesday, or any evenin' be-
fore Sunday and talk to Sissy.
MATTE LOU"
And now 1t was Wednesday, and
Johnny had come again! Matte Lou
went upstairs to their little bedroom.
Alice Emily sobbed softly in the folds
of the red penang.
"Oh, Matte Lou, he come again,
and ma and them are tickled to death.
They're a-rushin' me to marry that old
theng, with them pop eyes, and a
mouth that looks like it wanted to eat
somebody! hate him, Matte Lou! I
never got to say a word to Bev Sun
day, and he won't never come back
my more!"
Matte Lou kissed her. "Bev's a.
comm tonight, honey. l wrote to him
to Gomez
But that old things here!" Alice
Emily walled.
"Ill watch for Bev, and tell him to
wait out by the pine until Johnny
Beals leaves, then me and you can slip
out and you can tell Bev how you're
a-feelin' to him!"
Alice Emily went down to talk to
Johnny, radiant with her hidden hope.
When he rose to go he told Alvah
and Minerva that he wanted to marry
Alice Emily in two weeks time.
"But l amt said I'd marry O ~