Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-03

with tapping ears stood up and growled, but
Aunt Molly came to the door and Said
"Hesh up you ornery dawgs! I'm right proud
to see you-all," she said, looking at mothers
calico dress. Veal amt fine like Northerners,
but sech as we got is good enough for we-uns.
Light n come in"
Mother laughed as though she had been
running; she said polite things while they went
into the house. 1t was logs on the inside too,
and bits of daylight came through between
them Women and many children were sitting
around the fireplace. They were all barefooted
and wore queer gray dresses, and they all looked
at mothers dress and at Mary Alice's shoes.
woman put out a long skinny arm and pulled
Mary Alice close to her. The womans face was
all deep-brown wrinkles and her chewing
mouth was somehow like frog jumping.
"Nyow here's right peart little girl" she said.
"I'd give pretty for little girl like you"
Mary Alice shyly said nothing leaning against
the woman's friendly knee
A UNIT MOLLY sat on her heels by the fire.
place, mixing corn meal and water with
her fingers. She took handfuls of it and patted
them fiat between her hands; she made print
of her hands on each side. Mary Alice admired
it very much Then Aunt Molly laid the yellow
cake in the ashes and covered it with ashes
and made another.
Each woman had only one or two long yellow
teeth, but they never stopped brushing them.
They dipped little sticks into boxes of brown
dust and chewed and spit into the fireplace.
Mary Alice had never seen any one spit so far
and so well. There was box on the knee be-
side her, and she looked into it, politely. The
woman understood: she dipped her stick into
the box and twirled it until it was brown and
offered it to Mary Alice. Mary Alice took it
eagerly, but mothers eyes opened wide and
then she shook her head
shes too little yet, I'm afraid" mother said,
and her blue eyes were very blue in her pink
face. THANK the lady nicely. and put it back,
Mary Alice" and mother looked around at the
faces timidly
MY children's dipped snuff sence they was
weanlings" said the woman.
Mary Alice wanted to cry but she let the
woman take back the stick. Aunt Molly stood
up. and made again that frightening sound like
laugh. Mary Alice felt queer, as though she
were big and mother little and something
wanted to hurt mother; she went and stood with
her back against mother
The men came trampling in. They were Aunt
Molly's brothers-taIl loud men, even bigger
than Uncle Charley They hung their guns on
the wall and were noisy; they slapped their big
hands on Aunt Molly's shoulders and she
laughed. Aunt Mollys black eyes seemed hot,
her black hair was alive. It did not hang limp
like the other womenS, but each lock Of it
curled and twisted into the air. She did not
look at Uncle Charley, and he did not speak to
mother. All the women sat by the fire while
the men ate, and Aunt Molly went back and
forth with dishes. When her feet touched the
floor they seemed to bound. The corn cakes
smeled good and Mary Alice was hungry but
she was afraid of the big men, and even mother
seemed strange.
Uncle Charley was the last of the men to go.
He stood in the doorway turning his hat In his
fingers and not looking at anybody. Then he
went away, and all the women got up and began
putting the children on the benches by the
table and finding places themselves Some one i
nned Mary Alices tin dish with grease and
meat and corn cake; there was a confusing
noise Of voices and tin cups rafting, g woman