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About The Maupin times. (Maupin, Or.) 1914-1930 | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1915)
Old Lady Number 31 LOUISE FORSSLUND Author of "The Story o( Sarah" "The Ship 01 Dreamt" Etc. Copyright by The Century Co, 8YN0PSIS. Captain Abraham Rote and Angeltn, Jila wife, have lost their little honia khroiiKh Abo'a unlucky purchaaa of Ttma ly Gold mining eloclt. Their household looda aold. tha IU0 auction money, all hay hava left, will plare Abe In tha Old Hun's homo, or Any In tha Old Ladlos' lotni. Both ara suli-iacrllklng; but Aba fdecldra: "My doar thin la tha fuat tlma I'va hod a chance to talia tha wuat of It." Tha old couple bid good-by to the little houno. Terror of "what folks will aay" sends them along by-patha to the gate of the Old Ladles' home. Mine Abigail, ma tron of tha Old Ladlte' home, heara of the III fortune of the old couple. Bhe tells the other old ladlea, and Blosey, who ha paid a double fee for the only double bed chamber, voices the unanlmoua verdlot that Abe muat be taken In with his wife. Abe awakena next morning to And that ha la "Old Lady No. II." The old ladles eve him suoh a warm welcome that he . mad to feel at home at one. CHAPTER IV Continued. ' But what was this! Blossy, leading all the others In a resounding call of "Welcome!" and then Bloaay drawing her two handa from behind her back. One held a huge blue cup, the other tha saucer to match. She placed the cup In the saucer and held It out to Abraham. He trudged down the few steps to receive It, unashamed now of the tears that coursed down his cheeks. With a burst of delight he perceived that It was a mustache cup, such aa the one he had always used at home until It had been set for safe keeping on the top pantry shelf to await the auction, where It had brought the price of eleven cents with half a paper of tacks thrown In. And now aa the tears cleared away be saw, also, what Angy's eyes had al ready noted, the Inscription In warm crimson letters on the shining blue side of the cup, "To Our Beloved Brother." "Sisters," he mumbled, for he could do no more than mumble aa he took his gift, "ef yew'd been gittln' ready tar me six months, yew couldn't have done no better." CHAPTER V. The Head of the Corner. Everybody wore their company man ners to the breakfast table the first time in the whole history of the home when company manners had graced the Initial meal of the day. Being pleasant at supper was easy enough, Aunt Nancy used to say, for every one Eave the unreasonably cantankerous, nd being agreeable at dinner was not teBpecially difficult; but no one short of la saint could be expected to smile of mornings until sufficient time had been given to discover whether one had stepped out on the wrong or the right side of the bed. This morning, however, no time was needed to demonstrate that everybody In the place had gotten out on the happy side of his couch. Even the deaf-and-dumb gardener had untwisted his surly temper, and as Abraham entered the dining-room, looked In at the east window with a conciliatory grin and nod which said plainly as iwords: ! " Tls a welcome sight Indeed to see one of my own kind around this estab lishment!" i "Why don't he come In?" questioned 'Abe, waving back a greeting as well 'as he could with the treasured cup In jone of his hands and the saucer In the other; whereupon Sarah Jane, pat ugly duckling, explained that the (enow, Deing a connrmeo. woman 'hater, cooked all his own meals in the smoke bouse, and Insisted upon all his prders being left on a slate outside the tool-house door. Abe sniffed disdain Jully, contemplating her homely coun tenance, over which this morning's Imood had cast a not unlovely trans forming glow. i "Why, the scalawag!" He frowned Iso at the face In the window that It (Immediately disappeared. "Tew don't mean ter tell me he's sot ag'ln yew kalsT He must be crazy I Seen a handsome, clever set o' women I never Hid see!" i Sarah Jane blushed to the roots of mer thin, straight hair and sat down, (suddenly disarmed of every porcupine jqulll that she had hidden under her Iwlngs; while there was an agreeable Jlttle stir among the sisters. ! "Set deown, all hands! Set deown! enjoined Miss Abigail, fluttering about with the heaviness of a fat goose. '"Brother Abe that's what we've all (agreed to call' yew, by unanimous Vote yew set right here at the foot of the table. Aunt Nancy always had the head an' me the foot; but I only ikept the foot, partly becui tear wa'n't jno man ter the place, and partly becui P was tew sizable ter squeeze In any- jwhar else. Seem aa Sister Angy la 'seen a leetle mite, though, I guess she kin easy make room ter me t'other side o' her." ' Abe could only bow hie thanks as he pot his gift down on the table and took the prominent place assigned to in. The others seated, there was a solemn moment of waiting with bowed heads. Aant Nancy's trembling voice arose the voioe which had jealously guarded the right of saying graoe at table In the Old Ladles' home tor twenty years not, however, In the cue tomary words of thanksgiving, but In a peremptory "Brother Abe!" Abraham looked up. Could she pos sibly mean that he was to establish himself al the head of the household by repeating grace? "Brother Abel" she called upon him again. "Yew'v askt a blessln' ter one woman ter many a year; supposln' yew ask It fer thlrtyl" Amid the amazement of the other sisters, Abe mumbled, and muttered, and murmured no one knew what words; but all understood the over whelming gratitude bohlnd his Inco herency, and all Joined hoartlly In the Amen, Then, while Mrs. Homan, the cook of the week, went bustling out Into the kitchen, Aunt Nancy felt that It devolved upon her to explain her action. It would never do, she thought, for her to gain a reputation for self effacement and sweetness of disposi tion at her time of life. "Son, I want yew to understand one thing naow at the start. Yew treat us right, an' we'll treat you right. That's all we ask o' yew. Miss Ellle, pass the radishes." "I'll do my best," Abe hastened to assure her. "Hy-guy, that coffee smells some kind o' good, don't It? Between the smell o' the stuff an' the looks o' my cup, It'll be so temptln' that I'll wish I had the neck of a gl-raffe, an' could taste It all the way deown. Angy, I be afraid we'll git the gout a-llvin' so high. Look at this here cream I" Smiling, Joking, his Hps Insisting upon Joking to cover the natural feel ing of embarrassment Incident to this first meal among the sisters, but with hie voice breaking now and again with emotion, while from time to time he had to steal his handkerchief to his old eyes, Abe passed successfully through the to him elaborate break fast And Angy sat In rapt silence, but with her face shining so that her quiet was the stillness of eloquence. Once Abe startled them all by rising stealthily from the table and seising the morning's newspaper, which lay upon the buffet, "I knowed It!" caviled Lazy Daisy sotto voce to no one in particular, "He couldn't wait for the news till he was through eatln'l" But Abe had folded the paper Into a stout weapon, and, creeping toward the window, de spatched by a quick, adroit movement a fly which had alighted upon the screen. "I hate the very sight o' them air pesky critters," he explained halt apologetically. "Thar, thar'B another one," and slaughtered that "My, but yew kin get 'em, can't yew?" spoke Miss Abigail admiringly, "Them tew be the very ones I tried ter ketch all day ylste'day; I kin see as a fly-ketcher yew be a-goln' ter be wuth a farm ter me. Set deown an' try some o' this here strawberry pre sarve." But Abe protested that he could not eat another bite unless he should get up and run around the house to "Joggle deown" what he had already swallowed. He leaned back In his chair and surveyed the family: on his right, generous-hearted Blossy, who had been smiling approval and en couragement at him all through the re past; at hie left, and Just beyond Angy, Miss Abigail indulging In what remained on the dishes now that she discovered the others to have finished; Aunt Nancy keenly watching him from the head of the board; and all the other sisters "betwixt an' between." He caught Mrs. Homan's eye where she stood in the doorway leading Into the kitchen, and remarked pleasantly: "Ma'am, yew oughter set up a pan cake shop In 'York. Yew could make a fortune at It. I hain't had seen meal o' vlttles sence I turned fifty year o" age." A flattered smile overspread Mrs Homan's visage, and the other sisters, noting It, wondered how long it would be before she showed her claws In Abraham's presence. "Hy-guy, Angy," Abe went on, "yew can't believe nothln' yew hear, kin yer? Why, folks have told me that yew ladies What yew hittln' my foot fer, mother? Folks have told me," a twinkle of amusement In his eye at the absurdity, "that yew fight among yerselvee like cats an' dogs, when, law I I never see sech a clever lot o' women gathered tergether In all my life. An' 1 believe mother, I hain't a-sayin' nothln'! I Jest want ter let 'em know what I think on 'em. I believe that thar must be three hun- derd hearts in this here place 'stld o' thirty. But dew yew know, gals, folks outside even go so fur 's ter say that yew throw plates at one another!" There was a moment's silence; then a little gasp first from one and then from another of the group. Every one looked at Mrs. Homan, and from Mrs. Homan to Sarah Jane. Mrs. Homan tightened her grip on the pancake turner; Sarah Jane uneasily moved her long fingers within reach of sturdy little red-and-whlte pepper pot Another moment passed, In which the air seemed filled with the promise of an electric storm. Then Blossy spoke hurriedly Blossy, the tactician- clasping her hands together and bring ing Abe's attention to herself. "Really I You surprise me I You don't mean to say folks talk about ns like that!" "Slander Is a dretful long-legged critter," amended Miss Abigail, smil ing and sighing in the same breath. "Sary Jane," Inquired Mrs. Homan sweetly, "what's the matter with that pepper pot? Does it need filllnT' And so began the reign of peaoe In the Old Ladles home. CHAPTER VU Indian Summer. Mies Abigail bad not banked In Tain on the "toreslghtedness of the Lord." At the end of six months. Instead of there bolug a shortage In her accounts because of Abe's presence, she was able to show the directors such a balance sheot as excelled all hor pre vious commendable records. "How do you explain It?" they asked her. "We cast our bread on the waters," she answered, "an Providence jest kept aendln' out the loaves." Again she said. "Twas grlnnln' that done It Brother Abe he kept the gardener good-natured, an' the gardener be Jest grinned at the garden sass until It was ashamed not ter flourish; an' Brother Abe kept the gals good-natured an they wa'n't so nlasy about what tbey eat; an' he kept the visitors a-laughln' Jest ter see him here, an' when yew make folks laugh they want ter turn around an' dew somothln' fer, yew. I tell yew, ef yew kin only keep grit ernough ter grin, yew kin drive away a drought." In truth, there had been no drought In the garden that summer, but almost a double yield of corn and beans; no drought In the gifts sent to the home, but showers of plenty. Some of these came In the form of fresh fish and clams left at the back door; some In luscious fruits; some In barrels of clothing. And the barrels of clothing solved another problem; for no longer did their contents consist solely of articles of feminine attire. "Blled shirts" poured out of them; socks and breeches, derby hats, coats and negli gees; until Aunt Nancy with a humor ous twist to her thin Hps inquired It there were thirty men In this estab lishment and one woman. "I never thought I'd come to weartn' a quilted silk basque with toseels on It" Abe remarked one day on being urged to try on a handsome smoking jacket "Dew I look like one ot them sissy-boys, er Jest a dude?" 'It's dretful becoming," Insisted Angy, "bewtlfult Ain't it gals?" Every old lady nodded her head with an air of proud proprietorship, as If to say, "Nothing could fall to become our brother." And Angy nod-' ded her head, too, In delighted ap proval of their appreciation ot "our brother" and "my husband." Beautiful, joy-steeped, pleasure-filled days these were for the couple, who had been cramped for life's smallest necessities so many meager years. Angy felt that she had been made mi raculously young by the birth of this new Abraham almost as if at last she had been given the son tor whom In her youth she had prayed with im passioned appeal. Her old-wife love became rejuvenated Into a curious mixture of proud mother-love and young-wife leaning, as she saw Abe win every heart and become the cen ter of the community, "Why, the sisters all think the sun rises an' sets In him," Angy would whisper to herself sometimes, awed by the glorious wonder ot It all. The sisters fairly vied with one an other to see how much each could do for the one man among them. Their own preferences and prejudices were magnanimously thruet aside. In a body they besought their guest to smoke aB freely In the house as out of doors. Miss Abigail even traded some of her garden produce for to bacco, while Miss Ellle made the old gentleman a tobacco pouch of red flan nel so generous in its proportions that on a pinch it could be used as a chest protector. Then Ruby Lee, not to be outdone by anybody, produced, from no one ever discovered where, a mother-of-pearl manicure set tor the delight and mystification ot the hero; and even Lazy Daisy went so far as to cut some red and yellow tissue paper into squares under the delusion that some time, somehow, she would find the energy to roll these Into spills for the lighting of Abe'e pipe. And each and every sister from time to time contrib uted some gift or suggestion to her "brother's" comfort (TO BE CONTINUED.) How the Rain Bores Holes. When rain falls it does not actually soak Into the earth, but bores its way in, forming tiny tubes, says the Reho both Sunday Herald. These tubes are so small that It would be Impossible to Insert a hair In one of them with out bursting Its walls. Sometimes the tubes are bored down to a depth of four or five Ceet. When the surface dries the water evaporates from the tubes, just as it would from a pipe. If the tube Is twisted It takes longer for the water to evaporate. If one takes a rake and stirs the ground after each rain he breaks the tops ot the tubes and the water will stand in them for months. In this way the farmers of the West, on semi-arid lands, store the rainfalls one year and raise a crop of wheat every other year, there being sufficient water In two years, but not enough in one, to raise a crop. Church, State and Poor. A book on "The Church, the State and the Poor" has been written by an English vicar. The book Is compre hensive, tracing the subject of preref ormatton days. The author regrets that during the growth of collectivism, under which he classifies what Is called "Christian socialism," the church has trusted too much to the state to better the conditions among the poor. Now there is a revival of Interest in the welfare of the poor on the part of the church. The writer's contention is that a firm belief In the Christian creed is the only Inspiration and guide to any effort to solve "the social Droblea." For Southern Climes VYING with each other In show cases of the big shops, hats In tended for the tourist and sojourner ja. southern climes, and millinery for women who are content to enjoy the jayetles of winter at home, are divid ing attention and honors. There are fewer of those for the tourist, but they sing of spring and flowers and Sold the attention of everyone for iwhlle. The majority of sales will go to he home-staying contingent, and brll lant and lovely are the head cover ngs which one can Imagine at the re ;eption, the concert, the lecture and it afternoon tea, not to speak of all he jeweled and feathered and flow ered ornaments that make up bo much if the attraction of the theater and lance. Three adorable hats are shown In he picture given here, one of them leslgned for wear in the South. Whether one needs a summertime hat ir not it Is interesting as a thing of teauty and a premonition of spring. It is a pretty turban, to be set square hi the head (no sldewlse tilt), which a something new as to' poise. The coronet is of fine hemp braid in light Afternoon Gown of Taffeta A PRETTY and simple afternoon dress of taffeta silk which ' will sommend itself to the woman who likes an odd style Is shown in the slcture given here. It manages to be very unusual without being bizarre, und very noticeable without losing re finement. The model, In its outlines, suggests nothing so much as the silhouette of a Japanese lady. This Is a very clever management of modes of the present, and the West, lntp a semblance of those of the Orient. The gown is es pecially adapted to small and youth ful figures If they be prettily curved. It la not a dress for the angular young jrlrl. A changeable taffeta should be chosen for a dress of this kind, since the trimming is of the same material as the gown. The two-color effects jnd the play of light In changeable silks Is a substitute for decorations. Instead of embroidery or braid, or other applied trimmings, ruchings, made of full box plaltings of narrow strips of silk, are wonderfully effec tive. And there Is no silk quite so well adapted to making rucbings as taf feta. The composition of the gown Is so simple and so plainly set forth in the picture that it hardly needs descrip tion. The wide girdle, swathing the' or Winter Gayeties twine color, and the top Is ot a crepe like silk In the same color. Under the tunied-over rim of the1 coronet small clusters of velvet grapes (or are they large berries?) In sand color, and half-blown roses In pink, with foliage, form an exquisite wreath. The hat carries the suggestion of sum mer and out-of-doors so vividly that It Is calculated to make the onlooker glad that she is alive. A hat of gold lace, velvet, flowers and fur bands Is shown with wide brim and low crown. It would not be out of place anywhere, since fur apj pears in costumes and millinery de signed for all climes.- But it will shine to best advantage at any ot those places where women adorn their heads with the most elaborate of their millinery. Another hat with brim a little less wide and crown somewhat higher em ploys silver lace, black velvet, bands of marten and exquisite shell-pink ostrich tips In its construction. It Is a thing of beauty and will come as near being a joy forever as our too brief "dreams" In millinery can ever hope to be. - JULIA BOTTOMLEY. figure, the easy sleeves and the skirt lengthening at the back and hanging in about the feet, give the model its Japanese aspect. There are several very effective combinations of color in two-toned changeable taffeta. Among them sap phire blue and black, blue and green, light green and rose, dark green and red, and green and black have a ra diance like that of jewels. But these are only a few of the wonderful color combinations that have been wrought in taffeta. In some of them the play of light reminds one of its fascinating shlftings on the polished surface ot an opal. JULIA BOTTOMLEY. Handkerchief Collar. A pattern Is sold which showi how a rolling lingerie collar may be cut from a 13-Inch handkerchief, and as almost everyone has a choice hand kerchief or two stored away some place, one of these patterns could be bought to make the heirloom useful, The work of making such a collar is very simple, as, naturally, the out side edges of the handkerchief form the outside edges ot the collar. Wires can be neatly fastened into these handkerchief collars so that they Bay bo rolled In any desired way. READY FOR STERN WAR WEST INDIAN I8LAND8 ARM FOR DEADLY STRIFE. Take the Prospect of Being Involved, In the European Conflict Very j Seriously Force Like Those of Comlo Opera, ' A cargo of war tales has arrived from the West Indies. Every native' there sleeps with his gun under his pillow, i Little specks of Island that no one ever heard of north of tho troplo ot Cancer are throwing up towering earth' works and barefooted natives, yester day's nobodlos, are today generals; roustabouts are soldiers; every town has a guard; every Island distrusts every other Island. Ten thousand rusty flintlock muskets rulo the land, and from the sea come talcs of strange men-of-war threading In and out among the Islands, always socking and never finding ouo another. "Every native on the Island of St Lucia Is happy these days, for be totes' a gun, rides on a bicycle and marches behind a brass band, and the government fays for It all," says Uie purser ot a West Indian steamer re cently docked in New York. "Some ot the strangest looking bi cycles I ever saw have been com mandeered by the authorities, Some of them are the old high-wheel affairs that our daddies rode; some ot them have no tires; most of them are red with rust and all of them squeak. I heard the troops coming two blocks away. The arms they carry are In the same cIsbs. "At Barbadoes, every negro and Chi naman on the island has Joined the army. They have what they call a life guard,' to protect the place. What they are afraid of I don't know, but I heard that they have been told the kaiser was planning to send his fleet over to capture the possession. That was enough for those natives. They threw up a line of breastworks and they fire a cannon every time a ship Is sighted. They have burnt up a lot of powder that way, I understand. Whenever that old cannon cuts loose the army come llckety-spllt for the shore. They line up behind the breast works with their muzzle-loaders and their derringers and you've got to show them that you don't mean any monkey business. "At Dominica, near St, Thomas, the natives have built a little fort JuBt to fight the German navy when it does come over. There are not enough white men In Dominica to hold a meeting and not many more colored. In the center ot their fort they have planted a tall flag pole. Every morning at daylight a man pulls himself up to the top of that flag pole and sticks there, looking out to sea. He Is look ing for the German navy. Two hours later he comes down and another man takes his place. This has been kept up every day for weoks, from dawn till darkness. "English, French and German war ships chase each other around the Is land, and it's no wondor the natives are fidgety. At St. Lucia there were 19 ships tied up, all afraid to stir out side the harbor." History of the War. "When the history of this war comes to be written," Is a constantly recurring Journalistic phrase, as If the story of this great conflict could ever be written. Ycu may be fairly certain that no one under the rank of an archangel, In close touch with omnis cience, will ever write the full his tory of the world war. Down below there Isn't the knowledge, and there Isn't the time. There will come sec tional accounts. But If In the fullness of time a world syndicate succeeds In getting some million tons of print within covers, the public will (one hopes) be thinking of something else. Yot tie literature of the war as a personal drama Is the domain ot the private soldier, and the best letters from the front have been written by the private soldier. On that side of the literature of war the editor of the Book Monthly has hla eye. He Is a specialist on the "Epistles of Atkins," and already he has been gloating and gleaning with Borne thousands of sol diers' letters before him. London Chronicle. The New York Standard. "New York Is mighty hard on clothes. Of course I'm a good deal of a stranger, and I haven't many Invi tations, and so don't need so large a wardrobe as I did in Dallas, but still I have to dross better than I did there. The Btandard is higher. There never Is a time when you can Just put on, any old thing. In New York peopla dress up to go to market, or to early church. When John takes me to the theater I've got to look nlco, or I couldn't enjoy the play. If I walk down the avenue In a suit that Isn't Just right, I am self-conscious and pessimistic. I see nothing but the reflection of my 'tacky' self In the big windows. I simply must dress well, if It takes all my time. Isn't the war news awful? I've read only the head lines, but won't it be funny if next year we have to get our fashions from Berlin?" From the Atlantic. 811k From Seaweed. A French scientist has succeeded In making artificial silk from the "slime" of the seaweed which Is thrown up in Immense masses on the coasts ot Nor maidy, Scotland, Norway and Canada, The fabric le ot excellent quality and can be produced much more cheaply than aay other form ot silk,