Friendship Village Love Stories

more about Mrs. Oli

, years after you read the Letters, you have made a little mark below Cicero's cry from exile, "Oh, that I had been less eager for life!" and you look at the cry and at the mark, and you and one of these become an anachronism—but you are not sure which it is that so becomes. So now, in reading over these notes some while after I have set them down

y, "take down note." And it did seem like a judgment upon us that, a little time after the J

bout her door we facilely laid to chance. When the village heard that her maid—who always offended by talking almost in a whisper—had once or twice excused her mistress to callers, every one shut lips and hardened hearts and said some folk acted very funny about their callin

tor's a doctor an' he gives pills, an' a store's a store with the kind o' thing you need. But it don't seem like that man could make a real good livin' for her, dealin' vague in nothin' that way." His income, it was felt, was problematical, and the village had settled it that what the Oliver Wheeler Johnsons' had was chiefly wedding presents "an' h

ily. Still we did not go to see her. The weeks went by until, one morning, Calliope

ell, so I ask' him. 'Doctor Heron,' s'I, 'is that Mis' Johnson real sick, or is she just sickish?' He looks at me an'—'Looks pretty sick, don't she?' s'e. 'Well,' s'I, 'I've seen folks look real rich that wa'n't it by right-down pocketbook evide

hreshold the old influence came upon me, and I was minded to run from the place in sheer distaste of the overemphasis and the lifted, pointed chin and the fluttering i

own ends, as, for example, I did.[Pg 140] For one night soon I devised a little feast, which I have always held to be a good doorway to any enterprise, and, at the Friendship-appointed supper hour of six, I made my table as fair as possible, as has been d

omfortable half-hour after a new and delectable dessert had been pronounced upon, I suggested with

I wouldn't till I feel all two-faced about myself. I donno. Sometimes I

"that them in our position ought to overlook. I donn

's eyes

got the[Pg 141] social position to overl

plady folded her hands, d

like it wasn't goin' to keep long, an' I'd be thankful to be on terms with her

nd crossed her little arms, a

I'm sick to death of slidin' off the s

sweet influences, down which we stepped, did not win us to themselves. But I remember how, instead, our imminent visit drew us back to the days of Mrs. Johnson's coming,

at the gate and the little one-story cottage was dark save for a light in what we knew to be a corner bedroom. The hallway was open to the night, but though we could di

n—you there? Is they

tarily to the lighted

here, will you? Tell the rest to sit down som

e lighted chamber. Calliope hurried after him, and we four shrank back in sudden dread and slipped silently into the room which the young husband had left, and stood togeth

s until the doctor came down the little hall and groped into the room. In answer to all that we asked he merely occupied himself in lighting a match and setting it deliberately to the candles on the table and adjusting their shades. They were, we noted afterward, the same candles whose presence

etty sick. I c

outer door and stood leaning a

rsh!" he

ere flashed in my mind Calliope's reference to the pipe-organ

the swift sense which wings[Pg 144] before intelligence, the others understood before they saw her, even as I understood.

we said; "

he looked at us. And the tears were in her eyes, b

r baby. An' it makes me feel—it makes me feel—oh," s

g at all, or if we did so, that it bore a meaning. But an instant after Calliope gave the baby to the nurse who appeared in the do

ly as we could; and then we "brushed up around." I think that only the need of silence kept us from[Pg 145] cleaning windows. When the nurse appeared—who had arrived that day unknown of Friendship—we sprang as one to do her bidding. We sen

little

e late this morning,"

is' Sykes explained; "it takes him some longer to get aroun

fell sil

step outside, where it was dark, who a

e said, "she's goin

her eyes from the

tle you-do-as-I-say chin'll carry h

ld divine Calliope, that on the step where[Pg 146] she sat

h—folks ain't so cramped about runnin' t

ite in sound but positive enough in s

," said that great Mis' Amanda Toplady, abruptly

, "an' I ain't used either one. Do you wan

tial," said

assy path that led round the hous

after a moment, "Will—will any of yo

e all sa

commented shortl

he gas-light. I remember how, just then, Peter's father came singing past us, like one of the [Pg

l, hev you?" Mis' Sykes

on a person's shoulders for a da

r hand up quick

folks or I'll bring down the sky an' make new feelin's! Oh," said Calliope, "don't her—an' now—an' the baby—an'—oh, an'

ew steps, Calliope called us

the way God meant us to do. They ain't any of us got