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Read Ebook: From the Land of the Snow-Pearls: Tales from Puget Sound by Higginson Ella
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Ebook has 1399 lines and 56036 words, and 28 pages
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THE FLOWER THAT GREW IN THE SAND 1
ESTHER'S "FOURTH" 21
THE BLOW-OUT AT JENKINS'S GROCERY 31
THE TAKIN' IN OF OLD MIS' LANE 41
THE MANEUVERING OF MRS. SYBERT 67
A POINT OF KNUCKLING-DOWN 79
THE CUTTIN'-OUT OF BART WINN 141
ZARELDA 183
IN THE BITTER ROOT MOUNTAINS 207
PATIENCE APPLEBY'S CONFESSING-UP 217
THE MOTHER OF "PILLS" 243
MRS. RISLEY'S CHRISTMAS DINNER 263
THE FLOWER THAT GREW IN THE SAND
THE FLOWER THAT GREW IN THE SAND
Demaris opened the gate and walked up the narrow path. There was a low hedge of pink and purple candytuft on each side. Inside the hedges were little beds of homely flowers in the shapes of hearts, diamonds and Maltese crosses.
Mrs. Eaton was stooping over a rosebush, but she arose when she heard the click of the gate. She stood looking at Demaris, with her arms hanging stiffly at her sides.
"Oh," she said, with a grim smile; "you, is it?"
"Yes," said the girl, blushing and looking embarrassed. "Ain't it a nice evenin'?"
"It is that; awful nice. I'm tyin' up my rosebushes. Won't you come in an' set down a while?"
"Oh, my, no!" said Demaris. Her eyes went wistfully to the pink rosebush. "I can't stay."
"Come fer kindlin' wood?"
"No." She laughed a little at the worn-out joke. "I come to see 'f you had two or three pink roses to spare."
"Why, to be sure, a dozen if you want. Just come an' help yourself. My hands ain't fit to tech 'em after diggin' so."
She stood watching the girl while she carefully selected some half-open roses. There was a look of good-natured curiosity on her face.
"Anything goin' on at the church to-night?"
"No; at least not that I know of."
"It must be a party then."
"No--not a party, either." She laughed merrily. Her face was hidden as she bent over the roses, but her ears were pink under the heavy brown hair that fell, curling, over them.
"Well, then, somebody's comin' to see you."
"No; I'll have to tell you." She lifted a glad, shy face. "I'm goin' on the moonlight excursion."
"Oh, now! Sure? Well, I'm reel glad."
"How is your ma?"
"Well, she ain't very well; she never is, you know."
"What ails her?"
"I do' know," said Demaris, slowly. "We'll get home by midnight. So 'f she has a spell come on, pa can set up with her till I get home, and then I can till mornin'."
"Should think you'd be all wore out a-settin' up two or three nights a week that way."
Demaris sighed. The radiance had gone out of her face and a look of care was upon it.
"Well," she said, after a moment, "I'll have a good time to-night, anyhow. We're goin' to have the band along. They're gettin' so's they play reel well. They play 'Annie Laurie' an' 'Rocked 'n the Cradle o' the Deep,' now."
The gate clicked. A child came running up the path.
"Oh, sister, sister! Come home quick!"
"What for?" said Demaris. There was a look of dread on her face.
"Ma's goin' right into a spell. She wants you quick. She thinks she's took worse 'n usual."
There was a second's hesitation. The girl's face whitened. Her lips trembled.
"I guess I won't want the roses after gettin' 'em," she said. "I'm just as much obliged, though, Mis' Eaton."
She followed the child to the gate.
"Well, if that don't beat all!" ejaculated Mrs. Eaton, looking after her with genuine sympathy. "It just seems as if she had a spell to order ev'ry time that girl wants to go anywheres. It's nothin' but hysterics, anyway. I'd like to doctor her for a while. I'd souze a bucket o' cold water over her! I reckon that 'u'd fetch her to 'n a hurry."
She laughed with a kind of stern mirth and resumed her work.
Demaris hurried home. The child ran at her side. Once she took her hand and gave her an upward look of sympathy.
She passed through the kitchen, laying her roses on the table. Then she went into her mother's room.
Mrs. Ferguson lay on a couch. A white cloth was banded around her head, coming well down over one eye. She was moaning bitterly.
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