Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 160, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1919 — Sissy [ARTICLE]

Sissy

By S. B. HACKLEY

(Copyright, 1»1». by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.J ‘•Gimme them Close pins. Alice Emily I ’Pears like I see somepin’ blue a-eomiu' aernst old man Shearer's paster! Es Johnny Beals a-hadn't jest been here h Simday, I’d be -wUHn toswear hit ‘us him. Now hain’C it?” Alice Emily Tower’s eyes, black and wondrously soft, followed her mother’s lean foretfnger. “Yes’m, It’s him.” Minerva flung a screening sheet over the line. „ ••You git in the bouse,” she ordered, “and skin off them sudsy things you got on. quick, and put on your new penang, and tell Mattie Lou ■to kill two of them fry In’ size ’Nocker chickens,’ the biggest unsl” Minerva’s command was tense with excitement. It was as though the king, a hoped-for but unexpected guest, approached. Indeed, Johnny Beals, queer, fifty year-old Johnny, the grocer, with’ his reputation for wealth, hoarded and being added to, was, to her a monarch, and the brilliant blue suit of clothes he wore, the coat glittering with the golden doable-eagles’ that served for buttons, the trappings of royalty. Poor Minerva, for 30 years a tobacco.growinv temiht's wife, with an, unsatisfied longing for an abundance oflife’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 7 Wholesale Grocery company‘’s big delivery trqcks.- 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 Towers’ ramshackle abode —a tenaht house on the Isom Tewmey farm, and each time he had brought presents for the family. With two exceptions, the family was highly elated over Alice Emily’s rich beau. These exceptions were Alice Emily herself and Mattie Lou, the elder daughter, who was twentyeight, and lovingly sympathetic in the plans of Beverly and the little sister. Ten years before Mattie 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 objections so vehement and strenuous, Ellis, angered.- had gone away, and Mattie Lou had never seen him again. On the first two Sundays of Johnny’s visits Beverly had not been able to make his usual Suaday’s visits to Alice Endly because of his sick sister, but' on tlie third Sunday afternoon he had gone Joyfully to the Towers’. Minerva, eating luxuriously from a five-pound box of chocolates, greeted him. “Thera's what Alice Emily’s new feller fetched me, Bev I” she had exulted. “Hit’s Johnny Beals! He’s been to see her twlct sence you been here, and now he’s tuck her out a-walkin’.” “Johnny’s cut ye out shore, Bev,” Alvah had spoken up, “fer good and all.” Then remarking the whiteness that came over Beverly's brown face, he had thrown a consoling arm about the boy’s broad shoulders. “Ther, don’t ye feel that a-way about hit, Bev. Gals is curl’s, and tiler’s a minny another party one in the world ’sides Alice Era’ly!”

Beverly had laughed, but his laugh was queer and forlorn. Whete the strollers had returned, Minerva had slyly but successfully frustrated his maneuvers to speak a word alone to Alice Emily. Hurt and miserable, be had refused friendly old -Alvah’s pressing invitation to stay to supper. On the next he had received at the post office a hastily penciled note. •’Dear Bev,” it read, “ma and pa and the boys would be mad at me if they knowed I written this, but I can’t stand for you to think Alice Emily is carried awai with Johnny Beals and his money, they are. She ain’t, but they’ve got him to thinkin’ she is. You try to come down here about Wednesday, or any evenin’ before Sunday and talk to Sissy. “MATTIE LOU.” And now it was Wednesday, and Johnny had come again! Mattie. Lou Went upstairs to their little bedroom. AlicfEmiljrNiQbbed softly in the folds of tne red pwas. “Oh. Mattie 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, rind a mouth that looks like it wanted to eat somebody! I hate him, Mattie Lou ! I never jot to say a word to Bev Sunday. and he won’t never come back any more!" Mattie Lou kissed her. “Bev’s acothin’ tonight, honey. I wrote to him to come.” ■ “But that old thing’s here!” Alice Emily wailed. “I’ll 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 v ith -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 I ain’t said I’d marry you!" quavered Alice Emily. “Yes, but she will. Mister Beals,” Minerva assured him j “she’s jest sortie bashful. Alice Emily, you set a

lamp on -the front" so's Mr. Beals won’t ketch his feet on that rickety old floor!” i Alice Emily obeyed. Johnny followed her out. and the young lover, waiting in the shadow of theblg pine, iu the revealing light, saw her folded in Johnny’s arms, and in apparent willingness receiving Johnny’s kisses. He turned ,on his heel, and with his heart <>u fire, went hack to town. Mattie Lou meant well, but she was mistaken about Alice Emily’s feelings. Well, he wits done I When their mother’s light was out the two girls slipped out to the big pine. After an hour’s wait/ chilled to the bone, they crept back to bed. “Bev sure said he’d wait, but l expert he concluded he'd better come back tomorrow, it bein’ so late,” Mattie Lou whispered. “Don’t cry so, Sissy; it’ll come out all right.” Several days passed and Beverly did not come, but Johnny did. Also he brought news. “That Bev Hixon I saw out here Is goin* to marry some time in July, my niece, Hannah Smith, over In Lancaster” he told Minerva carelessly on Sunday. “I’m afraid she ain’t doin’ much. And here’s the silk I brought to make my little girl’s weddin’ dress.” After that Alice Emily protested no more against marrying Johnny, but on the day preceding the day that was to bring the wedding night, she looked at the silk dress. Mattie Lou, her eyes red from surreptitious weeping, was bent over her. “Don't take too much pains with that dress, Mattie Lou. I’m never goin to wear it while I'nt alive.” “What did you say, Sissy?” Mattie Lou’s lips tMed. . ■ f-: .Alice Emily laughed and went down the stairs. Next day she laughed and sung all day over the preparations, but a sense of dread weighed on Mattie Lou’s heart. At five o’clock Itfiuerva bade her quit work. “Alice Em’ly’s done went upstairs to nap fer an hour, SO she’ll be freshlookin’ fer the ceremony at eight o’clock, and you do the same,” she bade her. “Some feller at the weddin’ might git'tuck with you!”

With leaden feet Mattie Lou climbed to their room; the red silk dress lay on the bed, but Alice Emily was not there. Nor was she anywhere in the house or yard. Across Mattie’s troubled mind an awful thought flashed. Without saying anything to her mother, she ran down the path that led to the river. A little way down the path she ran into a young man. He threw out his arms to save her from falling, then they tightened around her. “Oh, honey!” he cried, “don’t you know me? I’m Ellis Brooks come back fox you! Why’ what’s the matter, Mattie I.ou?” She did not look at him or answer him, but pushed him away from her and ran to the river hank. At the water’s edge, Alice Emily stood, swaying weakly. “I'd better drownd myse’f,” she was saying, to live to see Bev married to another woman, and me married to an old thing I despise—but.the water is so deep and cold —oh, I’m afraid, afraid!” Mattie Lou seized her and drew her unresistingly away from the river. “Oh. Mattle Lou!” she walled,,“l’m so miserable, so miserable !” Brooks took hold of Mattie Lou’s arm. Honey, what’s troublin’ her?” Holding fast to, him with one arm and to her sister with the other, Mattie Lou sobbed out her explanation. “Poor ma ain’t never had no property.” she concluded. “She thinks it’s a fine thing fqr Sissy!” “A young feller named Dtxon, I saw in town, told me I’d run on a weddin' out here tonight.” Brooks said, “and I was scared blue at first, thinkiu’ It was you. Mattie Lou. but Dixon said the bride was your sister, and his girl. I said: ‘lf she’s your girl, why in thunder ain’t you the man that’s marryin’ her?’ He said he’d give his head to be. but the other feller with money’d got ahead of him. I felt sorry for him, he looked so down.” Mattie Lou shook the tears from her lashes. “Hear that. Sissy? Bev’s still a-lov-in you!” Alice Emily raised her forlorn face. “I’ve got to marry that old thing!” “Not much, you ain’t!” interposed Brooks exultantly. “I’ve made scads of money West. I came out here in my own big fine touring ear —left it up on the road and walked across the field. Now all you got to do Is to go to the house, gather up a few clothes and slip out, and the three of us’ll get in that car. hit town, hunt up your young man and do some speedin’ until we eross the state iine; then we’ll have a double weddin’. What do you say, Mattie Lou?” - Mattie Lou. folded in his arms, raised a glorified face from his shoulder. ■ , • V