THE MINISTER’S MOTHER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2425, 13 February 1909, Page 11 (Supplement)

THE MINISTER’S MOTHER.

“There’s sorao mystery about it,” declared Airs Higgins. “If tho new parson was goin’ to bring his mother with him why didn’t he say so .before? ’Tain’t neighborly.” “Now," Mary Ann,” expostulated Mrs Crane, “don’t get so hot up. You dunno cz he ever thought ’twas mu’tli mentionin’. How did you find out ? Do sit- down and tell me..” “J dunno ez I ought to,’-'answered airs Higgins, taking off her shawl. “I jest run over for a minute. You see, the new minister was movin’ in yesterday an’ took his dinner an supper to our house. While John wuz milkin’ I went over with the minister to help him slick up a hit, and before I knew it ’twas dark an time ino 0 g 0 home. I went out- by the back door, and "there wuz the minister settin’ on the steps outside, loanin’ his head back 'and lookin’ at the sky sort o’ dreamy-like. “Jest ez I opened tho door what did I see hut a woman’s blue caliber -apron bangin’ on a nail in the kitchen alongside of the minister’s overalls. I picked it off the nail an’ I sez to him : ‘What’s that. \ “Well, Sophia Crane, that man must ha’ been off his guard, for bo said right- out, before he thought, I s’pose, that ’twas his mother’s. I wuz took back considerable, for everybody’s been thinkin’, an’ the minister told the church committee so in 'his own words, that lie hadn’t -a single nigh relative in the world. Now, I dunno what you think about •• Sophia Crane, but I feel sure' there s somethin’ mysterious.” * Airs Higgins had no deliberate intention of making trouble for the new minister when she repeated to er neighbors the story of tho apron, on in a day or two the whole village was interested in the preacher’s mot- ier, and women and men aliko wondered and talked. Meanwhile the Rev. Air Ross, entirely unconscious of tho stii w uc 1 he had created, made his daily rounds, / did his own housework, for he -_ al A considered it necessary to hire --.ay one for the few weeks pic.vnms io his marriage, which was soon ° take place, and, in short, lived the ordinary life of a country minister. Early one forenoon, several weeks after tho episode of the apron, U rs r Crane -was surprised in her kitchen by the sudden entrance of Airs ig gins, who brought the startling news that the minister’s mother had come at last. “I happened to go to one of our front winders jest now',” said she, “.an’ got a glimpse of her P ullin down a curtain in his pavion couldn’t see her face, hut she ha ou that-same identical blue -fl/pron - * ed him about. I’d know' ic a mi'lo off.” . ■ - . ' . “■Strange he ain’t said a word a ou it,” replied -Mrs Crane. “S’pose. now . she’s there, .it’s our duty to .go an st*’ call on her.” -‘ '•' . - ''T' “Course ’tis,; Sophia-. We’ll go this very afternoon:. You come up to the ' house for me an’ we’ll mm over together. JThe minister’s goin’ over to

tie. Ms Jdhu on .lnishu*®, „u’ some?’’” Cr * Ur ’ U ' 1,0 f W

_That afternoon -Mrs Higgins and Mis Crane., accompanied by: three inends who were known in the village as,, the “Bean .girls,”, each of them at least forty year's of age, set out to caill on the minister’s mother. Repeated knocks at the front door brought no response; so the -five made their way .to tho rear of the house. The kitchen door stood open, for the minister had taken the lock with him to have it repaired, so the eallers walked directly in. ‘M'e may’s well -hunt up the poor old lady,” said Mrs Higgins. “Why, the door into the dinin’- room’s locked.”

“So’s the one into tho shed,” announced the youngest . Aliss Bean, who had been investigating. “It beats all,” declared Mrs €r a ue, how some men do lock up' things. There’s Abner. He gets madder’n hops if I ,go off of an afternoon an’ leave the key in the door instead o’ slippin’ it Hinder tho. mat. But what does the minister want to lock up his mother for?”

“That’S|gyhat I’d like to know,” responded the “middle” Miss Bean. “Goodness! What’s that?”

A great yellow head had appeared in the open door of the kitchen and two intelligent brown eyes were looking curiously at the vistors.

“It’s only Rover,” Airs Higgins reassured them. “Hadn’t you seen him before?”

The 'St. Bernard walked leisurely into the kitchen, stretched himself, yawned, and then deliberately lay down across-the doorway.

“Dear me!” exclaimed Airs Crane. “How are we ever goin’ to get out?” “Oh, ho knows me.,” declared Airs Higgins, confidently. “Good Rover! Nice dog!” She lifted her skirts and attempted to step over him, but 'before she could succeed the animal sprang *up with a menacing growl. Then he lay down again and the startled women shrank to the other end of the kitchen.

“Wel’ll have to get out of a window,” said Airs Crane. “Them screens arc all nailed on the outside, but I guess we can knock one out A She opened a window and struck the screen several times with her fist. There was another deep growl from the doorway. “—I guess you’d better stop, Sophia,” advised Airs Higgins. “Ain’t there some other way to -get out?” asked the, eldest Aliss Bean, “There’s the other bulkhead,” said Airs Higgins. “I’ll see if it’s fastened. No, the rest of you stay here. I ain’t goin’ to have that beast coopin’ us all down there in the damp. He’s jest like to, I know.” But the bulkhead also proved to bo locked. “Don’t you s’.poso the critterd move for a broom?” suggested Airs Crane, timidly.

“No, don’t!” exclaimed the eldest Aliss 'Bean. “Dogs ez big ez that don’t shoo at all. We’ll j'ust have to wait.” So the five sat down. At first there was an attempt to keep up the conversation, but the effort finally flagged and' a dready silence succeeded.

The dog lay quiet in the doorway, but at any movement from the kitchen he opened his eyes to watch the prisoners. Outside the, hens clucked lazily in the door,yard arid the afternoon shadows grew longer and longer. At (last the rattle of an approaching waggon was heard. ' “That’s our team,” exclaimed Airs Higgins. “John’s got homo an’ the minister with him. Now, ho 11 he over here in a minute. There was -a sound of footsteps outside and the dog sprang up with a growl of welcome. Tho five ladies stood like a row of naughty children caught in some mischief. At the door tbe°minister stopped in surprise. “Why—he began. “We thought we’d drop in jest a minute,” said Mrs Higgins, “an’ the dog wouldn’t let us out. The minister smiled. “I’m sorry. Rover is trained to keep an eyes on strangers and you see he doesn’t know vou all yet,” he explained. “But I thought you knew I had gone to the falls, Mrs Higgins.” “We did,” broke m Mrs Crane, ■anxious to assist, “but we wanted to see your mother an’—” She stopped bewildered, in confusion. The minister looked bewildered. “My mother!” he exclaimed. (She hasn’t been living for toil years. What do you mean?” • “That’s jest what we d like t know, Air Ross,” replied Airs Higgins, defiantly. “Who wuz the woman with the blue -apron that puilled down ypiu^parlor, curtain this morn- “ Woman?” echoed -the minister. < ‘There -wasn’t any woman. I pulled it down myself. That' apron is one I sometimes wear the, house to keen my clothes clean. . .‘ “Mr Ross,’you told mo the night you moved here that that blue apron Va S your mother’s. You wuz a-settm obt there- on them steps-an’ I took An’ you sez, j«t. <* jbV Them’s your very WfU, The minister looked I»uzri.od for a minute, then (broke-into a .roar of laughter. At last lie spoke : . “My dear Mrs 'Higgms, I sincerely beg your pardon. I was looking at the sky when you came out and my mind was among the stars, Whenyou asked me ‘what’s that? I thought

you meant one of them that was particularly bright’ that evening, so I answered’, ‘that’s Mars.’ ” -

“For the land sake!” said Airs Crane. . . ' ' -