The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, 8 May 1913, Page 5

The Storyteller

MRS. SPILLER’S ‘TREATMENT’ Everything in Mrs. Spiller’s kitchen fairly beamed with cleanliness, from the speckless window-panes, brilyellow floor, shining range with its array of dazzling copper kettles, to the mistress of the house herself, whose stiffly starched gingham gown and apron creaked ominously as their wearer swayed to and fro in her rocking-chair. Mehitable Spiller was a woman of fifty, sharpfeatured and anxious of countenance, as : became a strenuous housewife; for the ‘ Widder ’ Spiller had acquired a reputation not easily sustained. No woman for miles around made such bread and pies, such butter and cheese, as she; none equalled her in the number and gorgeousness of the home-made rugs and quilts that adorned her floors and beds.

Naturally the widow was not unmindful of the prestige she had gained, "hence she ~ repudiated with scorn brother Dan's frequent "suggestion as to the expediency of introducing ' hired help' into her immaculate kitchen. She had kept house for Dan:for many years, and the bachelor's single-blessedness was generally attributed to . his sister's aversion to • being superseded in the domestic domain by a sister-in-law. This was unjust to Mehitable, however: she was willing, nay anxious, that he should marry, provided he chose the ' right one ' —that one, in her opinion, being Miss Charlotte Crandall. This young woman was an orphan, amiable and capable, and possessed of considerable means. What more could he desire?

Unfortunately,. Mehitable had a 'conviction .that every man required managing,' and, alas! Dan had a weakness for a youthfully pretty face which might upset the- match-maker's plans, for Charlotte had neither extreme youth nor beauty to recommend her. Hence the widow refrained from urging her preference, though at the same time she discouraged his attentions to others.

Now it happened that Charlotte was just making a neighborly call on our friend. The spinster was a person of some consequence in these days, having recently returned from a two months' visit to Boston. The. widow, as a stay-at-home body, was full of inquiries.

:■< X l-I wonder, now,' she ventured, after a lull in her first storm of questions, 'ef you happened to hear anthin' : bout that Christian Science that's round?'

The widow referred to the cult as one might to a contagious disease; but the visitor was too embarrassed to note the manner of : speech. """;.. ' I never dreamed anybody up this way would hear the first thing 'bout that she exclaimed. 'Wall,: I guess they hain't, 'ceptin' me,' returned the widow complacently. ' I run up ag'in it in an old paper— poot'y observin', you knowan' I thought right away 'twas more'n likely you'd be posted.' - Confusion and indecision were blended in Charlotte's rosy, freckled face. <' I never means to ; speak of it, an' I dunno's I orter,' said she, ' but I did hear consider 'bout it. To tell the truth,' she added, spurred on; by the growing interest in her companion's face, ' Ezry's folks was all carried away with it an' Maria's took lessons!' 4 I wanter know ejaculated Mehitable delightedly. Then do jes' tell what it's like. It peared dretful queer to me.' Oh ! it's- wonderful! wonderful!' answered Charlotte impressively. 'Why, they say it's jest's easy as can be to cure folks of most ev'rythin.' . ' 'Pear to me that's going to make it ruther bad for the doctors,' suggested Mehitable thoughtfully. ' Wall, of course ev'rybody don't b'lieve in it yet,' admitted Charlotte. ' I ain't sure's I do, though I did see Maria cure Ezry of a dreadful sick headache. It was one Sat'day afternoon, an' she'd been out shoppin'. He was groanin' an' takin' on tumble when she come home. She got right down an' give him a "treatment" 'fore she took off her hat, an' ef you'll b'lieve it he was up an' eating baked beans inside of an hour.' 'What's a "treatment"? demanded the practical Mehitable.

Why, it was jest tellin' him he hadn't any headache, and that there wasn't any such thing as pain—she didn't speak out loud, she said it to herself, you know. She said some of 'em would have treated him that he hadn't any head, but she thought that was going too far.' ; ' I should say she went far 'nough, ef she could make anybody with sick headache hev a relish for baked beans,' observed the widow dryly. 'lt did seem a'most mirac'lous/ said Charlotte. 'But that ain't anything to what they can do, 'cordin' to Maria. They give what she calls " absent treatment," an' cure folks without their sensin' it. Maria

made Ezry's brother leave off smokin', an, he never mistrusted, till afterwards, what the reason was he didn't care any more for terbaccer. His wife was dreadful pleased.' That was cur'us, sure 'nough,' agreed the widow. ' Oh, I-ain't told you half I heard,' said Charlotte. ' I dunno's I b'lieve it all, but I guess there's somethin' in it. They say they can infioounce folks to do what's right in other things. But, dear. me!, how I've been runnin' on. I ought to be home-this minute.'.. ' You musn't think of going till after supper,' urged the widow. ' Dan would be reel disappointed to miss seein' you.' '. ' I heard Dan was keein' comp'ny with Abbie Green,' remarked Charlotte, rather irrelevantly, a gleam of amusement in her demure gray eyes. 'That triflin' thing!' rejoined Dan's sister with asperity. 'He might 'a' waited on 'er home from prayer-meetin' or singin'-school, or somethin' like that, but nothin' more.' , -.;

.. .' I was only sayin' what I heard,' responded Charlotte, tying the strings of her shade-hat. 'But reely, I must be goin'.' "

There was a dissatisfied expression on Mehitable's thin face, as she watched her departing guest. Looks most's though she was runin' away from him,' she soliloquized. Then, shading her eyes from the western sun, she turned her. head in the opposite direction, where a cloud of dust was visible in the distance'. That dusty cloud meant that the cattle were straggling homeward, and that not far behind them was the master of the farm.

' Provokin'!' continued the * widow 'I counted on keepin' her till he come. It does beat all how. folks will stand in their own light. The's no earthly reason —'ceptin' their contrariness—-why she 'n' Dan shouldn't take to each other. I 'most b'lieve she does like him.'

; She paused for a moment in deep cogitation. Then a smile spread slowly over her face. ' I've a good mind to try it,' she mused. 'lt ain't no harm to infloounce folks for their good.' She looked down the road again. The unsuspecting Dan was plainly in sight now. ; * ' I'll do it!' declared she. Deliberately she began: ' Daniel Hawley, you know you set ev'rything by Charlotte Crandall. She'd make a sight better wife than any of them silly girls down in the village. You're goin' to marry her 'fore long, an' you'll go to see her right after supper.' - * . : - ■ Mehitable quite prided herself on the comprehensiveness of this formula, which she repeated a score of times or more before her brother got within hailing distance; then she hurried into the house to prepare the evening meal. : -At supper the chief topic of conversation was the visitor of the afternoon, and certainly -the bachelor was as. greatly interested as one could desire. 'I s'pose Lottie ain't changed much,' he remarked.

:;"■'•' don't see's she has,' replied Mehitable; 'pears younger, ef anythin', an' she was wearin' her hair pompydore.' . ' . : ' Lottie is jest four years younger'n me,' said Dan. ' But I ain't no Methuseler,' he added facetiously. He was in fact fifteen years his sister's junior, a comfortable, happy-go-lucky fellow, young for his years. 'I shouldn't be 'tall s'prised,' continued Mehii, able artfully, • ef Charlotte concluded to go back to Boston. Maria'd like to hev her, an' there ain't no partic'lar reason for her stayin' up here with John's folks.'

' Oh! I guess Lottie ain't wantin' to live in the city,' retorted Dan confidently. The widow gleaned what comfort she might from this assurance, and waited hopefully for him to announce his intention of calling on their neighbor. But apparently he had no such intention, for he settled himself all too contentedly on. the porch with the weekly paper. Mehitable occupied herself with the stocking she was 'heeling off,' till she had unwittingly knitted a heel of prodigious length. ' I'll jest hev to give him another treatment,' she said to herself in desperation. Moving her chair back and closing her eyes over and over again, she commanded the delinquent to go an' Bee Charlotte right away.' In her absorption, she was quite unaware that her lips were keeping pace with her thoughts, till a hearty laugh reminded her that she was buzzing away in a manner not conducive to secrecy. She met Dan's laughing - eyes guiltily despite her effort to appear unconcerned. 'I swan!' chuckled he, 'ef you wa'n't asleep, an' talkin' in your sleep, too, though all I could make out was somethin' 'bout Charlotte.'

'Charlotte has been in my mind consider'ble today,' returned Mehitable' calmly, thankful to have escaped so easily. And then, to her delight, Dan arose, folded his paper, remarking carelessly that he 'guessed' he'd ' fix up an' go over to Lottie's a spell.' 'I. fetched him that time,' said she exultingly, when she was by herself again. Next it occurred to her that it mightn't be a bad idea to give Charlotte an ' absent treatment,' to impress her with the fact that she was truly glad to see her friend Dan ; and this she at once proceeded to do. Then, weary with her unusual mental exertions, she betook herself to bed.

She slept with one eye open, however, and had the satisfaction of knowing that the clock struck 11 before her brother came tiptoeing into the house. ‘ I never knew -him to stay anywhere so late before,’ she murmured sleepily, then resumed her slumbers in the consciousness of duty well performed. The, next week Mehitable invited Charlotte to tea • —incidentally treating her to make sure of her coming. She came, and Dan escorted her home. After that there was more or less running back and forth

between ; the two farmhouses. The widow gave treatments .' in season and out, thereby neglecting her rug and quilt making, which somehow seemed of little importance in comparison with her : new avocation. ;;' ; . 'At last; she reaped the reward of the persevering. One morning after breakfast Dan announced sheepishly, ' Lottie 'n' ~ r me's thinkin' of gittin' married in the spring.' '-.'-:■/.-, ■'■■ ■ -, - >; 'There!' cried Mehitable triumphantly, as she bestowed a sisterly embrace, ' I knew my "treatment" would bring ev'rythin' out all right.' ' l -; ' Yes,: you hev treated -Lottie reel nice,' said Dan gratefully. ;' She's hed a notion ever sence she got back from Boston that you was beginnin' to suspicion how matters stood.' '--" ■ ; ; : ' ' '■-■->■^•Z.h' '

The widow regarded him blankly. 'l' duhho's I foller you meanin',' she faltered. , ._>„.-""■':-. 'You see it's goin' on three years sence I fust spoke to Lottie,' explained Dan awkwardly. -.";' You mean you asked her to hev you ?' demanded the widow. -■ ' ..." " > " _ : " J ~''~: ■■"■'•^'-'"" 1 ;- r '-"- .'•":""'

' That's jest it,' acknowledged the culprit, 'ah' I've been askin' her, off 'n' on, ever sence. 'j r,

But you never acted's though you cared a particle!' remonstrated Mehitable. "*""-;*.'■'-

' Wall, you see, Lottie suspicioned you might be put out over it, seein' that you sot so much by your housekeeping an' folks praisin' you for bein' so uncommon capable. But lately/ sence you've treated her so corjul-like, she ain't been so much afeered.' . '.\, Tj Mehitable regarded him mutely, finding it difficult to re-adjust her deep-rooted convictions at a moment's notice. .;._ ■ - ■"' - :■: ; : ;

'I was some to blame,' resumed her brother. / I kinder thought you mightn't fancy , hevin' anybody comin' in to take the lead. You alius hev kep' things up to the mark, I must say. But o' course, my wife woud be fust,' he concluded resolutely. ; - . ' 'How reedic'lous!' declared Mehitable, 'an' me longing' for years to hev you fetch Charlotte here.' - 'Sho! you don't say so?' stammered Dan.' Yes, I do,' affirmed the : widow. ' I'm sick an* tired to death of try in' to keep things jest so, all the time. Ef you wanter git married next week, it'll suit me all the better.' . ' T

'l'll see what Lottie says,' rejoined bewildered swain. ■ " -. ■■ •'.'" • - :

An' be sure 'n' tell her not to mind 'bout bein' overpartic'lar in her housekeeping it's dretful wearin',' sho called after him. \ ' .

' Jest to think of the time wasted givin' them plaguy treatments!' murmured the schemer regretfully, a-s she arranged the breakfast-dishes symmetrically in a shining dish-pan.— Southern Cross.