isa-normaladvance-1914-00201

Description: THE NORMAL ADVANCE201Gflfje Carttortgfjtsr Circus
By NONA NOELMISS SOPHRONIE SMITH stood at the
front window of her neat little cottage,
casting anxious glanches up and down the
street. She shielded her near-sighted eyes from
the bright sunlight with one hand, while, with
the other, she held back the stiff, white muslin
curtain. The glaring sunshine and a discon¬
tented feeling made the wrinkles in Miss
Sophronies sallow face deeper than they usual¬
ly were. Her iron-gray hair was twisted into
a tight defiant knot on the top of her head.
Who, looking at this wrinkled spinster, would
imagine that she still entertained in her heart
the tenderest passion known to mankind?It aint no use, she sighed softly, dropping
her hand from her eyes, its too late for him
to come past now. Here Ive been lookin for
him ever afternoon for a month and he aint
been in sight! He used to always pass here
every day and stop sometimes, but I guess hes
takin up with some one else, now that Ive
waited all these years. Just like a man! Have
a woman to wait until all the men her age have
married, and then they hunt up a girl young
enough to be their daughter. Of course, Silas
aint never ask me to wait, and I aint had to
refuse any other offers, but then Ive waited
just the same. . What did he send me that hand-
painted vase, when he was in India, ten years
ago, for, if he didnt want me to wait? she
suddenly demanded in a savage indignant
voice, but there was no one to answer her ques¬
tion.Just then, she caught sight of the three
Cartwright children, sitting on the front porch
of their home, dressed in their good clothes.
The Cartwrights lived next door to Miss
Sophronie.Well, she snorted, finding something new
upon which to vent her indignation, I sup¬pose Mrs. Cartwright intends to take them
youngins to see that circus this afternoon. Id
think a woman of her age would have more
sense than to take her children to see such tom¬
foolery. It seems to me that Cartwrights are
extravagant enough havin their house painted
by a painter, when Mr. Cartwright might just
as well be doin it hisself
without them going
and spendin money to take them children to the
circus. I never was to a circus in my life, my
mother had more sense. Heaven only knows
whatll become of children after while, their
mothers dont know how to raise em. With
this, Miss Sophronie turned in disgust from
the window.The Cartwright children, little suspecting
that their neighbor was criticising them, sat
primly in their small chairs, waiting for their
mother to get ready. Bob, the watch-dog, lay
at the feet of Archibald, the youngest little
Cartwright, whose face shone as a direct result
of the application of soap and water. Martha,
next to Archibald in age, held her head very
erect lest she disturb the two braids that stood
out stiffly at each side of her head. Philip
showed clearly that he was the oldest of the
three by trying to assume an air of dignity and
superiority.For many minutes after Miss Sophronie had
left her window, the children continued to wait
patiently but when moment after moment lag¬
ged by and their mother did not appear, they
grew tired. Philip and Martha squirmed about
in their chairs. Archibald slipped down to the
floor and began to play with Bob. Just then,
the painter, whom Miss Sophronie had men¬
tioned, passed on his way to get some material
which he had left back of the house. It was at
this point that Philip conceived a brilliant idea
Source: http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/32665
Collection: Indiana State University Archives

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