Spicy And Short Stories Beautiful Spicy And Short Stories for Children, Horror, Humour, Religious, English Tales, Romance, Sci-Fi And Much More..

Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Carson were both in the post office inVictory when the letter came from the Ellisville Institute for theFeeble-Minded of Mississippi. Aimee Slocum, with her hand still fullof mail, ran out in front and handed it straight to Mrs. Watts, and theyall three read it together. Mrs. Watts held it taut between her pinkhands, and Mrs. Carson underscored each line slowly with herthimbled finger. Everybody else in the post office wondered what wasup now.
"What will Lily say," beamed Mrs. Carson at last, "when we tellher we're sending her to Ellisville!"

"She'll be tickled to death," said Mrs. Watts, and added aguttural voice to a deaf lady, "Lily Daw's getting in at Ellisville!"

"Don't you dare go off and tell Lily without me!" called AimeeSlocum, trotting back to finish putting up the mail.

"Do you suppose they'll look after her down there?" Mrs. Carsonbegan to carry on a conversation with a group of Baptist ladieswaiting in the post office. She was the Baptist preacher's wife.

"I've always heard it was lovely down there, but crowded," saidone.

"Lily lets people run her over so," said another.

"Last night at the tent show -" said another, and then poppedher hand over her mouth.

"Don't mind me, I know there are such things in the world," saidMrs. Carson, looking down and fingering the tape measure whichhung over her bosom.

"Oh, Mrs. Carson. Well, anyway, last night at the tent show,why, the man was just before making Lily buy a ticket to get in."

"A ticket!"

"Till my husband went up and explained she wasn't bright, andso did everybody else."

The ladies all clucked their tongues.

"Oh, it was a very nice show," said the lady who had gone. "And Lily acted so nice. She was a perfect lady - just set in her seatand stared."

"Oh, she can be a lady - she can be," said Mrs. Carson, shakingher head and turning her eyes up. "That's just what breaks yourheart."

"Yes'm, she kept her eyes on - what's that thing makes all thecommotion? - the xylophone," said the lady. "Didn't turn her head tothe right or to the left the whole time. Set in front of me."

"The point is, what did she do after the show?" asked Mrs.Watts practically. "Lily has gotten so she is very mature for her age."

"Oh, Etta!" protested Mrs. Carson, looking at her wildly for amoment.

"And that's how come we are sending her to Ellisville," finishedMrs. Watts.

"I'm ready, you all," said Aimee Slocum, running out with awhite powder all over her face. "Mail's up. I don't how good it's up."

"Well, of course, I do hope it's for the best," said several of theother ladies. They did not go at once to take their mail out of theirboxes; they felt a little left out.

The three women stood at the foot of the water tank.

"To find Lily is a different thing," said Aimee Slocum.

"Where in the wide world do you suppose she'd be?" It wasMrs. Watts who was carrying the letter.

"I don't see a sign of her either on this side of the street or onthe other side," Mrs. Carson declared as they walked along.

Ed Newton was stringing Redbird school tablets on the wireacross the store.

"If you're after Lily, she come in here while ago and tole me shewas fixin' to git married," he said.

"Ed Newton!" cried the ladies all together, clutching oneanother. Mrs. Watts began to fan herself at once with the letter fromEllisville. She wore widow's black, and the least thing made her hot.

"Why she is not. She's going to Ellisville, Ed," said Mrs. Carsongently. "Mrs. Watts and I and Aimee Slocum are paying her way outof our own pockets. Besides, the boys of Victory are on their honor. Lily's not going to get married, that's just an idea she's got in herhead."

"More power to you, ladies," said Ed Newton, spanking himselfwith a tablet.

When they came to the bridge over the railroad tracks, therewas Estelle Mabers, sitting on a rail. She was slowly drinking anorange Ne-Hi.

"Have you seen Lily?" they asked her.

"I'm supposed to be out here watching for her now," said theMabers girl, as though she weren't there yet. "But for Jewel - Jewelsays Lily come in the store while ago and picked out a two-ninety-eight hat and wore it off. Jewel wants to swap her something else forit."

"Oh, Estelle, Lily says she's going to get married!" cried AimeeSlocum.

"Well, I declare," said Estelle; she never understood anything.

Loralee Adkins came riding by in her Willys-Knight, tooting thehorn to find out what they were talking about.

Aimee threw up her hands and ran out into the street. "Loralee,Loralee, you got to ride us up to Lily Daw's. She's up yonder fixing toget married!"

"Hop in, my land!"

"Well, that just goes to show you right now," said Mrs. Watts,groaning as she was helped into the back seat. "What we've got todo is persuade Lily it will be nicer to go to Ellisville."

"Just to think!"

While they rode around the corner Mrs. Carson was going on inher sad voice, sad as the soft noises in the hen houses at twilight. "We buried Lily's poor defenseless mother. We gave Lily all her foodand kindling and every stitch she had on. Sent her to Sunday schoolto learn the Lord's teachings, had her baptized a Baptist. And whenher old father commenced beating her and tried to cut her head offwith the butcher knife, why, we went and took her away from him andgave her a place to stay."

The paintless frame house with all the weather vanes was threestories high in places and had yellow and violet stained-glasswindows in front and gingerbread around the porch. It leaned steeplyto one side, toward the railroad, and the front steps were gone. Thecar full of ladies drew up under the cedar tree.

"Now Lily's almost grown up," Mrs. Carson continued. "In fact,she's grown," she concluded, getting out.

"Talking about getting married," said Mrs. Watts disgustedly. "Thanks, Loralee, you run on home."

They climbed over the dusty zinnias onto the porch and walkedthrough the open door without knocking.

"There certainly is always a funny smell in this house. I say itevery time I come," said Aimee Slocum.

Lily was there, in the dark of the hall, kneeling on the floor by asmall open trunk.

When she saw them she put a zinnia in her mouth, and heldstill.

"Hello, Lily," said Mrs. Carson reproachfully.

"Hello," said Lily. In a minute she gave a suck on the zinniastem that sounded exactly like a jaybird. There she sat, wearing apetticoat for a dress, one of the things Mrs. Carson kept after herabout. Her milky-yellow hair streamed freely down from under a newhat. You could see the wavy scar on her throat if you knew it wasthere.

Mrs. Carson and Mrs. Watts, the two fattest, sat in the doublerocker. Aimee Slocum sat on the wire chair donated from thedrugstore that burned.

"Well, what are you doing Lily?" asked Mrs. Watts, who led therocking.

Lily smiled.

The trunk was old and lined with yellow and brown paper, withan asterisk pattern showing in darker circles and rings. Mutely theladies indicated to each other that they did not know where in theworld it had come from. It was empty except for two bars of soap anda green washcloth, which Lily was now trying to arrange in the bottom.

"Go on and tell us what you're doing, Lily," said Aimee Slocum.

"Packing, silly," said Lily.

"Where are you going?"

"Going to get married, and I bet you wish you was me now,"said Lily. But shyness overcame her suddenly, and she popped thezinnia back into her mouth.

"Talk to me, dear," said Mrs. Carson. "Tell old Mrs. Carson whyyou want to get married."

"No," said Lily, after a moment's hesitation.

"Well, we've thought of something that will be much nicer," saidMrs. Carson. "Why don't you go to Ellisville!"

"Won't that be lovely?" said Mrs. Watts. "Goodness, yes."

"It's a lovely place," said Aimee Slocum uncertainly.

"You've got bumps on your face," said Lily.

"Aimee, dear, you stay out of this, if you don't mind," said Mrs.Carson anxiously. "I don't know what it is comes over Lily when youcome around her."

Lily stared at Aimee Slocum meditatively.

"There! Wouldn't you like to go to Ellisville now?" asked Mrs.Carson.

"No'm," said Lily.

"Why not?" All the ladies leaned down toward her in impressiveastonishment.

"'Cause I'm going to get married," said Lily.

"Well, and who are you going to marry, dear?" asked Mrs.Watts. She knew how to pin people down and make them deny whatthey'd already said.

Lily bit her lip and began to smile. She reached into the trunkand held up both cakes of soap and wagged them.

"Tell us," challenged Mrs. Watts. "Who you're going to marry,now."

"A man last night."

There was a gasp from each lady. The possible reality of alover descended suddenly like a summer hail over their heads. Mrs.Watts stood up and balanced herself.

"One of those show fellows! A musician!" she cried.

Lily looked up in admiration.

"Did he - did he do anything to you?" In the long run, it was stillonly Mrs. Watts who could take charge.

"Oh, yes'm," said Lily. She patted the cakes of soap fastidiouslywith the tips of her small fingers and tucked them in with thewashcloth.

"What?" demanded Aimee Slocum, rising and tottering beforeher scream. "What? she called out in the hall.

"Don't ask her what," said Mrs. Carson, coming up behind. "Tellme, Lily - just yes or no - are you the same as you were?"

"He had a red coat," said Lily graciously. "He took little sticksand ping-pong! ding-dong!"

"Oh, I think I'm going to faint," said Aimee Slocum, but theysaid, "No you're not."

"The xylophone!" cried Mrs. Watts. "The xylophone player! Why, the coward, he ought to be run out of town on a rail!"

"Out of town? He is out of town by now," cried Aimee. "Can'tyou read? - the sign in the cafe - Victory on the ninth, Como on thetenth? He's in Como. Como!"

"All right! We'll bring him back!" cried Mrs. Watts. "He can't getaway from me!"

"Hush," said Mrs. Carson. "I don't think it's any use followingthat line of reasoning at all. It's better in the long run for him to begone out of our lives for good and all. That kind of man. He was afterLily's body alone and he wouldn't ever in this world make the poorlittle thing happy, even if we went out and forced him to marry her likehe ought - at the point of a gun."

"Still - " began Aimee, her eyes widening.

"Shut up," said Mrs. Watts. "Mrs. Carson, you're right, I expect."

"This is my hope chest - see?" said Lily politely in the pause thatfollowed. "You haven't even looked at it. I've already got soap and awashrag. And I have my hat - on. What are you all going to giveme?"

"Lily," said Mrs. Watts, starting over, "we'll give you lots ofgorgeous things if you'll only go to Ellisville instead of gettingmarried."

"What will you give me?" asked Lily.

"I'll give you a pair of hemstitched pillowcases," said Mrs.Carson.

"I'll give you a big caramel cake," said Mrs. Watts.

"I'll give you a souvenir from Jackson - a little toy bank," saidAimee Slocum. "Now will you go?"

"No," said Lily.

"I'll give you a pretty little Bible with your name on it in realgold," said Mrs. Carson.

"What if I was to give you a pink crepe de Chine brassiere withadjustable shoulder straps?" asked Mrs. Watts grimly.

"Oh, Etta."

"Well, she needs it," said Mrs. Watts. "What would they think ifshe ran all over Ellisville in a petticoat looking like a fiji?"

"I wish _I_ could go to Ellisville," said Aimee Slokum luringly.

"What will they have for me down there?" asked Lily softly.

"Oh! lots of things. You'll have baskets to weave, I expect . . ." Mrs. Carson looked vaguely at the others.

"Oh, yes indeed, they will let you make all sorts of baskets,"said Mrs. Watts; then her voice too trailed off.

"No'm, I'd rather get married," said Lily.

"Lily Daw! Now that's just plain stubbornness!" cried Mrs. Watts. "You almost said you'd go and then you took it back.

"We've all asked God, Lily," said Mrs. Carson finally, "and Godseemed to tell us - Mr. Carson, too - that the place where you ought tobe, so as to be happy, was Ellisville."

Lily looked reverent, but still stubborn.

"We've really just got to get her there - now!" screamed AimeeSlocum all at once. "Suppose - ! She can't stay here!"

"Oh, no, no, no," said Mrs. Carson hurriedly. "We mustn't thinkthat."

They sat sunken in despair.

"Could I take my hope chest - to go to Ellisville?" asked Lilyshyly, looking at them sidewise.

"Why, yes," said Mrs. Carson blankly.

Silently they rose once more to their feet.

"Oh, if I could just take my hope chest!"

"All the time it was just her hope chest," Aimee whispered.

Mrs. Watts struck her palms together. "It's settled!"

"Praise the fathers," murmured Mrs. Carson.

Lily looked up at them, and her eyes gleamed. She cocked herhead and spoke out in a proud imitation of someone - someoneutterly unknown.

"O.K. - Toots!"

The ladies had been nodding and smiling and backing awaytoward the door.

"I think I'd better stay," said Mrs. Carson, stopping in her tracks. "Where - where could she have learned that terrible expression?"

"Pack up," said Mrs. Watts. "Lily Daw is leaving for Ellisville onNumber One."

In the station the train was puffing. Nearly everyone in Victorywas hanging around waiting for it to leave. the Victory Civic Band hadassembled without any orders and was scattered through the crowd. Ed Newton gave false signals to start on his bass horn. A crate full ofbaby chickens got loose on the platform. Everybody wanted to seeLily all dressed up, but Mrs. Carson and Mrs. Watts had sneaked herinto the train from the other side of the tracks.

The two ladies were going to travel as far as Jackson to helpLily change trains and be sure she went in the right direction.

Lily sat between them on the plush seat with her hair combedand pinned up into a knot under a small blue hat which was Jewel'sexchange for the pretty one. She wore a traveling dress made out ofpart of Mrs. Watt's last summer's mourning. Pink straps glowedthrough. She had a purse and a bible and a warm cake in a box, allin her lap.

Aimee Slocum had been getting the outgoing mail stamped andbundled. she stood in the aisle of the coach now, tears shaking fromher eyes.

"Good-bye, Lily," she said. She was the one who felt things.

"Good-bye, silly," said Lily.

"Oh, dear, I hope they get our telegram to meet her in Ellisville!"Aimee cried sorrowfully, as she thought how far away it was. "And itwas so hard to get it all in ten words, too."

"Get off, Aimee, before the train starts and you break yourneck," said Mrs. Watts, all settled and waving her dressy fan gaily. "Ideclare, it's so hot, as soon as we get a few miles out of town I'mgoing to slip my corset down."

"Oh, Lily, don't cry down there. Just be good, and do what theytell you - it's all because they love you." Aimee drew her mouth down. She was backing away, down the aisle.

Lily laughed. She pointed across Mrs. Carson's bosom out thewindow toward a man. He had stepped off the train and just stoodthere, by himself. He was a stranger and he wore a cap.

"Look," she said, laughing softly through her fingers.

"Don't - look," said Mrs. Carson very distinctly, as if, out of allshe had ever spoken, she would impress these two solemn wordsupon Lily's soft little brain. She added, "Don't look at anything till youget to Ellisville."

Outside, Aimee Slocum was crying so hard she almost ran intothe stranger. He wore a cap and was short and seemed to have onperfume, is such a thing could be.

"Could you tell me, madam," he said, "where a little lady lives inthis burg name of Miss Lily Daw?" He lifted his cap - and he had redhair.

"What do you want to know for?" Aimee asked before she knewit.

"Talk louder," said the stranger. He almost whispered, himself.

"She's gone away - she's gone away to Ellisville!"

"Gone?"

"Gone to Ellisville!"

"Well, I like that!" The man stuck out his bottom lip and puffedtill his hair jumped.

"What business did you have with Lily?" cried Aimee suddenly.

"We was only going to get married, that's all," said the man.

Aimee Slokum started to scream in front of all those people. She almost pointed to the long black box she saw lying on the groundat the man's feet. Then she jumped back in fright.

"The xylophone! The xylophone!" she cried, looking back andforth from the man to the hissing train. Which was more terrible? The bell began to ring hollowly, and the man was talking.

"Did you say Ellisville? That in the state of Mississippi?" Likelightning he had pulled out a red notebook entitled, "Permanent Facts& Data." He wrote down something. "I don't hear well."

Aimee nodded her head up and down, and circled around him.

Under "Ellis-Ville Miss" he was drawing a line; now he wasflicking it with two little marks. "Maybe she didn't say she would. Maybe she said she wouldn't." He suddenly laughed very loudly, afterthe way he had whispered. Aimee jumped back. "Women! - Well, ifwe play anywheres near Ellisville, Miss., in the future I may look herup and I may not," he said.

The bass horn sounded the true signal for the band to begin. White steam rushed out of the engine. Usually the train stopped foronly a minute in Victory, but the engineer knew Lily from waving ather, and he knew this was her big day.

"Wait!" Aimee Slocum did scream. "Wait, mister! I can get herfor you. Wait, Mister Engineer! Don't go!"

Then there she was back on the train, screaming in Mrs.Carson's and Mrs. Watt's faces.

"The xylophone player! The xylophone player to marry her! Yonder he is!"

"Nonsense," murmured Mrs. Watts, peering over the others tolook where Aimee pointed. "If he's there I don't see him. Where ishe? You're looking at One-Eye Beasley."

"The little man with the cap - no, with the red hair! Hurry!"

"Is that really him?" Mrs. Carson asked Mrs. Watts in wonder. "Mercy! He's small, isn't he?"

"Never saw him before in my life!" cried Mrs. Watts. Butsuddenly she shut up her fan.

"Come on! This is a train we're on!" cried Aimee Slocum. Hernerves were all unstrung.

"All right, don't have a conniption fit, girl," said Mrs. Watts. "Come on," she said thickly to Mrs. Carson.

"Where are we going now?" asked Lily as they struggled downthe aisle.

"We're taking you to get married," said Mrs. Watts. "Mrs.Carson, you'd better phone up your husband right there in thestation."

"But I don't want to git married," said Lily, beginning to whimper. "I'm going to Ellisville."

"Hush, and we'll all have some ice-cream cones later,"whispered Mrs. Carson.

Just as they climbed down the steps at the back end of thetrain, the band went into "Independence March".

The xylophone player was still there, patting his foot. He cameup and said, "Hello, toots. What's up - tricks?" and kissed Lily with asmack, after which she hung her head.

"So you're the young man we've heard so much about," saidMrs. Watts. Her smile was brilliant. "Here's your little Lily."

"What say?" asked the xylophone player.

"My husband happens to be the Baptist preacher of Victory,"said Mrs. Carson in a loud, clear voice. "Isn't that lucky? I can gethim here in five minutes: I know exactly where he is."

They were in a circle around the xylophone player, all going intothe white waiting room.

"Oh, I feel just like crying, at a time like this," said AimeeSlocum. She looked back and saw the train moving slowly away,going under the bridge at Main Street. Then it disappeared aroundthe curve.

"Oh, the hope chest!" Aimee cried in a stricken voice.

"And whom have we the pleasure of addressing?" Mrs. Wattswas shouting, while Mrs. Carson was ringing up the telephone.

The band went on playing. Some of the people thought Lily wason the train, and some swore she wasn't. Everybody cheered,though, and a straw hat was thrown into the telephone wires.