The Jilting of Granny Weatherall Se Mlcked her wrist neatly out of Dector Harrys pay careful fingers and pled the sheet upto her chin The brat Ought to be in Ace breeches. Doctoring around the county with spectacles on his nose! “Get along now, take your schoolbooks and go, There's nothing weong with me” Doctor Harry spread a warm paw like a cushion on her fore head where the forked green vein danced and made hee eyelids vite. "Now, now, be a good gi, and well have you up in no “That's no way to speak toa woman neatly eighty yours od just because she's down, I have You respect your elder, young man.” “Well Mis, excuse me." Doctor Harty patted her cheek. "But ve got to warn you, haveat 1? You're marvel, bt you mast be areal or yout going to be good and srry.” Don't tell me wat Ta going to be. I'm on my feet now, morally speaking. It's Cornelia. 1 had to go to bed to get rid of her er bones felt Joos, and feated around inher skin, and Doctor Harry fated ike a balloon around the fot ofthe bed, He lated and pulled dowa his waistcoat and swung his glisres on com “Well, stay where you ar, certainly ant hurt you." “Get along and doctor your sick” seid Granny Weatherall, “Leave a well woman alone. TU call for you when 1 want you ‘Where were you forty years ago when T pulled through ‘lkteg and double pacumonia? You werent even born. Dot It Cornelia lead you of,” she shouted, because Doctor Hatry ap- 0 he Ting of Granny Weatherall pated to fost up to the eling and out “pay my own ils, and don't throw my money away on nonsense! ‘She meant to wave good-by, bu it was too much trouble. Her eyes cloned of themselves, twas ke a dark curtain drawn around the bed. The pillow rose and foated under her, pleasant asa am ‘mock in a ight wind. She ltened to the eaves rustling outsie the Window, No, somebody was swithiag newspapers: ne, Cocnelia fnd Doctor Harry were whispering together She leaped broad ‘ake, hiking they whispered in her ear. "she was never Hke hs, never Ike this” "Well, what con we expect?” "Yes, cihty years od. «» .” ‘Well, and whats she was? She stl bad ens. Tt was ke Cor- rela 10 whisper around doors, She alvaye Rept things sere in sich a public way. She was ways being tactful and ind. Cornelia was dull hat was the trouble with er- Dil and good: “So food and dtl,” said Granny, “that dike to spank her” She Se herself spanking Cornelia and makag a fine job oi “What'd you say, Mote?” Granny fet er face tying up in hard kot. “Can't a body think, Tike 1 know?" “Lthoveht you might want something” Lo, I want a ot of things. Fist ll, go away and don't whis- ‘Se lay and drowned, hoping in her slep that the cikien ‘would Keep ot an let Ber vest a minute. I had been a Tong day. Not that she was tied, It was always pleasant to satch a minute now and then. There was always so mluch tobe done, let me se "Tomorrow was fr away and there ws nothing to touble about. ‘Things were finshed somehow when the time came; thank God there was always a ile margin over for peace: then a person ‘ould spread ow the pan of ie snd tack Ia the edges ordeny. I tras good to ave everything clean and folded away, with the hai Drusher apd tonic bots sting straight on the white embokdered linen: the day started without fuss and the pantry shelves ai out with rows of ely glasses and Brown jugs and white stone-china jis with blu whinipis and words painted on them: cote, te, ugar, ginger, cinnamon, apie: and the bronze clock with th ion on top niely dusted oft The dust that lon could collect ia srKatherine Anne Porter twenty-four hours! The box i the ste with all thse letters ted ‘up, well, she'd ave o go through that tomorrow. All hose eters George's teers and John's eters ander letters to them beth yng’ around forthe children 0 find afterwards made het ‘uneasy, Yes, that would be tomorrow's business. No use to let ‘them know how silly she had been once ‘Wile she was rummaging around she found death in her mind and it fet clammy and unfamiliar. She had spent so much time preparing for death tere was no need for bringing up again, Let It take care of itself now, When se ws sty he had fel very ol, finished, and went around making farewell ip to ge her edren fan grandchildren, with a seret i her mad? Theis the very last ‘of your mother, children! Then she made he wil and came down with along fever. That was all just « notion like lot of other things, ut it was hcky 09, fo she had once fr all got over the Hea of dying for Tong time, Now she couldn't be worried. She hoped she had beter sense now. Her father had ved to be one hundred and evo years od and had drank a noggin of strong hot tow on his lst bithday. He told the reporters it was hi daily habit, and he owed his fog fe to that. He had made quite a seandal and was very pleased about it. She believed. shed just plague Comelia i. “Comnli! Commit" No footsteps, but a sudden hand on er cheek, “Bless you, whete have you been?” Here, Masher” “Well, Cornel, I want a nogsin of hot tay.” ‘Are you eo, darling?” “Tm chil, Cornelia. Lying in bed stops the circulation. X must Ihave old you that athowssnd times.” Well she could just hear Coralia teling her husband that ‘Mother was geting a itl childish aod they'd ave to humor he ‘The thing that most annoyed her was that Comala thought she was deaf, dumb, and Bind. Lite hasty glances and tiny gestures tossed around her and over her Bead saying, "Don't cron he, le her have he way, she's eighty years ol” and she siting ters esi she live in a thn glass cage. Sometimes Granny almost made up her mind to pack up and move back to her own howse where nobody could remind her every minute that she was old. Wait, ‘wait, Cornel, til your own children whisper behind your back! 2 Seat ereeanet os ‘That was for tomorrow. She used to think of him as a man, but oseeiaeeteesee me iris italian! meen epg Saat falc hse an Seieegereneee sotcrea cates cus nie eee aathrine Anne Foner hosts. Soon it would be atthe near edge ofthe orchard, and then {twat time to goin and light the Tams. Come i, chide, dont stay outin the might i Tighting the lamps had Been beautiful. The ehideen huddle up to her and breathed lke Hite caves waldng at the bare in the ‘wlghe Ther ejes followed the match and watched the fame ie snd seule jn blue cure, then they moved away from her, The Tam wa i, they did’ have to be scared and hang on to mother any more. Never never, never more. God, forall my ie I thank ‘Thee. Without Thes, my God, I could never ave done it Hal, Mary, ful of grace vant you to pick all the frit this year and see that noting is wasted, Thor’ slnays someone who can use #. Dont let good ings rot for want of sing. You waste fe when you waste good food, Dont Ie things get lst, biter to low thins. Now, doa Ictme get to thinking, not when Tam tied and taking litle ap before supper ‘The pillow foe about her shoulders and presed against her hart andthe memory wat eing squeezed out of i oh, posh down the pillow, sombody: ie would ameter her if she tid to hold it Sth afresh broeze blowing and such a green ay with 20 threats in it But he had not come, just the same. What docs 4 ‘woman do when she has pt on the white ei and et out the white ‘ake for a man and he doesn't come? She ted to remember. No, fear he never harmed ie but in ha, He never harmed me bt ia that . «and what if he did? There was the day, the day, but a hi of ark stoke rose and covered it, crept up and over into the bright fled where everything was planted so carefully In or- esy ows. That was hell, se knew bell when she sa it For sity Yeats she had prayed against remembering him and aginst losing her soul in the deep pit of hell, and now the two things were mingled in one and the thought of im wir 9 smoky cload fom that moved and eret in hee ead when sho had jst got dof Doctor Hatry and was trying to rest a mingte. Wounded vanity, Biles, sida shtrp voice inthe top of hor mind. Don't let your wounded vanity get the upper hand of you. Plenty of gle get jilted. You were ited, werent you? Then stand up to i Her ycids waver and let in steamers of blve-gray light ike tissue paper over her eyes, She mast get up and pull the shades down of The Hing of Gromy Weatherall she ever seep, She wa in bed again and the shades were not {own iow could tha happen? Better turn ove, hide fom the igh seping inte ight gave yu nigh. "Moe, how do dou fc non? and singing wetness om ee forehead But T dot Tikaving ny ace washed cod wate? apy? Geowge? Lyin? Jinny? No, Corea, and he earures vere swollen ad fll f litle paddles. "Theyre coming, daring They al be ere soon.” Go wath you fae, cil, you lok fam. instead of obeying, Cornlia inet down and pa her head oa the plow. She seomed to be talking but there wat no sound. “Wal are you tnguesed? Whos ity is? Are you gig (0 shea pany” “Cornelis mouth moved urges in strange shapes. “Dent Jo tay, you bother a, daughter” J 0, Meter’ Ob, 00. == °° onsen, It was stage sbout children. They disputed your very word. No what, Comets?” Sferes Doctor Har.” “wont sc tat oy ga. He jt ef ve minutes ag." “That was this moring, Mote Is ight now. Het’ the “This s Doctor Hary, Mr. Weatherall 1 never sa you look so young and happy!” iA I newer be young again—bot be happy if they et sled peace and get reste.” ‘he thought she spoke p loudly, bt no one answered. A warm ‘eight on ber forbead warm bracelet om Br wt and a breeze Ment on whispering, ting to tel her something A sulle of Teaves inthe everlasting hand of God, He blew on them and they anced and rated, "Mother, dnt mind, wee going to give yout ltd hypodermic" "Look here, daughter, Bow do ants Ee it te saw sopra yererday® Di you send for Hap oo? Iwas Hayy ae ely weed. Se had ogo along way back throogha great many roost ind Hapy standing wih «baby en evar, She snd ora oh Hapy aoa th Bay ea Hpsys arm was Hapey and hinel and enc, ala oe tho was, o suprise inthe meting. Then Hapsy meted from tun nd tured imsy ae ay gare and te baby was a aury Shadows and Hapsy came up clove andi, I thought youd as