Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-08-15

\ SbN WONli UtttT bOuoC-WOIh W
me IN his hearing.
/ "She took Louisa up to help her, and
l sewed Il pattern To piece of muslin,
\ and sat down in The out-room with my
ha,r curled aud silver ,hmble on as
II ] had never done anything but work
cuffs in my life. Mr.. Smlth came into
the room, walked up and down awhile,
then took a paper and read little but
he seemed restless all the time, and at
last went up to his room, pretending to
want some'hing there. lie staid and
stud ill | thong hi he must have gone to
sleep.
Il 81 began TO feel rather lonesome and
wen. up to the kitchen chamber TO see
how mar got on with her weaving
When | got to the top of the stairs, as
true as live, thefe was cousin Smith
standing by Louisa's quill wheel, the
skein of tow yarn had got tangled on
the swills and he was bending down to
help her set IL To rights. saw his lirs
move as if he were saying something :;
but the loom made such noise could
not hear a word. Louisa did not seem
TO answer, but she blushed up TO her
forehead /: there was a soft sparkle in
her eyes as the long lashes drooped over
them, ADD a smile just dinpled her lips.
| would have given all creation just to
have known what he was saying. j
went down stairs again and took up my
work, but it was long time before ]
took stitch, can tell you
"Well il is of no use telling yon all
that happened during the four weeks
that he slaId with us Every night he
was out IN the clover lot standing by
Louisa while she did her milking he
would eat IN the kitchen, and read To
her hall the morning when she was spin
ming on the little flax wheel, though he
was Obliged 10 read very loud to drown
the noise OF the flyers. | had made him
believe that did not know how TO do
any kind OF work and 80 there | sat in
the out.room working on the concerned
old cutls and crying my eyes out.
"One day | went up stairs to ask mar
for something She bad gore down to
see about dinner, and there was cousin
Smith with Louisa all alone in the cham
ber. lie was talking TO her very earnes-
ly, she had stopped her wheel ,anG bend.
ing her face close to the SPOOL pretended
to be moving her thread from one hook
to another further down the hyer-her
hand was so unsteady that she only
tangled the yarn, and her hule loot
shivele1 on the foot board till i, made the
wheel tremble all over AT last she gave
him one look, covered her face with
both hands, and burst ont crying
Jus, then cousin Smith saw me.
"'Corne here, Patty come, my
kind cousin, says he, holding his hand
out TO me, come and convince this
sweet girl that my parents have no preiu.
dlces such as she dreams of. Tell her
now kind and good they are how hap
py they will be to receive her if she
consents to go 10 them as my wife,
Il gasped for brea'b, and should have
sunk to the floor but for mars loom which
! fell against.
"'You can tell b or that this desire to
make her INV wife is no sudden fancy.
You, who praised bar 30 much while in
New York, and made me love her un-
seen, cousin, you must plead for me- as
he said this Mr. Smith put his arm
around my waist and drew me toward
Louisa. She raised her eyes, and
poor frightened looking thing she was.
did moi hate her, for my heart was so
heavy that It seemed to have no feeling
| said something, | don't know what,
and tried to get away down stairs.
'li il of no use telling you any more,
girls" said aunt Patty, wIpins her eyes
with the corner OF her immense cambric
cape. ~ on know how 1t all ended well
enough, for all of you saw Ms. Smith
when she was here three years ago--and
YOU are pretty well acquainted with the
fact that an an old maid, reckon, by
this time"
There was kind Of sentimental Bit
lcrness in these closing words, which
gave usto understand that aunt Patty
had not quite forgiven her mothers help
for deprIving her of husband even
then.
And did you never get another offer 2
enquired Llzzy, looking roguishly up
through her eye-lashes
eyes" said aunt Patty, with a bright
twinkle Of her little eyes: mike offered
himself sometime that summer, but
gave him the tobacco and the double
bladed knife, and that paciiied him.
said she, with low, mellow laugh, that
shook the char beneath her.
IL was difficult to tell whether the sigh
that followed that last laugh par,ook
most of regret for The past, or Of salslac-
i"n with the mature comiplls which were
left to the old maiden lady.