Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-04-28

seated myself to hear the host of questions
/ knew were lying in ambush for me.
After dinner, oppressed with the quiet
of that dreamy old house, where the very
spiders were languid, and the few survi-
wing flies seemed to be perpetually ethe-
rized, threw on my shawl and bonnet,
escaping by the back door, lest Cousin
Sally should be reused from her nap by my
exit, and sauntered down the street.-The
rally nowhere; yet as passed Deacon
Ebenezer Fanshaws, saw blue sun
bonnet vanish into the shed door; heard
the click of Dr. Smiths blinds and a
treacherous breeze blowing down from it's
sunny exposure, Mrs. Stickney's wooden
churn startled me into turning justin time
to see the bought ringlets of that worthy
dame, catch and dangle on nail outside
the kitchen window as she drew in her
head. When 1 came back, Mally was
yawning on the sofa, and to relieve her
+" drowsihead," gave her little insight
into the practices of the place. Her blue
eyes flashed with fun and indignation.
Chow should like to bother them I"
said she zealously; then shade of thought
darkensd her smiling lips, and she said
with all the resolution of a general, "I'll
tell you'll
But as she went to tell ME, Miss Sally
twinkled into the room, and the tale was
nipped in the bud. Over the tea-table,
Cousin Sally was full of conjeetures as to
who would call on us, and told her of
my walk.
How far did you go %
"Oh, not far, just past the church"
"Then Uncle Eben's folks must have
seen you, and Mrs. Stickney, and Sarah
Smith; they wouldn't know your shawl.
but | told them 1 expected you, and l
guess they'll come pretty soon"
Hardly had twilight gathered, before a
smart rap at the door prologued Mrs.
Stickney; eyes of the smallest available
size, peculiar and inquisitive nose, and
mouth, forever restless and eager, were
her distinctive features. AS soon as she
was Settled in her own phrase, she be-
gan to ask how we came, when we were
going, and what we knew, in terms, l
oMn, not quite SO abrupt, but to that pur-
pose.
"I thought it must be Miss Peters, Z"
said she, turning to cousin Sally, for
black Dinah came into our house after
she went past, and said there was real
slim foot track on the path, she knew
didn't belong to your folks, but came out
of your gate, and when l went over to
the Deacon's Miss Fanshaw said she saw
shawl she didn't know, goin' down the
street, so we laid our heads together and
guessed you out"
did not look at Mally. Next came in
Sarah Smith; she, sallOW, 'timid-spo-
ken,' elderly young lady, revealed, by
shy answers, to the widows persevering
questions, that she had peeped over the
blinds, and seeing a stranger, had gone
down by the minister's house, to see if
was guest there, but turned too soon,
and frustrated the plans of her inquiring
mind.
Then entered Prudence Olcott, an-ah!
dare say it? myself shivering on the
brink,-an old maid, and our opposite
neighbor; one of those dull, curious souls,
that are sort of moral fungus, peculiar
to country towns, on whose wide face
and never closing mouth, dwelt a perpet-
ual stare. She surveyed us both from
head to foot, and then began most dill
gent rocking, interrupted with freq uent
exclamations of " Dew tell w" Now you
don't !" " Well, if ever did !' and SO
on.
was very tired, and after cross
questioning from Mrs. Deacon Fanshaw,
(who came close upon Miss Olcott's steps
about some Pembroke gossip that she
wanted to 'sift to the bottom, as she said,
l pleaded real headache, and creeping
to my quiet pillow was fast asleep when
Mally came up stairs.
What occupied US for few days, ]
omit, as of little interest, and ask my kind
readers to Jump with me "into the middle
of next week" when was beguiled into
taking twilight stroll with Cousin Tom,
a rattling, but good-hearted youth, spen-
ding his senior vacation at home. Down
one green lane that seemed to have NO
turning, and across fields odOrous with
strawberries and vernal grass, over fences,
and through briers, we had strolled good
hour, when Tom discovered bunch ol
wild roses in a near field, and eager to
get them for me, reached too far, and
/ tore the sleeve of his linen coat entirely
off above the elbow. Laugh as we might,
and did, it would never do for deacon's
nephew to traverse the streets of Union
town in that array, so dispatched him
to the nearest house for thread and nee
die, and seated myself on a stone under
the very clump of elder and wild rose
bushes that had caused the disaster, to
wait for him. He had hardly gone
when heard the sound of eager voices
coming nearer and nearer, till group
gathered in the corner of the fence behind
me, and from the shrill voice of the mode
rator,' discovered that our ramble had
brought us to the palings of Mrs. Stick
ney's garden, and this conclave was the
feminine police of this enlightened village
l could not stir. for TO be seen then ant