Houma Ceres. [volume] (Houma, Parish of Terrebonne, La.) 1855-18??, 1855-09-13
Story of Il COurtslaIp.
BY MRS. ANN s. STEPHENS.

nave been moping ihere long enough,
nephew, forgetting matters and everything
else. Here are the apples waiting. and
no one to hand them around, for when l
once get settled in an easy chair-here
the good woman gave a smiling survey of
her ample person, which certainly over
flowed the chair at every point, leaving
the back and curving arms quite visible
''it isn't very easy thing TO get up again
Now hustle about. and we old woman rest
ourselves, you and Julia. there can try
your luck with the apple seeds"
Il remember the first time | ever sur
missed that Mr.. Gray had taken a notion
10 me was once when we were at al ap-
ple.cutting, down in Maine. Somehow,
Mr.. Gray had got into my neighborhood
when we arranged around the great bash-
ct OF apples. felt my cheeks burn the
moment he drew his chair so close to
mine and took out his jack-knite TO be-
gin work. He pared and quatered. l
never looked up but once-then his cheek
was redder than mine, and he held the
jack-knite terribly unsteady. BY and by.
he got noble great apple, yellow as
gold and smoothe as baby's cheek. l
was looking al his hand sidewise from un-
der my eye-lashes, and saw that he was
daring it carefully, as ifevery round of, the
skin was strip of gold. At last he cut
it off at the seed end, and the sofis rings
fell down over his wrist, and | took the ap-
pie from his fingers.
''Now," said he. in whisper, bending
his head little, and raising the apple-peel
carefully with his right hand, ''I'm just as
sure that this will be the first letter of the
name love, as l am that we are alive"
He began swiftly whirIing the apple-peel
rocnd his head the company were all
busy with another, and l was the only
person who saw the yellow links quivering
round his head, once, twice, three times.
Then he held it still moment, and looked
right into my eyes. held my breath.
and so did he. ..-..
"Now," said he, and his breath came
out in xuiver, "what if it nhould be your
name 2" Ht
did not answer, and we both looked
back at the same time. Sure enough it
was the letter S. No pen ever made one
more beautiful. "Just as expected" said
he, and his eyes grew bright as diamonds,
'.iust asI expected" that was all he
said. sae
Sand what answer did you make him
aunt!" asked Robert Otir, who had been
listening with flushed face. "What did
you say!
Il didn't speak wcrd, but chartered on
as fast as l could. As for Mr.. Gray. he
he kept pairing like one possessed. l
thought he would never stop pairing, or say
word more. By and by, he stuck the
point Of his knife into an apple, and UNI
winding the skin from around it, he hand
ed it to me. 1t was red skin, | remem-
Der, and cut as smooth as ribbon"
81 shouldn't wonder bit if that dropped
intp letter G." says Mr.. Pray. ''Sup-
pose you try it.
swell, took the red apple skin, and
whirled it three times round my head, and
down it went on the floor, curlcd up into
the incest capital G. that you ever set your
eyes on.
Mr.. Gray, he looked at the letter, and
then sort of side-wise into my face. rs.
Co. says he, taking up the apple skin and
eating it, as il it had been the first mouth-
full Of Thanksgiving dinner. "How
would you like to see those two letters on
new set of silver teaspoons
l really believe you could have lit .
candle in my face, it burned SO; but |
couldn't speak more than if I'd been
tongue.tied.
"But did you never answer about the
spoonsl" asked Julia.
swell, yes, believe | did the next SUM
day ndght," said the old laky, demureIy,
smoothing her apron.
MODEL VERDICT.-The Rome (Ge0r.
gia) Courier publishes the following ver-
dict, delivered by ''high-minded, honor
able and intelligent jury" of that State,
in the case of Abe Johnson, rs. Thomas
Cameron:
"We the gury choazen and swoarne
agre that tom kamyron must pay abe gon-
sing the full amount of 90 FIVE CENTS
that the planetif pay over the won kwart
Of liker for the benefit Of the gury and
kosts will be rooied out.
~~~~~~-OS-~~~~~>>~
The reason why man was made alter
everything else, was because if he had
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