Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-10-10
STORY OF A coURrsnip1
BY mrs. ANN s. sTEraENs. ) :

BY MRS. ANN s. sTErHENs.
Come-come,'' p said Mrs. Gray sstyou
have been moping there long enough,
nephew, forgetting matters and every
thing else. Here are the apples waiting.
and no one to hand them around, for
when once get seated in an easy chair"
here the good woman gave smiling
survey of her ample person, which GER
tainly overfowing the chair at every
point, leaving the back and ourYing arms
quite invisi6le-'',it isn't very easy
thing to get up again. Now hustle about
and while we old women rest ourselves,
you and Julia there, can try your luck
with the apple seeds.'
"I remember the first time ever SUR
missed that Mr.. Gray had taken q notion
to mo, was once when we were at an ap-
ple-cutting, down in Maine. Somehow,
Mr.. Gray had got intomy neighborhood
when we ranged around the great bas-
kets of apples. I felt my cheeks burn
the moment he drew his chair so close to
mine and took out his jaok-knife to be-
gin work. He pared and-I quartered.
l never looked up but once-then his
cheek was redder than mine, and he held
the jack>knife terribly unsteady. By and
by, he got noble great apple, yellow as
gold, and smooth as baby's cheek. I
was looking at his hand sideWise from
under my eys-lashes, and saw that he
was pairing it carefully, as if every round
of skin was stripe of gold. At last he
cut it off at the seed end and the soft
ring fell down over his wrist, and took
fHr,o voyolo l. lSo,E
"Now." said he, in whisper, behd-
ing his hand little, and raised the APPLE
peel carefully with his right hand, ;" I'm
just as sure that this will be the first let
ter of the name love, as am that we
are alive" He began swiftly whirling
the apple-peel around his head the com.
pany were busy with one another. and
was the only person who saw the yellow
links quivering round his head. once,,
twice, three times. Then he held it still
a moment and looked right into my Dyes.
l held my breath and SO did he.
"Now," said he aud his breath come
out in quiver, "what if it should be
your name ?''
1 did not answer and we both looked
back at the same time. Sure enough it
was the letter 8. No pen ever made one
more beautiful. "Just as expected"
said he, and his eyes grew as bright as
diamonds, "just as l expected" ," that was
all he said.
And what answer did you make him,
aunt % asked Robert Otis, who had been
listening with flushed face. "What
did you say %
"I did mt speak word, but quartered
on rs fast as could. AS for Mr.. Gay,
he kept pairing on like one possessed. I
thought he would never stop pairing, or
speak word more. By and by, he
stuck the point of his knife into an apple,
and unwinding the skin from around it,
he handed it to me. 1t was red skin,
l remember, and cut as smooth as ribs
bon."
"I shouldn't wonder bit, ifthat drop
pedinto a letter G., says Mr.. Gray, "sup.
pose you try it."
"Well, took the red apple skin, and
whirled it three times round my head,
and down it went on the floor, curled 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. as.
G." say he, taking up the apple skin and
eating it, as if 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 2"
really believe you could have lit a
candle in my face. it burned so but l
couldn't speak more than if I'd been
tongue-tied.
"But did you never answer about the
spoons 2" asked Julia.
Well, yes, l believe I did the next
Sunday night" said the old lady dumure-
ly, smoothing her apron.