St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1857-11-12
atlistsllanu.
A HALLOW ZEN FROLIC.
BY A. l.. OTIS.

4
will have one day of genuine fun
said. " | am going to see my cousin
! Hepsy; at Chestnut Corner, and have
a Irritation with her rustic beaux in
real rustic style. | shall wear my
flaming red and black plaid dress,
with black velvet bows in my hair.
and | shall not be bit too fine for
any kind of romping."
" Well, well, go, Ada" said my
aunt. "fou have been surfeited with
apathetic parties among the fashiona-
bles. Yes, go and have your geuine
fun among those who have a little of
animal spirits left in them. BSt don't
iirt'
Why, aunt, Pm coming back to-
morrow, and | can't do any damage
in one day! Leave me free"
Well, my dear, this is Ilallow Eve,
a great time for flirting in the country,
and made much in your uncle's house
Have your play out and come back
refreshed"
So | dropped down upon my coun
try cousins one bright autumnal day
They were .iovial set and quite rea.
dy to respond to my wish for genu,
Inc fun
Before afternoon a nutting party
was got up, and a vigorous time we
had of it But it is with the evening
that have to do now.
The youths of the nutting party all
went home to supper, having doubt,
less horses and cattle to feed, or sheep
10 fold But they promised to return
in an hour or so, and we were to have
the usual festivities Of the night-roast,
ing chestnuts, eating apples, and try.
ing our future fate by the candle con.
! iuration, together with the one intel
lectual variety of storytelling.
The roaring wood fire danced NJ
the chimney from the span-clcan kitcll
en- hearth, and about seven o'clock we
were all assembled around it, seated
upon those narrow, straightforward
rush-bottomcd chairs, one finds only
in unsophisticated country families
In the corner, to the right, sat dear
old uncle, and in the opposite one his
merry wife. Next to him | came,
being the honored guest on this occa
ion. Then came Hiram Hasher-"m my
beau" the girls called him, from his
being so attentive to me all the after
noon that | could hardly gather a nut
without his interference. Once espec
tally he had paid me particular atten
tion," by taking me under his arms
and springing across quite a wide
brook with me, feat of his which
gave me vivid idea of a rabbit carri
ed off by bird of prey, and left me
astonished out Of all sense of proper
gratitude. | must confess that my
Hiram was the boor of the party, and
with all his six feet of healthy muscle
topped by handsome face, had but
very, very little of the gentleman il
him-enough, perhaps, to nestle about
his heart and keep it good, but not
enough to reach his head and make
! him courteous and gentle.
Next to Hiram came Sally NiXton
then her beau, and so on alternately
until the half circle ended in my aunt
/ Firclight never danced on blither fca
lures.
First let's pop some corn," was
| the cry, and it was done
There's suthin else I'd like 10 pop,
whispered Hiram.
WHAT" said |, innoccntly.
The question---if you'd say yes tc
it." noticed that this joke wa,
whispered into several other ears, anC
| began to suspect that the corn wa!
called for principally to introduce it
i Country folk do get SO attached to al
old Joke. They scorn a new one a.
they do a new theory in agriculture
When each girl had lap full, ant
each youth pocket fall Of corn t.
MUNICH, we proceeded to the chestnu
roasting. \ shovel with long han
die was brought. 1t was one my un
Gle had made for the purpose, for h
stoutly upheld the old time games
and he now placed it over the fir
with Jealous earnestness that wa
: very laughable to me. Upon it wcr
5 placed two chestnuts, and my uncl
, called upon me to name them. SO
!. said
; Let the little one he Lizzie Brown
t and the large one Nathan Wilding
: These two We're the most evidel
lovers of the party. The shovel grc'
hot aud we watched in breathless il
: terest. The little chestnut, name
/ Lizzie. began to sing and glide abou
c 1t fairly danced at length around, AN
y around the motionless large one, Will
: we shouted with laughter to see IL
/ demure Lizzie's representative payin