The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-03-12
COUNCIL BLUFFS IOWA. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1889

"ho ~ was Hot SlTdnoe tlit Jonn, WHO ma
never known pleasure unsharcd by Lizzy
or suffered pain without her consolation
should grow up in the idea that he could no
not possibly live without her, an idea ais,
entertained halfconsciously by Miss Lizzy
though neither Of them ever yet had exprcsse,
it; for John was poor, and had no home t.
offer any woman, much less the petted chill,
OF rich farmer. So Mr.. Boynton Jr., lcf
home to teach school in Roxbury, five years
before the date of our story, without max:
ing any condolences on the subject of hi:
hopes and fears to Miss Griswold and sht
knit him stockings and hemmed pocket hand,
kerchiefs for him with the most cold blood
cd perseverance, and nobody but the yarn
and the needles knew whether she dropped
any tears on them or not.
Now it had always been John Boynton's
custom to give his school Thanksgiving
week rs a vacation: to take the train on Mon
day for Greenfield, and stay there till
Wednesday, when the whole family set of
together for Coventry, to spend the next day,
according to time-honored precedent.
Whatever John and Lizzy did in those two
dull November days, it has never been made
known to the present chronicler; it is only
understood that no point blank love- making
went on; Yet the days always ran away,
instead of creeping; and neither Of the
t|aln could believe it was Wednesday when
wednesday came. But this year those for
ty-eIght hours were destined to drag past,
Tor John wasn't coming; why, we shall dis.
cover-for Polly Mariner has finished the
clder, and the gingerbread is as much sub
Ject OF inquiry as "Thc Indians-wherc are
they ?"
"So John Boynton amt a. comm? Well!
!ietty Maria CIapp's jest got home from
Bunkertown, that's tew mile from Roxbury,
m she told Miss Lucas that Miss Perrit,
whose sisters son keeps grocer's store to
Roxbury, told that Mr.. Boynton, their
teacher to the 'Cademy, was waitin' on
Miss Roxany Sharp's cousin, dreadful
pretty gal, who'd come down from Boston
to see Roxany, an liked it so well she staid
to Ro2bury all through October. do'no's
should ha' remembered it, only It he'd
the drcdfullest jumpin' toothache that ever
You did, m Miss Lucas, she'd jest come in
to our house, an she run and got the LODI
lum and was a-puttin' some ont onto some
cotton SOS to plug the hole, while she was
tcllin' m remember | forgot all about
the iumpin' while tshc WAS talkin'. so scs,
ses |, Miss Lucas, guess your talkin's as
good as lodlum': m she bust out larfn',
m scS she, Pol'y Mariner, declare fort,
you do beat all = sW'cll,' ses |, sd die
content, cf could beat John Boynton; fur
eff ever see a Teller payn' attention to a
gal, he's been pavin' ont to Lizzy Gris'ld
this four year: and 'ta'n't no wonder t |
think hard ont, for there never was pref
! tier behaved gal than her on Greenfield Hill':
an scs''-
Lizzy was on the point Of "freeing her
mint' Just at this juncture. when Mrs. Girls
wold intcrposed her quiet voice
"Don't trouble yourself to defend Lizzy,
Miss Mariner; you know John Boynton is
her cousin, and he has been here good
deal. Folks will talk, suppose, always ::
but if John Eo~nton marrics well. don't
think anybody'll be more forward to shake
hands with him than our Iizzy.'
''Of course SHALL" said the Young lady.
with most indignant toss of her head
''Prav, keep your pity, Miss Polly, for some
body else. don't need i5.''
"H'm,' smiled the sagacious Polly.
''Wcll, didn't suppose you'd allow t YOU
felt put out about it and wouldn't. if |
WAS you. Besides, there's rs good fish in
the sea as | declare fort ! there's Mr..
liris'ld III come round early to-morrer.
Good-dnv, all on ve!''
So Polly departed.
81 don't care, if he is - said Lizzv, fling
ing herself down on the settle, when the
door closed behind Polly's blue cloak.
Mrs. Griswold said nothing, but Sam
looked up from his whiting, and coolly re-
marked
SIT looks rs If YOU did. though ~
sam !" said his mother, with-empha-
sis.
Sam whistlcl. and. with his hands in his
pockets. having shut his inck-knfe with a
click, and kicked his shavngs into the fire,
muttcrcd something about feeding the pigs,
and beat an ignominiouS snubbcd.
MS the race Of Adam dali are, and daily
will be, let US hope. for telling "the truth.
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth"
For Lizzy certainly did look as if she
cared. A pretty enough picture she made.
too, flung down on the old black ssEle, one
clI-shapcd hand pinching the arm as if it
had bccn-John Boynton's tho other rs
vigorously clenchcd on a harmless check
apron that showed no disposition to get
away: her bright red lips trembling q little,
and her gray eyes su<pjciously shiny about
the lnshcs, while her soft black hair Had
fallen from part of its restraints on to the
cay calico dress she wore, and her foot beat
time to some quick step that she didn't
sing
Mrs. GriswoIl did not care for the pictur-
csque. Just then: she cared much more for
Li2zy, and her AGATE feminine instinct help
ed her to the right word.
81 don't believe it, dcar" said she
''you'd better finish straning that squash,
or Widow Peters won't have her pies for
Thursday.
Lzzy went to work,-work is a grand
panaccn. even for sentimental troubles-anu
IN doing battle with the obstinate squash
which was not as well cooked as it might
have bccn-Lizzv. for the moment, looked
quite bright, and forgot John, till her father
came in to dinner.
Somebody once said that Mrs. Griswold
was a lesser Providence and Lizzy thought
so now for scarce were they all seated at
dinner, when she remarked, in a very un-
concerned and natural way
"What keeps John in Roxbury so long,
fathcr:''
'HIc has business in Boston,'' curtly ans
wered Mr.. Griswold. .-"Sam, did you 90
over to the Corners, yesterday, about those
shecp?'
Sam answered, and the conversation went
on, but Johns name did not enter it. nor
did Mr.. Griswold offer to show his letter
either to mother or Llzzy.
Now the latter lady, not being n perfect
woman, had sundry small faults; she was
proud, after certain fashion of her own;
Slightly sentimental, which is rather fail
ing than a fault; but her worst trait was n
brooding, fault-seeing, persevering 'act at
making herself miserable, scarce ever equal
led. The smallest bit of vantage-ground was
enough for start. and on that foudation
Lizzy took but few hours of suspicion and
Imagination to build upa whole Castle
Doubling. The cause she had to- day was
even greater than was necessary: it was pc
cular that her father should be so reserved;
it was more strange that he pcrsevcringly
withheld Johns letter; and certainly he
watched Lizzy at her work with unusually
tender eyes, that sometimes filed with a sort
of mist All these things heaped up evil
dence for the poor girl; she brooded over
each separate item all night, and added to
the sum Polly Mariners gossip, and looked
forward to the day when everybody in
Greenfield should say, "Lizzy Griswold's