Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-03-11

! VOL. V. NO. 7.
had bequeathed his only child to my aunt,
he sternly replied-"Let her keep him.
then. As for me, will never see him,
never have anything to do with him."
1t was not to be wondered at tnat AL
ice and awaited our aunt's return with
eager curiosity, or that the inquiries with
!. which my story commences greeted her
entrance. She did not reply at once she
took up palmleaf fan that lay on the
table. seated herself in the arm chair,
while her features worked painfully.
II never had anything come across
me so.' she exclaimed at last, more to
herself than us. And then the tears roll.
ed over her cheeks. After while she
grew calmer, and told her story to cousin
Alice and me, sitting in her large rocking
chair, tanning herself with her palmleaf
fan.
"You sec Farmer Pike had just risen
from his afternoon nap, and was going
out at the back door as ! got round by
the meadow in front Of the house.
spied him and hurried round there Just
as he got up to the we'll.
"How dye do. Farmer Pike :" said
in free neighborly sort of way, 8
came up to him, cant you let this
l.. L..
a long walk and got pretty nigh tired
out"
The old man was completely taken
aback-I could see that by the way he
, looked at me, and l looked back as cool
and innocent as a lamb Then he glanc-
ed at the child, and | saw the muscles
round his tight mouth culver little but
he didn't say word; he took up the tin
cup tina. stood on the spout and filed it
T from the bucket, and held it out to me,
but his great hand shook SO the water
spilled over the top; but Of course
didn't notice that. just kept talking
in the most natural way you could mag
Inc, about the fine weather and the good
crops we were like to get.
Now say thank you, grandpa, said, !,
, as flung out the water after " eston had
j; done drinking.
Thank you, grandpa came out in
the soft, small notes of the little child,
and knew they went away down in that
stout old mans heart like a sharp cutting
, sword
".W hos that are child , he asked, in
a low, gruf voice, as if he didn't dare
trust it to speak louder.
We'll, now, Farmer Pike SAYS /,
, ",o hear you ask that question. If you
can't tell the color o. them eyes, YOU
must be struck stone blind, and did you
ever see forehead that was Just the
|, shape o that one, and little round
head that was never still, al'ays kept
shakin and diddlin' round like leaf on
a silver tree, and if you don't know that,
you can't forget that heap o golden curls,
Just the color o ripe rye when the sun
strikes on it. never see curls like
, them except on one head, and that's
under the grass a long way from here
, now
"The old man sat down on tho stoop.
, and | saw it vas because hi. great limbs
, shook so he couldn't stand.
, IL sat down too. Tis rather warm,
farmer, | went on, standing n the sun
to day, tho there's good breeze from
, the west. Speaking about Weston,
= though, | don't think he has his fathers
mouth, tho Joseph's had way of set
tin down tight and grim just like yourn,
farmer, especially when his mind was
made np on any subject.
But if you look you'll see that
, mouth was just after pattern O. Mary's,
/; even to the dinple in the left corner.
, declare it takes me right back to the
f time when Mary and used to 60 to
school through the pasture. What a
merry, fun-lovin' creeter she was.
| used always to think her laugh sounded
r good deal more CHEEKY than the robins
in the bushes as We went along
Don't, Esther, DON'T" said farmer
Pike, and he put his hand up as tn ough
{ it was more than he could bear and his
, face was white as the tombstone. He
| hadn't called me Esther tho, for more
5 than twenty years.
, 81 saw now was the time to strike,
and, says l, Yes, s'pose It's tryin' to
your teelins', farmer, to talk about them,
but it is comfortin' to think you've got
your wife and son all made out like a
picter there. Weston, you dear boy.
, called out 20 him as he was hunting but
terfies on the grass, and he came trot-
f ting up to us, now go and say, grandpa,
wont you kiss me ?
And the little fellow went up and
lifted his sweet baby face to the old man
and lisped out so pretty, won't you tiss
me, grandpa =
The old man reached out his arms. and
gathered up the child in such a quick,
hungry sor. of way, that was almost
scared, and then he groaned out. oh.
!, Mary oh. Joseph = in way that made
!, me stand still, and he hugged the boy so
tight to his broad bosom, that l knew
he:never would let him 60 from it again,
At this point in her story Aunt Esther
paused and cried, and so did cousin Alice
and l, though We laughed at each other
all the time.
swell. what happened next, Aunty9'
| asked, as soon as | could.
81 didn't stay another minute, child