The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-03-12

grandmother's room: for grandmother was
bed-ridden, bat kindly, and good, and
humorous, and patient even in her hopeless
bed, and nobody was dearer to the whole
family than she. Then, of course there was
fire in the best parlor, and there were all
the old cousins, telling conundrums and
stories, and playing grown-up games, and
some two, or four, maybe looking out in
couples at the moonshine, from behind tho
curtains,-Suc James, perhaps, aud John.
Sue was so prettyl #, ..s
Lizzy's head bent lower on the arm
of the chair; her thoughts travelled back
over gyeat many Thanksgivincs,-years
ago, when she wore short frocks, ard used
to go with John to see the turkeys fed, and
be 50 scared when they gobbled and strutted
with rage at her scarlet bombazette;-
they used to pick up frozen apples, and
thaw them in the dish-kettle how she
pounded her thumb, cracking butternuts
with fat-iroB, and John kissed it to make
it well,-only it didn't! And then how
they slid down hill before church, and sat a
long two hours thereafter in the square
pew, smelling of "meetin'- -seed,' and dinted
with kinks of weary boys in new boots, and
finally after the first anthem and the HYMNS
and the three prayers and the long sermon
were over, come home to dinner, where the
children had their own table at iae end Of
the grown peoples board, and Lizzv always
took the head John the foot, till exhausted
by the good things they had eaten, and tam
taized by the good things they couldn't eat,
they crcpt away to the fire and picture books,
for quiet hour, winding up the day With
all the plays that country and city children
alike delight in. Er uo.f
Then came recollections of later days.
when John was young man and Lizzy still
little rl,-when long talks banished tur-
keys and apples and sliding, new
books Oh slegh-rides crowded out the games
when two days of Johns yearly visit were
half spent in the leafless, sunny woods,
gathering moses and acorn cops, delicate
fern leaves, and clusters of fire. moss, and red
wintergreen berries, for the pretty frames and
baskets Lzzy's skilful fingers fabricated,-
when he shook hands at coming and roiny.
instead of kissing her: but it seemed lust
the same; somehow. Dear me those days
were all gone! John didn't care about her
any more. he was in love with beautiful
Boston lady. Why should be care about a
homely little country cousin He would
goto live in Boston in a great big house, and
he'd be great man, and people would talk
about him, and she should see his name in
the papers, but he never would come to
Coventry any more! And he'd acted as if
he did love her too that was mems way,
heartless things! If John had good time.
what did he care if Lizzy did grow into q
grer-haired puckered-u old maid, like
Miss Case, with nobody to love her or take
care Of her, or-or- kiss her? The climax
was too much for Lizzy; great big tears ran
down on the arm Of the stuffed chair, and
. shn ,Vnult have Spl,l,nI
i opened the door to put up the tea-thincs.
! suppose, and Iizzy wouldn't cry before
. her. But, for all that, she didn't hear
! Chloe come to the fireplace: she only felt
her sit down in the big chair, and. simulta-
! ncOusly, pair of strong arms lifted Miss
! Lizzy on to John Bovn,oD's knee and held
her there. 1t wasn't Chloe.
| declare. one gets out Of patience with
! these men. they do astonish person SO
I sometimes, one doesn't know what to do or
say. LizZy had been thinking to herself,
two minutes ago, with what cool and smiling
reserve she should meet John Boynton. how
dignifed and kindly distant she would be to
hm.-and w,--well it was so sudden
and then, as said before. these mon do got
round enc so,-lf you happen to love them,
-Lizzy forgot, suppose; at any rate she
wasn't digntied, or reserved, or proper. or
anything of the kind, for she: Just hid her
pretty head on his square shoulder, and
said, 'Oh John .''-':slowly, and nothing
cas- Mr.. Tennvson remarks about
cutting lphgcnia's head of with a sharp
knife.
don't know that John talked much either.
rather think Ljzzy got over that climax
that had troubled her a little while ago.
Presently. she raised her head, and gathered
b,r -. b,,l l f,II
painfully aware that she had on only n blue
callco John never knew it; he knew
somebody had a very sweet facr, full of
cloudy bushes and sunshinv smiles, and,
not being a Pre- Raphaelite, the fore ground
was of no consequence to him.
SO, after a time Lizzy Slipped down to her
cricket again, still leaning on the arm of
the chair-and John expoundad to her the
excellent reason that had DELAYED his COM
ing home. lie had been offered large
salary to take the head of public 4 school
in Boston, and those two days had been de-
voted to arranging the affair." he had satis-
fed thasschOol committee as to bis capacity.
and made up his mind on several points of
Importance to them,-but, perhaps, greater
to him. Among others. he had found u
house, tiny house, with a little yard be-:
hind, and a view Of Bostou IIarbor from
the upper windows, all at a reasonable rent,
respect thrown in: this house be had hired,
and now--hc had come to Greenfield for a
h0usckeer.
Lizzy suddenly discovered that she was
hungry. and invited John into the kitchen to
get 4 piece of pie : but, after all, instead Of
eating hers while he was eating his, she
went up stairs brushed out her hair and coiled
it up with q coral topped comb, that came to
light, very strangely, just in time, put on her
merino frock, her bracelet. and her slippers,
rolled herself up in shawls and hoods,
and mittens and was lifted into John Bovn-
toms buggy to old Chloe's great delight,
who held the lamp, grinning like lantern
herself, and tucking "Mr. John's' fox-skin
around her feet, as il he had been ten years
old.
So Lizzy Griswold DID get to. Coventry
the night before Thanksgi ing, after all and
when Uncle Boynton met her at the door,
he called her '.mv dear daughter" Per-
haps, as John had told Lizzy, on the drive
over, that her father heard all ynbout his
business and has Intentions in that letter
she did not see, the young lady had decided
to disinhcrit bin, and adopt Uncle Boynton
in his place; rather an unfair proceeding If
true, since the letter was withheld BY Johns
SFSSihi ic'iuSsts oius AHuccis IiiLIy ulA0
act like ''cruel parient' to her father,
when he came, after uncle, to give her a
| welcome. I'.@
They had a merry time at Coventry that
Thanksgiying,-eve merrer than another
smaller assemblage, that took place ut
Greenfield about Christmas, when Polly
Mariner came over a week before hand to
make Sam new suit throughout, and Lizzy
looked prettier than anybody ever did be-
| fore, in fresh white dress, and white
rose, off grandmother's tca-rose- bush, in
| her hair. 1t is on record, that she behaved
no better than she did that evening when
somebody found her crying in blue calico:
for Sam was overheard to say, as Polly
| hustled him off to bed, that, elf ever he was
married, he guessed they wouldn't catch
him making fool of himself by kissin'
girl right before minister If he'd have
been Lzzy, John Boynton's ears would have
sung for one while; but girls ,rere fools!''
/ Co Vnh,, 80 l,n,,s ifa. oph