The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-12-22
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/ "Win xeu be al home To- night Hefty:.
md the speaker, tai, mnseular vsII. .loak
tin2 yoarg farmer, geadensd 10 the xer
tscsts Of bis hair, astAecgh be had cou,ns
Ited come rers xieked sct insseads of ssk ir,
10 simple questions. e
4 He xas .hashfal, extrencly so vas .,osisi
Havly At least in tho preeescs Of yenr
ladies; most OF all, 10 NE prsseoce of th
lgiri hs loved. No veank farmer in al ah
country possessed ; bestar kert farm, o
talked With more conidsaee among his cam
tpsers Of stock and cropA And ON hindire.
sabyec:s. But the glimpse OF some pratt,
Lace or feo. esmiDg in hissiireesion, sGeese,
him like . fash Of lighinng. On snch oc
4 casions ne never knew What 10 DO With b:
bsnds and eyes; aud alwass felt like serss
ing himself into monss helc.F How ht
ever contrived 30 approach Hesse. Ihomsl
sDtAe subject Of hjs preference for her
probably remains to this day a. much mys
terI to himself as il is to others.
iz Bat that young lady had quite an amour
OF tact and csserDess slowed away som.
where in her pretty head, albeit, it .cas sel
ON the dimpied, iuesperisaced shoulder o.
Sseyenseer. Josiah was werih, in world,
way, much more than any Of her other suit.
ors: good looking, and irt eiiigeps enaugt
/ to safety any bat an oser.fasiidious Ter.
tson--anexeeptioDable in short, barring h:
excessive bashfulness, which was fruitfu
source OF merr,mens among the young pee.
tpss in their little circle. And go whe.
Josiah in his awkward. laundering way, be
gan to exhibit his prefereaee for her il
varoos little ways, saeli IS waiting On her
to and from singing school, constituting
himself her escort when she ode on horse
back to the solitary church in the woods
and singing her out al quilting parties
/ Hetty took it all in the easiest pleasGnses
manner possible. The girls laug aed, and
the young men cracked SLY jokes at the ex
psusc Of her sin,ii suiior; but Het.y stoed
up for him very independsntiy--eneourage
him out OF his shyness-never noticed any
unfortunate bluHaers; and very likely help
ed him along considerably when his feelings
reached s'the eliminating poInt,3 onemoon.
lighted autumn evening, as they were wa X
ing home together from prayer meeting.
/ That was jasta week age.fsHetty had said
f.ies," and agreed 10 tbrng her father and
mother around on the sublect.o JusiaL bad
not been to the house sines--pr obably feel
/ ing very much like a dog yenturiug upon
the premises Of tho person whose sheep
fold he had just plundered. As vet nsither
had had the courage 80 speak to the '.reign-
ing powers on the subject; md IIetty feel.
ing "a If she wished to put the ordeal OF az
! long as possible, at any rate to have one
more confidential talk with him on the sub.
ject and said: sigsS SID
Smother is going over to Aunt Ruth's te
spend the evening, and wants me to GO
But guess l won't., Eve been working or
/ Fathers shirts all day, besides doing tht
dairy work. and l'm as tired as can be. Sc
l guess they'll have to 20 without me
DON'T come until eight o'clock. shall be
through putting things to rights then ant
I will let you in. y-& fsssL
OF course, Josiah was not too obtuse Il
understand that, and forgot his bashfu.ness
so far as to petition for good bye kiss
which was peremptoriy refused, OF course
"No, | shan't. Do take yourself off,
Think didn't see You fdgeting aroanG
Sarah Jones at Deacon Badgers yesterday
evening? I've not forgotten that sir 70
Snow Hetty-' esssf ssr fs- t.E
But the appeal was broken OF by tam
talizing little laugh; and as he sprang for
ward to take q pleasant revenge on biz
torInentress, she slipped away aud ran VI
the path to the house, when he saw her ,wayt
her hand as she disappeared within tho
kitchen pofeh; and then he turned from ths
4 gate nud took the road homewayd. 5,s.s4
The tea things had been carried out, the
table set back against the wall, the crumbs
brushed from the clean home. made carpet.
and He.ty's work-stand drawn up in from
of the blazing fire. A bountifa!ly piled
waiter of great rcd apples, and q plate o.
cracked walnuts Were on it, in sloso psox.
unity to Hetty's woTk-basket. asg q
On one side Of the FIRE sat Mrs. Thomas,
sat and fair, and at peace with all the world:
rocking and shifting. and refreshing herself
at sundry intervals with q bite from bali
eaten apple that lay on the corner Of the
table, and touching every now and then II
a caressing manner with her foot sleek.
lazy looking cat that pnrred and WINGED on
the rug before her. Hst,y. sat on tho other
side sewing, aud busy in thinking how she
should tell her mother that she expected Q
visitor. ;She,wonld have giyenthe world to
be able to say, in m off hand manner, that
she expected Slr. HawleJ to drop in abou.
eight. But she recollected with twlnge
of conscience, how hard sbc tried to get
the old lady to accompany her husband to
i Aunt Ruih's spite of her forewarnings Of q
j spell of neuralgia how she had also plead
headache as an excuse for not going her.
| self. And she knew her mother was quite
sharp enough to draw her own inferences
/ from these facts, and from her being dressed
with unusual care to spend an evening q
home. IL d ay .s. bt h..a-, .ss..,
aI shall not dare to tell her aor. Shell
be sure to think wanted to get her out OF
the way SO might have JOSIAH oil to my
self, and should never hear the last OF
n.n' Aud like wise Titled puss she wa
SILENT" S. \ ast.<s
IN venture nv word on it, you would
not have wondered at the young farmers
/ desperate enthrailinent if you could have
seen Hetty Thomas as she sat sewing by Che
l6re-side On that cold November evening. m
| Under prc.ex. Of being rendy to 60 q
her upcless, fa thing she had DO ides oi
doinp) she had, just befofetea, INDUCED il
an iridiscrimiuate fixing up.'' A neatly
fitting dark calico. with the store look stil
4 on Il; q fresh linen collar and tasteful hiaci
i .;lk .prou-thess were the chief items o.
IIrtty,s toilet: bat she looked as sweet and
ds;nfy in her plain dress as if boafs had
I. .bern speus in fionuips lace and jewels. Hes
rich hair Of the darkest auburn tinge fsi
in shining folds closetc her wram red ehesA
and was caught up 10 cunning net be.
hind.
Eight O'Clock and past! Mrs. Thoma'
! was DOING in her chair--her shadow 90 ths
opposite wall bcobing about in grotesqu'
mimicry, ss she nodded to and fro-noS
crushing the voluminous white satin bow.
on her sprucs cap against the bsck o
her chair--now almos. falling forward, and
her fat hands lay lissles.'s 10 her lsp, ant
her ball Of yarn hsd rolled out open th'
hearth, and puss WAS busy converting is int
| rorfIis,f knots.