The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-04-12

spoke of-at the same time winking at
me significantly. Casting my eye
around at the moment, observed
knitting needle a little mysteriously
withdrawn from Uncle Joshua's elbow.
This movement. was accompanied with
the rather petulent remark from my
Amt, Of
"Now, Josh, du be STILL"
"What does the observation mean,"
said ], as my suspicious were awakened
that something "unheard Of" was con-
nected with it.
"Oh, nothin'," replied my Aunt
little fidgety; ''it's some of yer Uncle's
foolish nonsense"
"That won't du, Aunt" said I; "Un-
Gle Joshua never alludes to foolish
things. Nobody will never hear it
from me, if it is secret, so, Uncle you
may as well unravel first as last, for l
am determined to know what it all
means"
The old couple endeavored to put me
off, but their efforts made me the more
eager. At length Uncle Josh began
to give way, and finally observed that
he would tell me the story ''if Rusha
was willin," and turning to the old
dear who was plying with ceaseless
vigor the eternal knitting work, in
quired, "what do you say, Rusha, shall
l let itout ?"
"Well, l s'pose it won't du anybody
any hurt arter ALL" said she, dropping
her work into her lap, and apparently
taking a retrospective glance into the
though it's been kept long
time, hain't it. Joshua?''
eyes, it has," said the old man
bursting out into a good harty laugh,
Sand it tickles me now when l think
of it.'
Mechanically laying his hand on the
cider mug, as he always does when
commencing a story, (Uncle Josh loves
cider dearly,) he quaffed literally there
from; then tapping the bowl of his
| pipe on his thumb nail, scientifically in
serted the instrument between his
thumb and fore finger, rolled round in
his chair, and hung his hands on the
back of it, threw one leg over the 9th
er, and commenced:
"When Rusha and [ was boy and
gal-and that was quite spell ago
we used to cavortin' round tn sinyin
school, and apple pearin', and sngal
parties, pretty much the same as youn.
folks go to all sich places nowadays.
"Pretty much the same," remarked
our Aunt
''And," continued Uncle Josh, ''dur
in these proceedings, somehow 'e
other, / took quite notion to Rusha
and she'd keep intimatin' as how
needn't look any furder among tn,
gals, but the best way l could fix it
couldn't git her to show her Affections
much though know'd she had 'em
She was alers jist as shy as fox ant
cunnin'-cunnin' she was, l tell you
and the old woman is cunnin' yet whel
: she's mind to be, even if she is old.
Here the old lady's eyes rested upol
me, beaming with a complacent smile
5 "Our folkes lived on farm, an,
kept little store in what we calle
: the village, down in Massachusetts
/, though there wasn't anything there bu
: school house, tew or three shops, an
as many dwellin' houses, besides on
r store-oh Bosting or New York is fl
4 teen times as large as Grinnel's Corner
e was in them days.
: "Wal, mother was gittin' purity oil
n and needed help, for all our gals ha
h got married, so she wanted me tu git
f wife; and yer old grand'ther wishe
the same, cause he said as / was til
It only son, he wanted tn see me settle
a down on the old place. So it SCENE
e nat'ral that / should git wife, and til
Y only difficulty was, tn make Rusha col
e sent. She'd alers been consarned mi
a chievous when I'd begin tn talk th
l. way, and / could never git her to So
s or du anything satisfactory about il
v she was alers kinder, sorter-wal
l. couldn't fetch 'er to it any way. Wht
% I'd begin to edge around the subje
ir she'd begin to talk about Ike Harri
y nice house that he was goin' tn bull
d or Zeke Miller's handsome horses.
S. somethin' of that sort
IS "One day-and that's the time n
rs story took place. was in the store
ly alone, thinkin' over talk we'd had
id breakfast about Rush, and other m;
I'd ters connected with the subject, VIII
ee behold, who should ride up tn the do
n but that same gal herself. 1t knock
ks me into an annoyin' illustration, / t
VS. you, when / seed her. She looked