The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-02-11


lold house, kept in repair, and shared with
Jonathan Burr, his wife and son David
the dwelling, which had oncee acommoda,
ted largo family. Jonathan was not I
ismart man, but industrious and obedient
doing whatever Miss Patty told him to do
Hannah likewise obsyed her, and thught hei
child to'do the same. IN the neighborhood
Miss Patty was undisputed queen, and had
lsundry subjects of the lower order, who
shared her pride and affections.
sTe this abode the Redford family and
their Ruestss repaired early on q bright
sunmsF, afternoon Tho shouas vas dnly
decorated 10 receiys them. The best parlol
was aired, lie ckssIn5sy. corner rl.s VA Ellsd
with asparagus kond 70 sesd !, a1d SI6nk Will
Its red besssss were pinned AsnSSer 81
holly hooks Of different colors. The table
was ornamented with marigolds and chinu
asters. The chairs whose seats were wrough,
BY her grandmother ia tentstich, were On.
covered, and the sampler she had marked
in her childhood WAS framed and hung over
the chimney; its date Disclosed AIn. Patty
age to be sixty-two. The Windows Of the
room look over the home aelds and the wide
valley and, although not near other dwell.
Eings, the smoke was seen rising from too
many farm houses to make it seem solitary
even 10 winter. When summer smiled, il
had : look Of plenty and happiness. Here
Aunt Patty welcomed her guests with true
hospitality. ss ,s@ essqa .atsss Eds
After the greetings were over, she re-
marked: "That these werp the first chany-
oysters that had blossomed in her garden
this summer. - s
Edward said that be had often eaten the
vegetable oysters, but did not know that
| there were flower oyster.
"You did," said Aunt Patty, sfyou've
seen the ehany y-oysters in my garden ever
since you wore petticeats, and you need not
pretend you have forgotten. y.
Edward smiled, and said he did forget
many things, but knew be ought to remem-
ber the great hill and all that grew thsre,
from the maple trees to the chick weed.
Lucy asked to see the dairy, and Aunt
Patty led the way to very clean room,
with shelves in it, on which were cheescs.
'sYou see, Lucy, have thirty cheeses. l
began to make. cheese five weeks ago, and
have made every day except Sunday, Snn-
days milk save for table-butter. laid
down six tubs Of butter before began to
make cheese. The cheeses are smaller than
we had IN former days: but they are big
enough for me to lft.o. ln going to the
dairy they passed a room that had q loom in
il, where Hannah was weaving.
did not know,'' said Edward, ssthat
anybody woye at home these maDuiactaring
days" s,.x
81 always do," replied Patty, sand mean
to a. long as l liveg Burr raises some fax
every year, Hannah and Ispin linen in the
long spring days, and she weases summer
afternoons when she is not too tired. Our
sheets and towels wear four times as long as
those made Of the fax that is torn to rags
by machine before lits made into cluth.---
And ! spin, wool, too, sometimes. It's
healthy throwing ont your arms and walking
back and forth to the wheel.''
Edward said he should like to see the old
sugar orchard where be had drunk 50, much
sap when a boy. They walked among the
noble old trees, which still gave ample
shade, although they had SO often been rob
bed Of their sweets in the spring time.-
From the sugar orchard they looked over a
sence intoa rocky pasture, which had a
pond in IL; on this pond swan white
hock ..,.f-.5
wat handsome. geese you have, Miss
Redforu,' said Mr.. Errington. ts'ss .
-t"Not goase among them,' said Aant
Patty, e.every one gana~.s.D = etss.at sIF $50 ]
g Then you viii have no gosiings - eat.v
81 don't want any; never liked them,
keep them for feathers, and ganders give
most feathers.o sGss st 2G 1H& @aS g8i
I 81" And pray how do you get the feathers if
you do not kill them q a.,s..,u s,a.s..s.a.j
Jonathan picks the feathers three times
every summer. just puts their heads into a
stock ing, sets on a block on the barn floor,
aud picks their breasts into a basket.o sai
| = 81 should think it would hurt them very,
much" said Erriogton. -.
81 don't think ii does," said Patty, ssthey'
DON'T squeak much; and haye5a line bag
Of feathers every fall to sell.o a8s4ssa ts
| On Their return they osertook .Davy drIv-.
ing home the COWS. Aunt Patty gave his
tory Of Dolly, her faYorite ahimal, and said:
"She was the best OF the bunch-gave her
pail Of milk every night all summer" They,
were then shown the home-lot, where two
nice calves were feeding, that she told them
she was raisin' md last of alt, the orchard
| and garden, where were many nice vegetas
bles, beside the famous flowers already men.
toned. The, bees, likewise, had row. of
hives near the garden gate. Miss Patty
warned them MOTTO go too near, as the bees
did not like strangers, though they were
fond of her, and never touched her. They
stood some time Mt little distance, to see
the bees come slowly home with ladened
wings.
they had their tea, cakes, dried beef,
honey in the comb and maple sugar, time
to 90 home at sun down, because Aunt Pat-
ty kept early hours, and they would not in
trude upon her habits. Before they went,
she bade Hannah see that Davy's face and
hands were clean, and make him come in to
see the ladies and gentlemen. Thesis't was
made, and when he retired, said Miss Patty I:
ssHe was capital scholar; she had no
doubt he'd be schoolmuster before he died,
or nav be Representatives" s''Or il may
be ;" said Edward to Lucy, she will be Pres
ident Of the United States" s ,.
David was Aunt Patty's hero he was
born in her house = the only child OF Jona-'
than and Hannah; and altbough his parents
would ..sartainly spile him. she did her
own share of the pettiDg. sa-:.s sa. ~,
This visit had evidently given great satis-
faction, as Patty really loved her brother
and his family better than anything in the
world, except the great bill and what be-.
longs there. After their return they seated
themselves for conversation, and Edward
said Smother Aunt Patty is certainly a
smart woman what could have been the
reason she did not marry him, she was
young ?" IN u.sa.li.a -. ia .,5ss
"When Patty was young," the mother
replied,'' she was not handsome she was
tall and gaunt. Perhaps she did not look
as well for her age as she does now but
that was not all. Patty was your granfath,
er's youngest child, and she had great liber-
ty; and she was naturally wilfaf, she grew
up to do and say exactly what she pleased.
| think her determined manner, and her de-
cidsd no, in the eyes Of men was . greater
objection to her in the eyes Of men than her
want Of good looks. Inever heard she had
an offer until after your grandfather's death.
Her neighbor, Simon Coclep, bought half
| Of the farm, and offered to Patty. She sus-
| pected he wanted the remaining acres-and
had determined to have her own way the
rest Of her life, and she knew she could mot
govern Simon" laeat
-"But thought, mother, that women did
govern the household sometimes"
"Perhaps they do, but not when they an
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