Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-05-10


icry as she nodded to and fro--now crushing
the volumnous white satin bows on her spruce
cap against the back Of her chair now al
most falling forward, and her fat hands lay
listlessly in her lap, and her ball Of yarn had
rolled out upon the hearth, and puss was busy
converting It into Gordian knots. And just
then came double rap at the door-so loud,
so sudden, and selfassured that Hetty start
cd up with a little shrek, and set her foot on
the cats tail, who in turn gave voice TO her
amazement and disploasuro.
The combined noise aroused Mrs. Thomas,
and starting into an erect position, she rubbed
her eyes, settled her cap-border and exclaim-
ed
Bless my soul, Hetty, what was that p
Somebody at the door, Who can be coming
at this time Of night "
Il is not late, mother--only little past
eight I'll 60 and sec who it is said Betty,
demurely, taking the candle from the table.
No. You wind up my ball and sweep up
the hearth, while | 60 TO the door, said the
old lady, whose feet we're struggling in the
meshes of the unravelled yarn. Drat that
cat
And all this time Josiah was standing on
ono foot on the cold porch, with his hands in
his overcoat pockets, wondering if Hetty had
fallen asleep, and every now and then giving
the door smart rap by way of variation.
In her hurry, Mrs Thomas forgot to take
the candle and as she atepped out into the
little front entry, the sitting-room door slam
med after her She had her hand on the
handle of the hall door at the moment, and
opening il, she found herself in the embrace
Of a stout pair Of arms, whiskered face in
close proximity to her own, and before she
could think about the sttaDgeness OF her stu
alton, she received prolonged kiss-a hear
~ smack-ull upon her yrtuous matron lips.
O, murder '1aint Obadiah, neither
She had by this time Invested herself Of the
impression that it was her usually sober
spouse who must have come home in an un-
usually excited condition thus to indulge in
such unwonted expressions of affection.
Get out get out, ! say Who are you,
anyhow Murder, thieves Hotty, come
here Here's a man kissing me like mad =
Rut the intruder had by this time discover
ed his mistake-it did not need the indignant
pummeling and scratching Of the old lady's
vigorous fists to cause him to relinquish his
hold and fly as if pursued by some indignant
ghost.
Hetty, nearly choking with smothered
laughter, in spite of her trepidation, now came
to the rescue.
L never was so Frightened in all my life
The mean scamp Who could it be Het-
ty, have you any idea
But that dutiful daughter was, to all APP
pearances, innocent as sucking dove. She
soothed the old lady by representing that it
might have been one Of the neighbors, who,
having drank too much, had mistaken the
house and the housewife. She searched the
entry for the missing spectacles, dropped in
the scufllc re-arranged the rumpled cap Dor
der; wound up the tangled yarn; stirred the
fre--all in the most amiable manner possible
and at length had the satisfaction of see
ing her mother subside into her chair with
her accustomed tranquility.
Mrs. Thomas was fully awake now. She
had a new idea in her head and instead OF
settling her head for another nap she pursed
the train Ct thought and her knitting, both at
the same time, with wonderful rapidity. At
length, stopping and looking Keenly at Het-
ty-
4 suppose it's queer notion Of mine, Het-
ty, but I've a notion that man was 'Siah Haw
ley
My but if Hetty's face did not fire up
then You might have lit candle by it
These incipiCnt symptoms did not escape the
wary inqusitor.
Pears so to me, Cause those big whis-
kors were so much like hisn, and the awk-
ward way he griped me with his great paws !
Hetty was wonderfully busy. She bent
over her work, and drew the needle through
so quickly that the thread snapped, and then
she was so engaged in threading her needle
again she didn't have time to answer.
/ don't think that kiss was meant for me,
after all. Wonder who it was intended for I;
and wonder if you don't know something about
it, Hetty I"
Me, mother;
Yes, you, Hetty You was mighty anx-
ious to get me and Pa off to Aunt Ruth this
evening, but l noticed you were slicked up
extraordinary, for all you weren't going
Iletty, I'm getting old ! know it; but
haven't quite lost my eyesight yet I've
/ heard something about this between you and
'Siah Hawley. What are you playin possum
for Out with it, say
Our little sohemcr, thus adjured, made a
clean breast Of the matter much relieved to
/ find that mother hadn't nothin' agin him,
and would give father a talk about it, and
/ bring him all round.
But, Hetty, | want you to tell Siah d
rather he wouldn't make such a mistake ogin.
| didn't like the feel Of his big whiskers about
my face, don't approve OF promiscuous kiss.
ing
Siah never heard the last of that blunder
/ Old Squire Thomas used to delight in re-
hearsing the story whenever the parties in.
terested happened to be present. lie would
shake his fat sides at Josiah's discontinue
and his wile's tart replies, and Hetty would
join him, and both would laugh until the
tears ran down their cheeks.
Never mind. 'Ssh, Mrs. Thomas would
say, eonsolingly. Let him laugh. He'd
have been only too glad to have been in YOU
place twenty years ago. He had hard work
TO get a kiss from me. then. And | hope i
will be a lesson to you and Hetty agin the
inpolicy of concealmont and undorhand doin''
of all sorts