The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-04-08
BIDDEF0RD, ME-, FRIDAY MORNING,

a lad generally notorious rs belonging to that
class which never infringes upon the law by
knowing more than 1t allows them. yet harm
less, good natured, and capital hand at all
chores which require elbow-grease rather
land which stretched for halt mile towards
the sea shore, and jumped over the fence on
the other side of the road In state of great ex-
citement. r-
/ Halo, you. Lish Allen =
HALO, 81 f! You look het. What hl' you
| ben duin' over In the faller-haryestin that
crop o. mullens|
I'D oughter look hct, guess sod yon CT
ye'd run oil the way up hill from the har6or,
Without so much's stoppin' to ketch yer
breath. Darned glad am to ha' met you tew,
or I'd he'd to run al the way to Deacon Allen's.
Dye know the Deacon boats ben sot adriitY 2
i 'Wa'al, by thunder 81, you don't tell me
so None o. your foolin', is II! Honest,
nowr '
q wish may be consumed cf faint An
the best thing you can dew is to take them
shiny butes O. yourn right straight daoun tew
the wharf, ef yew don't want II to 20 out into
the bay
| Lsh threw down m involuntary glance on
the foot-gear referred to-. cast an eye in the di-
rection of the other Deacon's house, looked at
| the tin angel with u trumpet lying on the top
of the New school Westinghouse close by. and
in spite Of the discovery from that herald that
| the wind was hauling rapidly to the northward,
| and would very socn take out to sea any waif
that lay in the harbor, felt more inclination to
sacrifice the piece Of property in question than
he had ever known towards toothache or q
bad cold.
Col darn that boat !! calculated Lish, ms en-
phatically as IL he had never been brought mp
to 60 to meeting. Nevertheless, he tumbled
over the fence that bounded the fallow, and,
with 81 accompanying him, set oil on run to.
ward tho shore And might have been sittin
clost to her by this time y was the gst OF Lish s
whole thought rs he ran. :,
The Good Spirit, who knows Loves bad
chronometer, however, just at that minute saw
the loop Of gold going over Becky Townsend's
head.
When Lish reached the sand he could just
descry the white broadsdc of the Deacon
yawl, lifting with the outbound waves halfway
to the mouth of Muskeoguc Bay. That this
misfortune was no work OF chance was evident
from the Deacon wcll-known tidy carefulness;
and to corroborate this view, there lay the bow
painter of the boat still hitchel to the pile, its
other end freshly cut, and swinging in the wa
ter. An enemy had done this-whe,her spite
ful member of the other Meetings Sabbath
school, or vindictive young discipline OF the
Dcacon's own, whom that ygilant officer had
caught 'lartin' in sermon.tme, never became
/ sufficiently transparent. To take another boat
and row ont after the stray, recapture it, and
tow 1t back, was the obvious course called for;
and this obvious course took one hour an! a
quarter, for the tide was ebbing, and the wind
y. T.. By n, when the two Oarsmen htched fast
to their drifting prize, and started ba;k with
1t. :,
At four o'clock and threc.quarters, T. NJ,
the shiny boots, much less shiny, and the nut
/
the doorstep of Deacon Townsend's house and
an uneasy fist raped upon the green door un
der the wall roses.
But single pair Of ears in tho keeping
room heard that fist. For the cool gray eyes
had gone kitchenward forty minutes before, to
dart inevitable glances into the arrangements
for soft gingerbread which were making for
tea by 'Mclindy,' the rei-iaired help. with
the cool gray eyes had gone the influential,
| oyerbearing presence, which, TO the Detcon
and his daughter, seemed always as tangible as
the calm black silk figure from which II cma-
mated. And in that forty minutes absence a
barrier, erected By the presence aud the eyes
an uimmeasurably- thick Gibraltar between Becky
and her own intuitions-had been slowly los
ing density; until now, rs she funbled uncasi-
ly with the chain still round her neck, AMI be-
/ ran daring to wonder IL il was real gold, the
4 Gibraltar was u thin film of fog-a .gossamer
web, floating and rcnding here and there at
times. Just then Lish Allen cursed his luck
| for being too late, and knocked the gossaner
melted, and fell like sediment TO the bottom
of mind full Of sunbeams. So Becky rose
lightly aud went to the door -,
| well, now-do tell if it's you. Lish Allen"
she exclaimed, with really unaffected surprise.
sparkling being principally done 'arter hours
In Muskeoguc
.'Tain't nobody else,' said Lish. beamingly,
though / did think II never would be me
lot hal ia tpv wit IA
theirs boat goin' atlrit How dc dew. Becky
And the young girl let one of her plump little
hands 20 into eclipse in Lish's big brown one.
'The Deacon and Miss Townsend to hum p
he added, casting comprehensive glance into
the keeping room, as IL, providing they oere
there, he wished the impression conveyed that
they were the most welcome sight Imaginable
no. replied Becky fathers gone down
Cape Cod way fshin'. and mothers in the
kitchen attending to her gingerbread Come
In, won't your
| Thank yc, Becky I guess will for min.
utc.' Then, as il the thought now struck him
for the frst time, How'd you like to put on
your things and just take little walk up into
Father Pringle's paster-lot! There's some aw.
full nice blackberries up there on the ridge. |
found 'cm t'othcr day, and didn't tell nobody.
because knew you liked 'em 80 much. AMI
we can run up there few minutes aud jest see
il there's any left. 'Tain,t often get time to
walk, except on business and when do,
like to improve it,,
4 '.Do YOU think the blackberres are right
down ripe yet, asked Becky, thus getting
time for her quick woman's wit to glance over
the proposition, and ascertain the exact bear.
ings of q walk IL the daylight with young
man whose company she had felt no hesitation
in accepting at night. For in Muskcoguc peo-
pie have to be very careful Of what they DO in
Il Q daytime. .f yy.. .fE.r
.Ripe enough to melt In your mouth. aud
sweet Ms surrup replied Lish, cnthusiastica,-
lly, supposng that this was conclusive IN favor
| Of the walk. But the pair of bright black eyes
l which sparkled on her as he said it--and not
the berries decided Miss Rsbecca Townsend.
. swell.' she answered, you jest set down here
n minute, and I'll run up stairs and put on my
sun-bonnet.'
.She wanted to know sartain ef those berries
were right down ripe aforc she'd go ct she
l raIv cared for me she Wouldn't ha' let that
! thought hender,' thought Lish, somewhat Bit
Iterly-still rolling in the same selfdistrustfll
groove where tho desdgremens OF the afternoon
I had started him. And Becky tripped up stairs,
| leaving q ravishing impression OF white shoul.
der to mingle curiously with his peryerse reaec-
tions. 20 .liT... ~
stairway cresked plainly IN his ears. aud his
] throbbing heart felt the sense OF the white
shoulders growing stronger. Flushed with the
exercise OF getting ready IN hurry--her bare,
/ round arms showing 10 the most fascinating
advantage. with the polished, dimpled cones Of
! their bent elbows thrown up and forward as
she reached to catch the snowy sun-bonnet that
Was dropping from her crinkled hair-stealing
\ froun above with etep where cxuberant life