Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-12-15

me to go. But l guess I wont. Pve
been working on fathers shirts all day,
besides doing the dairy work, and I am
as tired as can be. So l guess they
will have to go without me. Do not
come until eight o'clock. I shall be
putting things to rights then, and will
let you in.''
Of course Josiah was not too obtuse
to understand that, and forgot his bash
fulness so far as to petition for good
bye kiss, which was peremptorily refus-
ed of course.
"No, l sha'n't. Do take yourself off.
Think 1 didn'tsee you fdgeting around
Sarah Jones at Deacon Badgers last
evening? I've not forgotten that, sir. f"
"Now, Hetty-"
But the appeal was broken off by a
tantalizing little laugh, and as hesprang
forward to take pleasant revenge on
his tormentress, slipped away and ran
up the path to the house, where he
saw her wave her hand as she disappear
ed within the kitchen porch and then
he turned from the gate and took the
road homeward. The tea things had
been carried out, the table set back
against the wall, the crumbs brushed
from the clean homemade carpet, and
Hetty's workstand drawn up in front of
the blazing fire. A bountifully piled
waiter of great red apples and plate of
cracked walnuts were on it, in close
proximity to Hetty's work basket.
On .one side of the fire sat Mrs.
Thomas, fat and fair; and atpeace with
all the world, rocking and knitting, and
refreshing herself at sundry intervals
with bite from half eaten apple that
lay on the corner of the table, and touch
ing every now and then in a caressing
manner with her foot, sleek, lazy
looking cat that purred and winked on
the rug before her. Hetty sat on the
other side, sewing, and busy in thinking
how she would tell her mother that she
expected a visitor. She would have
given the world to have been able to say
in an off hand manner that she expected
Mr.. Hawley to drop in about eight
But she recollected with twinge of
conscience how hard she had tried to
get the old lady to accompany her hus-
band to Aunt Ruth's spite of her fore
warnings of spell of neuralgia; how
she had also plead headache as an ex-
cuse for not going herself. And she
knew that her mother was quite sharp
enough to draw her own differences
from these facts, and from her being
dressed with unusual care to spend an
evening at home.
81 shall not dare to tell her now
She'll be sure to think that wanted to
get her out of the way, SO might haze
Josiah all to myself, and I never should
hear the last of it" And SO, like a
wise little puss, she kept silent.
| L will venture my word on it, you
would not have wondered at our young
farmers desperate enthrallment if you
could have seen Hetty Thomas as she
was sewing by the freside on that cold
November evening, Under pretext of
being ready to go to heruncle's "a thing
she had no idea of doing) she had, just
before tea, INDUCED in an indiscriminate
'fxing up" A neatly fitting dark
calico, with the store look still on it, a
fresh linen collar, and a tasteful black
apron-these were the chief items of
Hetty's toilet; but she looked as sweet
and dainty in her plain dress as if hours
had been spent in donning lace and
jewels. Her ri b hair of the darkest
auburn tinge fell in shining folds close
to her warm red cheeks, and was caught
up 10 a cunning net behind.
/ Eight o'clock and past! Mrs Thom-
as was doing in her chair-her shadow
on the opposite wall bobbing about in
grotesque mimicry as she nodded to and
fro-now crushing the voluminous white
satin bows on her spruce cap against
the back of her chair-now almost fall
ing forward, and her fat hands lay list
lessly in her lap, and her ball of yarn
had rolled out upon the hearth, and
puss was busy converting it into Cor
dian knots.
], And just then came double rap at
the door, so loud, sudden and self-as-
sured thai Hetty started up with little
shrek, and set her foot on puss's tail,
who in turn gave voice to her amaze
ment and displeasure The combined
noise reused Mrs. Thomas, and starting
to an erect position, she rubbed her
eyes, settled her cap border, and ex-
claimed: "Bless my soul, Hetty, what
was that? Somebody at the door? Who
can be coming here at this time Of
nigbt?" "It's not late, mother-only
a little past eight o'clock I'll go and
see who it is" says Hetty, demurely,
: taking the candle from the table. "No.
Here, you wind up my ball and sweep
up the hearth while l go to the door, -
says the old lady, whose feet were strug-
Cling in the meshes Of the unraveled
yarn. ''Drat that cat"
And all this time Josiah was standing
on one foot out on the cold porch, with
his hands in his overcoat pockets, and
every now aod then giving the door a
smart rap by way Of variety. In her
hurry Mrs. Thomas forgot to take the
candle, and as she stepped out into the
little front entry the sitting room door
slammed after her She had her hand
on the handle Of the hall door at the
|, moment, and opening it she suddenly
found herself in the embrace of a stout
pair of arms, a whiskered face in close
. proximity to her own, and before she
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