Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-10-18

she slipped away ana ran VI thc pain W tiic
house, where he saw her wave her land as
she disappeared with in the kitchen porch
and then lie turned from the gate and took
his way homeward.
The tea things had been carried out, the
table set back against tie wall, the crumbs
brushed from the clean homemade carpet and
| IIetty's work stand drawn up in front OF the
blazing fire. A bountiful piled waiter OF ap-
pies and plate Of cracked walnuts were on
| it, in close proximity TO Ietty's work-basket.
| On one side of the fire sat Mrs. Thomas, fat
and fair and at peace with all the world,
rocking and knitting, and refreshing at sun-
dry intervals with bite from half eaten
/ apple that lay on the corner of the table, and
! touching every now and then, ina earessing
manner with her foot, sleek, lasy-,ooking
cat, that rurrcd and winked on the rug be-
fore her. Hetty sat on the other side sewing
and busy in thinking how she would tell her
mother that she expected q visitor. She
would have given the world to he able to, say
in an off hand manner that she expected Mr..
IiaWicy tUuiOp III uDVut ClSHt. loul size icCOi-
lected with a ,wingc of conscience how hard
she had tried to get the old lady to accompany
her husband to Aunt Ruth's, in spite of the
fore warning of spell of neuralgia :; how she
had pleaded head ache as an excuse for 10.
going herself And she knew that her mother
was quite sharp enough TO draw her own in
ferenccs from her being dressed with unusual
care to spend the evening at homo.
~ shall not dare 10 tell her now. She will
be sure 10 think that wanted to get her out
of Tie way, SO that might have Josiah all TO
myself, and ! should never hear the last of
IT, And, SO, like a wise little pnss, She kept
silent
will venture my word upon it that, you
would not have wondered at our voung iapin-
ers desperate enhrallment il you could have
seen lietty Thomas as she sat sewing BY TIE
fresilc Oh that cold November evening Tn
der pre:ext Of going 10 ier uncles Ia thing
she had no idea Of dong} she had just before
supper ntlulgcd in a discriminate fixing tlp'
A neatly filing dark calico dress, with the
store lool, upon il, a fresh linen collar ANA a
tasteful black apron-these were The chief
items of Het,y's toilet; but she looked az
sweet and dainty in her pain dress as. i.
hours had been spent in -donning lace ;n.i
jewels. Her rich hair of tie darkest auburn
tingc fell in shining folds close 10 her warm,
red cheeks, and was .uglt III !; cunning net
behind. Aaa
Eight o'clock and past! Mrs. THOMAS doz-
ing III her chaii,-her Shadow on the opposite
wall bobhns about in grotesqae mimicry as
she nodded ~so--snal,aife--now~ crushing -ii,e
yoluminiuous white bows on her spruce CAP
against the back OF her ~chair=-nuw als..s.;
falling forward, and her Eat hands lay list
lessly in her lap, and her ball of yarns had
rolled out upon tie hearth and puss was busy
converting it into Gordan knots.
And just then came double rap at the
door, so loud, sudden and self>assured, tina
IIetty started up with little shrek, aal gave
voice to her amazement and displeasure. The
combined noises reused Mrs. Thomas, and
starting tc an erect position she rubbed her
eyes, settled her eap-border, and exclaimed
'Dless my soul lietty. whats that p
'Somcbody AT fle door s-
"Who can be coming here at tLis time Of
night ~ M NJ
'Its not late mother; only a little past
eight o'clock. III SO and see who it is said
Hctty, demurely taking the candle from the
table. ,...,
"No. Here, you wind up my bail and
sweep UP The Learth, while go to the door,
says the old lady, whose feet were struggling
in the mcshes of the unrayeled yarn.
All this time Josiah was standing on one
foot in the cold porch, with his hands in his
ovcrcoat pockets, wondering if Hetty had
fallen asleep and every now and then giving
the door a martsap by way of variety. In
her hurry, Mrs. Thomas forgot to take the
candle and as she stepped into the little from
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 whiskerid face in close
proximity to her own, and, before she could
-. y 4 L FH i
fiink about the ssrangeness Of her. situation,
she received prolonged s kiss--a hearty
smack-full upon her virtuous. matronly
lips. ss g = a.at
She had by this time divestcd herself OF the
impression that it was her usually sober
spouse, who must have come to an unusually
excited condition thus to indulge in such pn
wonted display. of affection. Get out get
out, say, Who are you, Ans how2 Murder !
thieves! lIetty come here, here's a man kiss
ing me like sixty" s4tai
But the intruder had by this time discov-
cred his mistake--it did not need the indig-
nant scratching and rummeling Of the old
lady's fists TO cause him 10 relinquish his
hold and fly as if pursued by some indignant
ghost@ Hrtty,i nrur'y choking With smothered
laughter, in spite of trepidaton now came to
the rescue.
"I VAS news so rfighfene,l III al my m life
The mean scamp. Who can it be, Hetty.?'
But that dutiful daughter was, 10 all ap
pchrances, SAs innocent as . turtle lSve. She
soothed the old lady by representing that, it
might have been one of the neighbors, who
having drank, too Npch,l had mistake the
housewife. She searched the entry for the
missing spcctacles, dropped in the scufie
re-arranged the rumpledscap border, wound
S1,ck lo1 he =.