Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-05-10

| kind p began her visitor, rubbing his
hands. 'tI am not a thin man, - he pro-
ceeded, apparently giving himself no
trouble about the want of connection
between his sentences; /; "never was but
once, and that WRsWben lived on put
ty and dew-drops for two years, We
had famine. grew so small / got
lost one day in my own coat,-couldn't
find my way out for four hours and a
half" t..
'Dear me - said Ruby.
/ Yes you are very kind not to laugh,
nor anything of the sort, he continued
with an absent air,-''very indeed; and
/ it is very good in you to let me warm
/ myself at your fire,-very. On the
/ whole, think it is exceedingly gOOd.o
/ "Why, I shouldn't think Of doing
anything else, said Ruby, who had
! quite recovered from her fright "but
/ do tell me what you eat in the moon,
4 when it isn't a famine ?'' z -5-li-
] The old man tWirled his silver but
/ tons, felt of the tassel on his cap, gave
/ his head little shake, and looked SOL
/ emnIy into the fire. Depends on the
| season,-saud cakes with hail-sauCe are
! about as good as anything in their
| time. 1 have an excellent recipe 4OF2
/ sea-shell pudding; and for breakfast I
| take fried snOw-balls pretty much the
I year round"
90" said Ruby. 'rg7ell, I should like
{ to know If you weren't cold, taking
such long journey in that hat"
"0,'' said the Man in the Moon, 81
am used to it."
"But what do you wear it for?" per-
sisted Ruby.
At this he looked very wise and star
| ed into the fire again, but said nothing.
Ruby did not dare to repeat the qUes-
/ ton so she stood with her eyes very
black, looking at the funny, fat little
/ figure and solemn white face beside her
care there really ladies up there"
she broke out at last, with silver dres-
ses, and diamond mountains, and cas-
ties with great pearl DOORS and little
princes riding white horses and"
mo ma'am, =" interFu pied the Man in
the Moon, there isn't anybody bnt
me-"
stDon't you get dreadfully tired of it3''
said Ruby beginning to feel very sorry
for him.
He gave short groan, and taking
black silk handkerchief out Of his pOck-
ct, began to wipe his eyes. The hand
kerchief was so large that 1t dragged
the floor, and covered him quite out OF
sight, till be began to feel in better
spirits, when he folded it up sixteen
times and put it back in its place.
"Who hens your handkerchief P'' /
asked Ruby, suddenly.
"Hem 'em myself"
'fWhy, how did you learn to sew?
20, 1 always knew how: urst time
remember anything about myself, /
was sitting on top of thJrn-tree,
mending pair of mittens."
"YOu 1UeTe 20
'"Yes, - said the old gentleman, with
a meditative air, ST was"
Seeing how much enjoyment he ap-
peared to take from the heat Of the fire,
Ruby suddenly bethought herself that
ne might also fancy some supper
especially, poor man as his bill Of fare
in his own residence was 50 uninviting.
So she stole away on tipt0e to the clos 4
ct, and brought out the remains of her
supper.-a brown-bread cake, and a 4
cup of goats milk. There was a bit Of
cold squirrel, too but that was saved !
for her father. She spread them before L
her visitor on the the table. -a -s.dl
HWOuld MT you like some supper, sir? |
It isn't much but I think it must be
better than what you have at home"
much Obliged" he said, looking !
first at the bread, then at the milk, then /
you are remarkably polite but I, new
er allow myself to eat away from home; !
it does MT agree with my constitution. /
The last tius did it'd gone on a !
visit to my frst-cousip, who lives in /
the planet Jupiter 1t gave me st. |
Vibus' dance, and had TO walk on my
head for a week afterwards"
''Do tell " exclaimed Ruby, who dad [
catch some country expressions OCca- 4
sionlY. "Well I'm sure would MT
have asked you, if Id known"
She put up the tea-things with a great
clatter and hurry. Indeed, 4 am not
sure but she was afraid the dyspeptiCi /
gentleman might be overcome by his
appetite, and snach a mOuthfUl or two
as she was carrying away the bread |
and milk. AS for his exercising around (
the room on the tip of that tissue hat, I
though it might be a very interesting
phenomenon, she thought she should, |
on the whole, prefer that he would not
perform till her father came home. Tn II
She had no more than fairly locked !
up her dishes and come back to take
a seat on the cricket, when she was at 4
tracted by a strange behavior on the
part of her guest. He had been watch |
ing her, every. step she took about the (
room, and now he folded both his little
fat hands, and, looking at her very
grave, gave her a solemn wink.
'tWhat do you want ~ asked Ruby.
Another wink; but said he not word. /
''I-I don't exactly understand, said
Ruby. 'rz t5.i Il. !
Wink-wink-wi .f -ft
'sDoes the light hurt your eyes, sir ~
Wink-wink; but not a syllable did I
he say. Ruby was now really fright
ened. Perhaps he was a cannibal, and
was going to make his supper out of
her, after all +! And, o dearl to think
Of being eaten up alive! And if she
could OIlLg jump out the window and
run away And what t00EtId heE. .fatheT
think when he came home, and found
nothing but her dress and shoes and q
heap OF little white bones
Wink-wink-Win -....- d n
o deari could MT she climb up the
chimney #s Hf1
And then he opened his mouth. -Ru-
by screamed aloud, but she did not
.iare to stir.
II say" said the old man, "you're e.
very polite ; young lady,-very polite
/ anita a gyrfpE1r and
gOod-lOoking too" ...1 rrE III
''Dear no, Sir" said Ruby, drawing
a long breath, and feeling very much
relieved.
''Wbat should you say" continued
the old gentleman 'tO coming home
with me You might come back every
Saturday night and see your father,
you know"
so dear % cried Ruby, turning pale,
81 could MT think of it,--I could MT
| possibly"
40, it's of no consequences" replied
the Man in the Moon, looking quite
unConcerned,- ,-"none in the world; it's
/ Just as well. I think must be gOilg
now. There won't be any body to ring
/ the nine-O' clock bell If don't" And
before Ruby could find words to speak,
be had walked with serious air to the
| window and disappeared.
Ruby started, stared, and rubbed her
/ eyes to look out after him. the forest
] WIS II AAIo 5LAAA LIE WllG naLlA CEAEu IT.
| self to sleep, and her father was Just
| coming up the foot--path that led to
4 the door.
| Ruby, bewildered, looked up,-miles
/ and miles away at the moon. The old
/ gentleman,s g solemn face was staring
1 down out of it, and if it had not been
/ for the branch of a little birch-tree that
! came in the way just then, she would
| have been suEe-perfectly sure-that be
/ winzed at her. Though j have been
/ told that her father with the stupidity
common to parentBi teachers, older sis
/ ters, and all ignorant people, continues
! somewhat skeptiC al on that point to
! this day. fs
It is reported, believe, by q. cores
/ pOndent of a Patagonia paper, who
/ found it in a KamsChatl1a- exchange,
I which had it from the editor of a BOor-
! iObOOla daily, who copied it from
popular magazine issued on the Noun
| tains of the MOOn--Where, OF course,
/ they ought to knoW-that all this hap
i pened about the time when the Man in
the Moon was hunting for a wife.