Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-11-21

used to have doughnuts, you don't Know
what doughnuts are here in Massachusetts,
as big as a dinner-plate, those doughnuts
were, and-well, little hard, perhaps.
They used to have it about in Bangor that
we used them for clock pendulums, but |
don't know about that.
used to to think great deal about Nan
cy nights, when we were sitting up by the
fire;-we had our fire right in the middle of
the hut, you know, with hole in the roof
to let the smoke out. When supper was
eaten, the boys all sat up around it, and told
stories, and sang, and cracked their jokes;
then they had their backgammon and cards.
We got sleepy carly, along about nine or ten
o'clock, ndturned in under the roof with
our blankets. The roof slooped down, you
know. to the ground; so we lay with our
heads in under the little caves, and our feet
to the fire, ten or twelve of us to shanty,
all round in row. They built the huts up
like baby's cob-house, with the logs fitted
in together. used to think great deal
about your mother, as was laying; some
times would lie awake when the rest were
off as sound as top, and think about here.
May be II was foolish, and m sure Iwouldn't
have told anybody of it; but couldn't get
rid of the notion that something might hap
pen to her or to me before five months were
out, and I with those words unforgiyen.
Then, perhaps, when went to sleep, |
would dream abont her walking back and
forth, up and down, in her night-gown and
little red shawl, with the great heavy baby
in her arms.
So it went along till came the last OF Jan
uary, when one day saw the boys all
standing round in heap, and talking.
"What's the mattcr?" says /,
"Pork's given out" says Bob, with a
whistle. "Bcadle got that last lot from
Jones there, his son-in-law, and it's spill.
l could have told him that beforehand.
Never knew Jones TO do the fair thing by
anybody yet"
"Who's going down?" spid !, stepping
short. felt the blood run nll over my face,
like woman's
"Culen hasn't m ade up his mind yet,
says Bob, walking off,
Now you see there wasn't a man OH the
ground who wouldn't jump at the chance
to go broke up the winter for them, and
sometimes they could run in home for hall
an hour, driving by; SO there wasn't much
of d hope for me. But l went straight tc
Mr.. Cullen.
"Too late! just promised Jim Jacobs,
said he, speaking up quick it was just
business to him, you know.
turned off, and / didn't say word.
wouldn't have believed it, l never woult
have believed it, that could have felt 81
cut up about such little thing. Cullei
looked round at me sharp,
"Hilloa, Hollis!" said he. What's L
paysr IL ,., ~ =, ,. -,
walked of, whistling. satag
qoI had little talk with Jim alone. lfe
said he would take good care Of something
I'd give him, and carry it straight. So wher
night came went and borrowed Mr.. Cul
lens pencil, and Holt tore me off a bit o
clean brown paper he found in the flour
barrel, and went off among the trees witt
it alone. l built little fire for myself on
of huckleberry- bush, and sat down tler'
on the snow to write. / couldn't do il in ili'
shanty, with the noise and singing. TIL
little brown paper wouldn't hold much; but
these were the words wrotc'-1 remembe
every one of them,- it is curious now
should, and that more than twenty year
ago:-
"Dcar Nancy,"--that was il, ,-'tDear Ivan
cy, can't get over it, and take them a
back. And if anything happens comm
down on the logs" 4
couldn't finish that anyhow, so | jus
wrote "Aaron" down in the corner, an
folded the brown paper UP. II didn't loo
any more like ''Aaron' than it did lik
"Abimelcch," though; for | didn't see
single letter wrote, mot one.
! After that went to bed, and wished
was Jim Jacobs. tsit0HH
Next morning somebody work me II
with push, and thers was the boss.
"Why, AIR. Cullen! says |, with a juml
Hurry up, man, and eat your breakfast
, said he; "Jacobs is down sick with his cold
, "Oh ! said I.
) You and the pork must be back he
, day after to-morrow,--so be spry, said h
rather think was, Johnny.
! 1t was just eight o'clock when l started
9 it took some time to get breakfast, and fe'
the nags, and get orders. / stood ther
: slapping the snow with my whip, crazy
!. be off, hearing the last of what Mr.. Guilt
y had to say.
!, They gave me the two horses, we hadl
. but two,--oxen are tougher for going In,
It general thing, and the lightcst team I
}. the ground it a,as considerably lighter th
o Bob Stokes's. If it hadn't been for I
snow, might have put the thing through
r, two days, but the snow was up TO the crt
e lures knees in the shady places all alon
e off from the road, in among the gullics, y
If could stick a four-foot measure down an
: where. So they didn't look for me back
n fore Wednesday night. sk
81 must have that pork Wednesday mig
10 sure, says Cullen.
a "Well, sir" says !, ''you shall have
W Wednesday noon, Providence permittin
ii and you shall have it Wednesday nj. hit III
m way"
or s'You will have storm 10 do il in,
il afraid, said he, looking at the clouds, j
~ as was whipping up. "You're all right
the road, suppose?"
= 'All right, said /; ana I'm sure | oul
ut to have been, for the times Id been over
nd Bess and Beauty-they were the hors
oh and of all the ugly nags that ever l $
k, Beauty was the ugliest-staried oil OF
If. round trot, Slowing along down the h
nut they knew they were going home just
ut, well as did. looked back, as we tur
in the corner, to see the boys standing rol
in their red shirts, with the snow bcll
n them, and the fire, and the shant S. l
it'll mite lonely when l couldn't sec them
Ick more; the snow so dead still, and there "
fire thirty miles of it to cross before could