Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-12-06
II istell 4 t, E q /, &
FROM UAEPEh'S MAGAZINE.
An Old Applc-Womaa.

Ineycr think Of the geography Of Boston
without being reminded Of a village to
which was once directed by Il planter
whom met by the roadside i'll tie back
woods of Georgia. Go street on he said
nil ye come to . shinglcd house, a black
smith Shop and tobacco barn. standn
right round puddle Of water-tlas ; the
#tiliaee' Bu>t0n. to be sure, is something
more than >hinelcd housc. Il blacksmith
shop, aud a tobacco barn: it is i'll fact. a
town several times larger than the Geor-
gia village: but, for all that, it stands right
round Il ruddle-l beg pardon, a poel--ol
water. Tins pool is known i'll history as
the Frog Pond, and it probably derived its
name from a family of frogs who once had
there IA summer residence but why 1t re
t;iins that appcilalion Is difficult to eonjeet-
urc, since all the Boston croakers now
spend their summers at Newport or Ma
hant and Their winters in much dFler ii noi
more wholsnmc quarters.
Bat pool OF Wit has already been shed
on this pool of water, ana 1t is not my III
tention 10 swell & pond into am ocean.-
Abler pens than mlne have tried to do that
81 shall content myself with emPtyng
mvipi. stand upon a Il;tic old woman who
in rain and shine. week III and week ont,
for many Il hong yaar, kept an aPpie-stan
near the margin Of that famous puddle o!
Mater.
She was lit;le, and shewas Cd and do
think about It's ugly ds any woman who has
lived sImce the birth of Evc-that first OF
apple women; bat she loved and served her
country. and sn in spite o! her uslineSs, /
+. |. Il, Il,
of general history
AT first she served it by vending green ap-
pies and stomach ache to the hungry law
vcrs and ragged uIchins who aggregated
about Court square, and at this tine was
sole mistress OF Il pcripatctc shop-a huge
willow basket going about on two legs and
open at the top, except il rany weather,
when it was rooted in by big umbrella,
She was mcagre anatomy with sharp
nose, a sunlicn chin, and a hatcllet face,
covered all over by shr;veled skin Of the
precise complexion of II pealed potato. In
winter she wore a faded hood, IL blanket
shawl, and wooden gown short enough to
show pair o. corrugated stocking'' Tar
wliter than the snow III the streets OF
Boston. In summer she was cladin dim
itv c;t.t Il calico fgock, and IL cotton handana,
pjnned closely over her bosom hut sum
iner and winter, she was clongat d by pair
of stout hrogans. with high heels and thick
solcs-,hick enough, one wonld say. to be
Iiluperyious to oil the moisture that human
feet are heir to. ButJhey were not impcr-
yious to the rheumatism. That one day,
got into the legs Of the old woman's apple
basket. and forced her to shut up hel per
ipatetiG shop, and to open one OF a less
rowing character.
Then she pitched her tent on the Com
mnn-or, more literally, she planted there
a three legged stool, the biz umbrella, and
rough pine table, heaped high with rus
sets, pippins, and gilly flowers, which she
was ready to dispense to all eomers ut the
rate of one ceHt for one and Il half dime ior
half dozen-so several paper Plaeards,
floating. Ike flags of truce from as many
golden pippins, told all and singular who
ircqutntcd the Common.
business here ;hrove with the cid wom-
an for, in pleasant weather, the Common
is !, great resort for young couples, who
bill and coo under the spreading clms, or
on the iron clad benches; and billing and
cooing is decided slarpn + OF the appetite
as is proved in the lamentah!e case of the
youpg maiden who died OF love and green
apples. ,
THERE'S no telling the quantity of stomach
ache and cholera morhus that the old Won
an daily dispensed to hungry lovers but 1t
must have been large. since it was often
noticed that however high her table was
heaped in the morning it was always low
down atnight, when with her basket on
h r arm. she ambed homewari.
One evening gentleman passing that
way lust at dark, found the table almost
untouched and the old woman in great
deal of trouble. 1t had rained all day, aud
few lovers had come upon the Common ;
so, with apples and clothes weeping msym-
pathy with her sorrow. she sat there, with
no one to help her home with her basket.
1t is said that evil loves the dark; but it
is quite as true that many other things
avoid daylight. Others eyes are wide
open, and the fear of what men may say
often sends us sneaking by the other side,
like the Priest and the Leyite in the par
able But now it was dark so that the
gentleman shouldered the apple-hasket and
Went hoale with the old woman She lv-
n tho tinnr of N