The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-10-21
Stevie's Surprise.
BY LUCIA C. BELL.

fortably in the hollows they'd made in
the dust just outside the old b-rs by
which he stood about the sore on his
dirty great toe, and the poor, broken
winged fly, creeping painfully along the
old rotten, topmost bar toward his
hand. On both sides of the path grew
tall mustard and it's twinkIing, yellow
blossoms tickled Stevie s lat cheeks when
ever he moved.
Behind him stood the corn crib, not
ample and solid, with ears of golden
corn laughing at you between the logs
from the1Bottom clear to the top, but a
little, old trembling, with heap of loose
grains trembling with dirt and feathers
down upon the old cracked floor, where
the rats and mice held grand feasts at
night, and the chickens contentedly
CLICKED all day long Back of the crib,
lay the garden, and just behind that
stood the little, old cabin, where Stevie
and his mother and the rest of them liv.
ed. 1t was very lonesome, pitiful, little
place, away out on the edge of Deacon
Hoyt's big farm and he gave 1t to- them
half grudginlgy, just as he gave the wild
black berry bushes perm ssion to grow in
VIC u1S PdGClI yCdA dAtCA year.
The father was dead, and Stevie could
remember little about his funeral. How
one morning the people came picking
their way from the quiet country road
through the briery field, till they came
to the old cabin. Nobody was dressed
up much, he remembered The men had
on clean shirts, but only their old, every
day clothes, and they stood IN the sun
shine, just outside the door, and whitfield
and talked in low tones about the "crops''
and "stock" Some women were there,
with clean aprons and starched sun-bon-
nets One had pail of fresh eggs and
butter, and she intended to go to town, af-
ter the funeral, "to trade" She said she
Thought she'd just stop minnit to old
Jimmy's buryin." Besides all that, Stevie
had pleasant memory of how clean the
room was the morning of his father S
"burying,' and that the figure so stiffiy
on chairs in front of the quiet loom was
draped in such clean white, ample sheets,
ready to put in the coffin that some men
were going to bring. jamie and Matthew
and Mag sat in a row in front of their
mother They had clean faces and smooth
hair, and wore shoes and stockings, and
kept their fat, brown hands folded over
little, course, gingham handkerchiefs
and they were all still. 1t was Stevie's
Town place, he remembered to sit on a
stool by the back door, and scare the
chickens away whenever they tried to
come in, and he always did it with very
little, bashful "shoo y Some women sal
in the house while they waited The wo
man with the pail of eggs and butter, sat
there, holding it on the edge-o of her knees
with her hard, bony hands folded firmly
on the handle, while she glared grimly al
Matthew, and - lie, and little Mag
BY and by the men came bringing the
coffin through the briery, sunny, old
| field. They had flushed faces and felt
cross because it was SO hard to come
through the blackberry bushes withou,
scratching the coffin. The men by the
door each one shut his iacknfe with 6
click, aGd three or tour of them came in
walking awkwardly ON tiptoe with theil
big boots, and they laid Stevies father ii
the coffin, and everybody took last look
and nobody cried but little mag. Their
Stevie's mother tied on her sunbonnet
land another woman tied on Mays anC
JAMES tor them, aud man fastened thu
coffin, and then they carried it into tn,
field through the path into the road, ant
. matthew and jamie and little Mag anC
their mother and few plain, whispering
people, went plodding along with them
Only Stevie was left at home to 'watcl
the house." He looked after the peopl
as long as he could see them, and Will
he looked, the chickens came in AM
wandered over the clean floor in sur
/ prised way, as if it were so strange not t
find any crumbs there, every now an,
then giving little, curious, inquirin,
peck at the empty air. Stevie didn'
think it worth while to drive them on
after that. It seemed more sociable an,
homelike to have them there, and he wa
sorry when one by one they went HOP
ping disappointedly over the door steI
Presently he wondered why he had t
swatch the house !" What could com
there but chickens? IF "any thing
should come, he was quite certain that h
didn't want to be there and his cheek
grew burning hot when he thought of 1t
All at once he rose up very quietly AM
, scampered out into the fields, and whe
he came back, his mother was there again
!, weaving; and Jane was teasing Matthew
} and little Mag had her usual big piece 0
bread and butter, and the chickens wer
greedily picking up the crumbs she drop
Ell.
1t wa all over. The days stretched on
one after another, and his mother worke
Just as hard as ever, and the peopl
brought their rags Tor her to weave, an
she made garden the best she could q
her little field of ground, and went out t
j work for the busy hous wives of thrift
farmers whenever she could spare da
j from home e1eI zt1-9 4 :
/ Well, Ssevie wasn't thinking of thi
| when he stood there by the old bars, bu
he knew it, and a little Of it came int