Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-03-26

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And it doth follow as the NIGHT to day
Thou canst not then be false to any man
And Zay, you were not true to your
self, and of course you were false t
Frederic y
J 'sYour friend Zay is very proud,
said Eliza, hopelessly, 'and I was nc
going to admit had thought farthe
i, than he had"
s'Elizayl ! Elfzay! 1t is time to han
on the pot and put in the porkP" call
ed down Mrs. Orange from the stain
way. 'sIf you viii start the dinner
needn't come down till get my skei
off.
Eyes, ma'am," called back Eliza
"Dinner-pots, pies, and stocking-yarn
That is all I have to look forward to il
life now" she added, drearily.
And so it seemed to prove. Day
and weeks and even months went on
and Milly's cheerful prophecies wer
not fulfilled. Even worse.
One day, Milly Bergen's half-aunt
/ Betsy, from Dorset, who was taIkin,
| old woman and took snuff, came owe,
/ to pay a visit to her half brother
family. While she was there, E1iz
Orange came in, and presently Mill
said, of a sudden,
s4DO you know Frederic Chestnut
Aunt Betsy He is a boOk-keeper IL
the cutlery at Dorset, and boards a
Miss Halsey's, or used to-"
Eliza stopped over to stroke seven
| tOed kitten lying asleep upon tht
hearth, hs F5a, stoPPing her breath 1,t to Lister @
never in haste to begin talking, or t.
leave off after she had begun. She
shook up her chair-eushion, counted
the stitches on her seam-needle, took &
pinch of snuff, and then said, deliber-
ately,
''Frederic Chestnut? Yes, I know
him. Why; see-Miss Halsey lives
very next house but one to me
and we are great knit-ups, and are out
and in together like own folks, her and
me. So always know who she has
for bOarders. Chestnut is one of her
Oldest boarders, quite standby; and
I know him as well I do this young
lady here. I don't know anything
against him neither, nor nobody else.
He is as just as nice a young man as
there is in the town of Dorset now
that is so. Andh is paying attention
now to girl over there to Dorset. A
DudgeOn girl and Miss HaIsey and I
are not over-pleased with the match,
for she isn't more than half good
enough for him Good enough Why,
she is likely girl; belongs to a re-
spectacle family, and all that. But I
consider her lazy piece of furniture,
and so does Miss Halsey."
Eliza had lifted her face from the
kitten, and was listening, white and
eager, greedy to lose nothing, not even
the pain every word brought her.
"But you think they Will marry 2"
asked Milly, moving her chair to bring
it before Eliza's excited face.
"Well, it looks that way now.
understand he has taken her home to
see his folks, and see how they like"
'Has I thought saw him pass
here with lady one day last
week. Probably it was them, , inter-
rupted Milly, indifferently. "Oh, did
you know we are expecting Augusta
and the baby in a few days ?" she add
ed, as though with sudden change Of
thought.
It made no difference to Aunt Betsy
what the subjeet-she was at home on
any; and taking a pinch of snuff she
chatted away just as readily en- the
next theme put in her way with such
adroit carelessness.
When Eliza went home soon after,
AIilly went to the gate and finally
along the roadside to the third maple
tree.
81 thought you were my friend, Mil
lY, said she, bitterly, "But you knew
how I longed to hear whatever else
your Aunt Betsy could telI."
$50 1 am your friend; your true
friend but you looked as though
there was a dagger sticking in your
heart, and I was not going to let her
go back to Dorset with any story to
tell about you to Miss Halsey. Be
sides, she had told all she knew, and
some she guessed already. Don't cry,
Zay. Ihave presentiment. It will
all come out right yet"
"Right'' meant to these young girls
the way most desirable in their finite
eyes, that saw such a little way into
life and the great Beyond. aH
So AGiIly went back to the gossiping
aunt, and Eliza went forward to take
up the burden of a life from which the
sun was darkened, and the moon with
held her light. But
"The darkest day,
Live till tomorrow, viii have passed away
And already the word had been spoken
that should turn the color of her fate.
Aunt Betsy was right about great
many things and at the very mo-
ment she was taking her pinch of
snuff, and unconsciously thrusting
poisoned arrows into the heart of Eliza
Orange, the same subject was being
discussed by Frederic Cheshunt's
father and mother in the clean, airy
of their farm house.
'Did you give Fred'ric a hint of how
you felt, mother ?'' asked Mr.. Chesh-
unit, anxiOusly.
Not a word for nor against.
wouldn't. I treated the girl Just as
well I knew how, though I never
could stand it with the Dudgeon blood.
I always did feel as though I was a
porcupine with my quilts out when
ever ] saw one of the family, even as
long ago as when they and we were
young together, though don't know
any reason why" replied Mrs. Chesh-
unit, stopping a moment to mediate
upon the metaphysical side of the
'Well, so it is" she re-
sumed cheerfuIly, after an unaYailing
pause /; Etsome folks can't bear cheese,
and I never took to the Dudgeons.
But, nevertheless, / shall try to treat
Freddy's wife like a daughter, whOev-
er she may be /; so 1 showed her my
cheeses, and took her out to see the
garden and the pig, and never breath
ed a word for nor against to Freddy.
Only as she was off putting on her
things in the real Dudgeon way, david
ling and dOwdy, / just said to Freddy,
sort of aside, said I, Next time you
come bring Eliza And he never said
a word, and I never said a word. I
wouldn't for anything"
All, kind-hearted mother Chestnut
Unconscious influence is sometimes
and a word spoken in due
season how good is it
''F'red'ric didn't tell you, suppose"
asked Mr.. Chestnut, anything about
what made the trouble betwixt him
and Eliza OraDge? Or wasn't there
ever anything 10 IL only our Surm1S-
ings, after alI?'
FWell, I don't KNOW" replied Mrs.
Chestnut, all the more cheerfully to
balance the grief of her husband. ''I
guess they liked each other, no mistake
about that but they are both pretty
proud and stuffy, and I mistrust some
thing has gone wrong that they won't
either of them come back of. But, then,
nobody can tell the betwixts and be-
tweens of a couple of young folks, and
themselves as little as anybody.
Young folks don't know no more than
a couple of rabbits what they want
and what they ought to want, and
they are just as apt to stumble on
the wrong thing as the right thing"
pursued Mrs. Chestnut with the wis
dom of experience of long observation
stirring in her brain. ''Why, can't
positively say there was any GER
tain engagement, or the like of that,
but supposed it was an understood
thing. Well, I don't know, father, it
will come out right, one way or the
other, and talking won't feed the pig,
or pick the peas for breakfast to-mor-
row morning."
So saying, mother Chestnut put on
her sun-bonnet and went brislzfy out,
V,afT of mill In, ono