Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-08-12
THE FoUNDLINa
A DOMESTIC STORY OF NEW rYcLASI

A DOMESTIC STORY OF NEW ENGLAND
"Talk about cleanin m exclaimet
Miss Axy, Z" your always so slicl
here aay might slip up and break ii
back. You ought to see our hous,
to hum-brother Hiram with fou.
or five great strappin boys, making
a hurrahs nest the biggest part o
the time. / kalkerlate that woult
set you about wild-you folks, 81
used to quiet and order"
Miss Axy had held her hand OF
the door latch for the last ten min
utes while saying the last word
Her last word was apt to contain
the 'heft' of her talk, like the post
script to a letter.
II think l could stand the noise
and litter of a little child" replied
Patience Pearsall, her face growing
shady and wistful looking, "even
if l am particular. We wouldn't
grumble at the extra work it would
make, would we, Grandma 2"
"Look, no |" cried Grandma, &
round, merry old lady, with al
sorts of nice creases about hel
chin. "A baby is just the neatest
kind of knittin work. That's what
l keep tellin Patience" with a sly
wink at Miss Axy, "and / wourdn't
care if there was a dozen Of 'em.
| was used to a bouncin' big family
when l was a gal, and allus en-
joyed it, We had a gin'ral training
every day in the year at hum" At
last Miss Axy took her spare figure
out of the doorway.
1t was just at sunset of q March
afternoon. A few violet clouds
barred the windy red of the horizon.
Patience looked down the road,
through the bare tree branches, ag
she paused a moment, while fasten-
ing the heavy wooden blinds that
protected the sitting room windows,
The wasted, consumptive-le boxing
piles of snow in corners of the
dooryard, the yellowish, sodden-
looking grass about the edges Of
the peony bed, the naked stems of
lilac and snowfall bushes spread
ing out like fingers from the palm
of a hand, she saw, and yet she
saw not.
"Nathan will be very late to-
night" said she, at last, as if speak
ing her thoughts,
"Sakes aliver' returned Grand
ma, from her warm nook by the
FIRE, 81 guess he will. That piece
Of road over Rinkey Ridge is al
ways a hard pull and this time O
year with the hcft he'll have on,
ihe horses ought by good rights to
walk every step of the way"
It's a cold, hungry ride" said
Patience, putting fresh wood into
The stove, I'm so glad I've got
hat pOtpie for his supper. Some
hing hearty relishes after a long
lay in the wind"
"Such things make men vally
heir homes" retuned Grandma,
With an immense sense of snugness
md comfort.
Patience stepped around, quiet,
leat, deft and purposeful. She was
linking of her husbands cheer,
md it made the blood grow very
warm about her heart. Every lit
lie care was attended to; the Ian
ern was brought from the cellar
way and placed upon the table;
Nathan's old, easy leather pumps,
rodden down smooth at the heel
nd marked about the toes with all
he peculiarities Of the owners
oints, were put upon the stove
earth to be toasted through and
trough,
don't know how many times
)inah had sneezed, or how many
ines the old clock had struck with
shrewd, positive sound, as much
S to say, Contradict me if you
are" when there came three dis
net raps on the square room door.
lost of the apartments in the farm
ouse that opened at all outward,
id so distinctly upon the weather,
ith the introduction of enc or two
.eps. Now, when this knock
anne upon the square room door,
hich was mostly a closed orifce
! winter and spring, as the gener-
lty of people found their way
,und to the kitchen or sitting {
pom, both Patience and Grandma S
,oked a little startled.
1T beats the old tinker" said /
"what arrant can bring I
, a visit at this time of nightP' q
"Perhaps Rafe Blodgett's boy is T
orse," remarked Patience, taking 1
? the lamp to go and obey the q
"Luddys," said Grandma, ~ Il
less Blodgett's folks have run S