Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-04-09


the door. hlozri1ae, the tin dinner-horn
/ for the m6n-f0lks, who were plowing
and building stone-Wau down in the
fiat-iron lot. 1t was a good quarter OF
of mile away, but they heard its toOt
/ Enoch Mayhew, the father of Susan
and Abner was tail loose-jOinted
I man. His mild blue eyes shOne out OF
a tanned and Veather-beaten face
/ kindly if not ioVia1iys He was dressed
| in a long tow frock, that came down
| below his knees. The two grown sons,
/ Sam. and Fielder. were a number OF
years older than Abner. They were
rather proud of being able to do mems
work now; and a good honest pride it
was.
! Mr.. Mavhew got Overthe eorchard-fence
with the old wall-Iayer who held his
4 plumb-line and measuring-st in his
/ hand, and went and halted under his
4 favOrite Pearmain-tree. It was loaded
with white and rosy bloom, and looked
very innocent and lovely. The other
trees of the orchard kept it company.
/ They all had put on their wedding
/ garments for the bridal of the blue
| sky and the green earth. The ground
/ was spangled over with daHdehons-
| ''poor mans gold," as the old wall
| layer called fhen1-and a light wind
y
/ Mayhem broke a stem from the Pear
main-tree.
81 must carry this home to DeBby, +"
said he, (Aunt Debby was his sister
and house-keeper.1 81 havn't seen
such a sight of blows since 1S4-, when
we fed apples to the hogs"
81 knew it would be a crack year for
fruit, - said the old wa11-builder, "When
the last sugar-snow fell. You renem-
Der what SeriTtur' says, don't ye? He
sendeth snow like wool: It - com fOrtiIls
to the young buds. =
Aunt Debby was in no pleasant hu-
NOR when the four tall, brOad-shOul6er-
cd men filed into the kitchen. . You
men-foIks do beat all for keeping meals
waiting. Here is your dinner as cold
as stone."
Don't fret, Debby, +" said Mr.. May
hew. soothingly, fsiFhis day wasn't
made 70 fret in. Look here at these
apple blows; it does seem as though
old fashioned springs were coming
I back again, like the springs when you
and me were little shaYers.
Aunt Debby wasn't hard to pacify.
The young men pumped away at the
sink, and washed their sOiled hands
and healthy young faces, and wiped
them to glow on the crash roller
| towel.
Abner came sneaking in rather late.
He had had good luck with his fishing;
there were six speckled trout strung on
an osier wand, which he had placed in
the brook by the spring house to cool.
He meant TO take them as present to
old Betsey Braintree, who was poor
and bed-ridden.
Abner generally took the initiative,
] in order to ward of inquiries as to how
he had been spending his time. "Hen.
! Cole was over here this morning." he
remarked now, about as soon as he
i got in the door. "He drove over in
crack style, with his fathers horse and
buggy"
| led. He did not mind if the Deaeon's
| boy did keep company with his little
! girl. 81 guess the. Deacon sent over
| for them squash seed I promised him, "
said he witha a sly wink. 'Hey, Susan,
did Henry say anything about the
Susan colored up to the tips of her
pretty ears. The boys nudged each
other and snickered, to use a good,
homely word.
''There's nothing like going to col
1ege, is there Sue ?" called out Sam, as
Susan made an excuse for going into
! the buttery.
siTt's the store-cIothes that takes the
| girIs,' said Fielder.
! "And the boSOm-pinS and the ber-
! gamot, - put in Abner.
Fudge - cried Farmer Mayhew.-
''Henry Cole ism It a fop or fool. There
| is good stuff in him. Drastic will be
| proud to own him one of these days"
t'He was a pretty wild boy" said
/ SAM, sticking his fork into the third
potatoe. tfIt does seem so odd that he
! should have turned out preacher.
s'He believed he had a CALL said the
| farmer reyerenfly.
| FtI'd like to stump him to a moving
match - remarked Fielder.
maybe he would like to stump you
to write a sermon, - replied the farmer.
FIELDER laughed. "He'd have me
there, sure enough. Folks say in q
wear or two, when ParsOn Fossil gets
to old to preach, he's likely to settle
here. It will be queer enough to see
|, such a STRIPPING as Henry Cole laying
down the law to his gray-headed father
in the deacon's seat"
The farmer thought how glad he
should be to keep his little girl neal
, him. Susan with tingling cheeks
stood in the pantry pulling tht
: leaves OF a sWeet-bT Hf O9sI Us,
waited until she heard the men tak'
their hats and go back to their work.
! When she came out Abner was help
/ ing himself to final wedge of pie.
7Abner,' said Susan, in very soft
: cooling, purring voice, ''if you'll go t.
the village this afternoon, and get my
= Dunstable straw bonnet of Miss Wig
q gins, I'll do something nice for yOU.-
, Tell her she needn't mind about trim
Y ming. She can send it out, andI'l1 pu
: it on myself"
: Abner had no objection to going t,
s the Village-it dovetailed with his plan
a for finding the orioles nest and leavinI
: the string of fish at Betty Braintree's
nevertheless he was willing to b
Q bought.
'SWhat'n you give me?'' he asked
= cooking his eye, and making up hi
/ :, To- TGt1 &
Q pie suspended on it's way to the sam
e opening.
r ''Two large turnovers, next baking
i day"
9 Abner closed with the bargain; an(
as old Betsy lived on the road to tn
|. village, he dropped his string of fish {
d; her little brown burrow of housI
e and trudged along with light hear
The Drastic hills were round an
l. smooth, as if they had been tenderl
l. stroked by a loving hand. Strips (
Ie plOughed ground came in pleasant
le between the fresh green and the o
n chards looked like soft clouds of rol
A. and pearl resting upon the cart
ut Abner peeped into every thicket an
W bramble- bush, in hope of finding tt
at orioles nest; but all in vain.
If The village, when he got there, lool
]. ed very clean and quiet in the afte
RI noon light. Not ripple of life eddie
round the store and the drOWsy n
Sc tavern, except when a biddy stray,
lg through the Stats of a pieket-fence,
K an enterprising puppy ran out to bal
d, at nothing.
a Miss Wiggins's shop was like an e
y, larged patent honey-box, abutting
ne the street, with the glass end fill
~ with ribbons and artificials. The do
III of the shop had little snappish b
an attached, and when Abner opened
"a Miss Virgins came trotting from t
IL TI1FC
en- ment-faced spinster. with bright. bea
1g ewes. Her false front and black hes
i'm dress looked as if they had come c
sls of a mummy-case.
Abner delivered Susan's messaj
ch and Miss Virgins ran back to get t
1e- bonnet. ut has Dleaehed beaut1Iu
He said she, holding up head piece, W