Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-04-09
THE ORIOLES NEST.
RE - 80.

Abner was thinking about the orioles
nest, and wondered where it could be
hidden away. He meant to find it, if
possible, and get the young ones for
his collection Of pets.
Up in the carriage house chamber,
Abner kept tame squirrel, in a re-
vOlving cage, a white rabbit, a musk
rat he was in vain tryins to educate,
and a gray hen-haYk that snapped at
his fingers every time he came near his
perch. Abner had traded his old
guinea-fowI for the latter bird, and
| given a three-bladed jacIknife to boot.
The boy had seen the orioles early in
the morning, flying about among the
| blooming trees of the orchard like
I flashes of fire. He knew what they
were at first sight, for he had read a
| book on American birds that described
them. He knew the oriole built a long,
pocket-like nest and hung it upon the
| limb of tree. He remembered GER
/ tain stories of this sly, little thief-how
/ it will steal skeins Of silk and wool
| from ladies' work baskets, and weave
them into its pretty abOde-and the
| boys curiosity was all on the alert.
| Where the nest could be was the
mystery. That afternoon he meant to
| take good hunt. Abner was planning
/ this down in the cellar-kitchen, with
| the heavy door open to let in a CLEAN
| of spring weather. He was churning,
i W1bn one OI AuuG OGDOY'S Gu6Gk6Q
/ aprons tied around his neck by the
] tape-strings. He had bespattered him
| self pretty thoroughly, and now the
/ butter was coming; it needed only to
| be gathered. The buttermiIk was
| sputtering up round the handle of the
dasher, and little grains of golden but
ter began to besprinHle the creamy
'sIt's comeP' shouted Abner up the
cellar stairs and then he ran out into
the yard, with the apron still around
his neck, for he had heard a vehicle OF
some sort driving up before the front
gate, and he wanted to see who had ar
rived.
He espied handsome, we'll groomed
sorreI horse attached to a new, shiny
tOp-buggy. 1t was what they call in
the country nice rig. A slim, spruce
| young man, dressed in black, jumped
out of the buggy, and hitched the horse
/ to the board fence, alongside of the
| blowing lilacs and snOW-balls.
Abner's sister, Susan, behind the
plaid linen curtains at the kitchen
window, had also watched the visitor 9
arrival. She had been making dried
apDle pies, and they were beautifully
1 iierled. standing ready to be put INTO
| the oven and baked. Now she has5lIy
lsanroIled the sleeves of her pink cali
| co dress, and shook of the little dabs
of flour from her sleeve, and smoOthed
! y >
with pair of plump, brown hands.
| There was a tiny, white ruff1e basted
| into the neck of her dress and fitted
trinity, so as to show her round, pretty
form.
Susan's face was rosy and dimpled-
a lovely face thought Henry Cole, az
she pulled open the front door, which
always would stick after damp spell
tsThere is Henry Cole coming aftel
q our Sue,'' thought Abner, peeping a
what was going on from behind a biz
cherry-tree at the corner of the house
He has got his fathers horse and bug
gy to go sparkling with" Abne
knew just how much Deacon Cole palt
! | for the horse, and what the buggy cost
/, He wished his father would get such
/, turnout. Deacon Cole was rich maj
and had money in the bank but Ab
Ener's father was no more than fore
handed.
The Deacon had sent his boy to col
lege, and now he was studying for Tn
: ministry This was his last tern
: Abner could remember when Henr
: Cole was on par with the other Dras
n tic boys; but now he wore store
3 clothes all the time, and his hand
/. were white and soft, and there was
: little mild down on his chin. The tow
headed, freckled faced Yankee lad di
;, not like him any the better for thes
,. fine ways but Susan did,
+ Abner, after he had taken this obsel
d walton, ran and hid under the gres
n wood-pile, by the back door of tn
x WOod-shed. He waited, with his fac
D. drawn into an incipient grin, to hes
sr Susan come out on the stOop, and ca
to him to put Mr.. Coles horse in tn
. stable He knew she would do it
but he wasn't going to wait on Hel
Cole. Let him put up his own horse
$, lit wouldn't hurt him); or leave tt
a. a. nag to eat pOst-meat.
VI of It made him sick to think of a fe
IS lows getting spoOny on another fe
es lows sister. AS he sat there under tt
rs wOOd-pile, with his elbows On IL
bbr knees of his tow trowsers, the gri
R still expanding his features in expect
- ton of hearing Susan call him IN tn
wheedIing tone she knew so we'll no
to use, Abner made up his mind tn
m love is all moonshine. He himse
n should probably never get Marie
At any rate, he wouldn't look at 81
in Drastic. No stree.
- A quarter of an hour passed in the
reflections, and Abner from his hidil
d. place could hear the sorrel horse ba'
ly in the tills impatiently. IT SCENE
n too, almost as though he could catch
es- pleasant cackle of laughter, and a so
/ a murmuring, cooling sound from t
rd, open front-dOor windows. Odd
m m enough, Susan did not come and CT
- | to him. The door of the cellar-kitch
nd still stood open. Aunt Bebby had
ne ken the butter out of the churn, a
bic carried it up stairs in her big wood
LIr III bowl. A streak of sunshine lay alo
the coarse cement, and peered into d
It. cOb-webbed corners, filled with barr
. and bins.
Ee Abner picked up his old hat, VIII
I. was lying there, feeling unjustly
. frauded of his fun with Susan.
went rather sly1y round to the carrii
20 house, after his fishing pole, and v
II>rr TlNTrr h
on the women folks could get chance
up; set him at work. 1t was now too
iIte iIes to look for the orioles nest before d
e & ner, for he had seen the birds take w
the in the direction of Foxes.
on Henry Cole drove away from the
res farmhouse gate, and left two we'll
raas tracks on the turf in the shadow of
maple trees and onthe clay ofthe 70
o. He had driven over to ask Susan to
. company him next day to meeting
Goose Creek. Goose Greek was Il
. distance off. They would be obdge'
= start early in the morning.
M Susan came out in the Kitchen wit
little heightened color in her chez
rs. tied her apron on, and, as Aunt De-
said, HWhewed" round to get d1nnel
the table. 1t was farmers fare, PC
fried to a delicate sienna color; me
.rg- potatoes, splitting their jackets brC
an an bread, golden butter, cream gravy,
1jred Susan's haky apple-pies. Aunt De
Ink, complained that 1t was dry time
IS in the table-''Just between hay
We grass"
2rce- There was pot of tea stepping
,Iii9n ,IIiii6l the stove. The music of innumerI
4 AZ birds came in at the windows
Drastic is an orchardly place and
birds love itG the kitchen loO
bright and cheery in the spring
shine. Susan had gathered z
bunch of 1ilacs and peonies, and
Nh filled pitcher on the cloek-shelf, n
by ing the room sweet with old-fashiC
OTE. odors. The young girl now STOOD