Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-12-08

J AhN bAIAliN he' ENfAA .f'Nti
home,p screened Dame Northrup,
coloring violently, and biting her
thin lips.
That's just what ! did say"
retorted old Goody, snappishly,
nodding her head as she settled IN
an easy chair by the blazing hearth,
and let the black scoop fall away
from her wide bordered cap. "rhe
Fords never had the spunk Of
a louise; and if you hadn't knuck-
led to the old Squire, it might have
been hetter for poor Indy"
"None so deaf as them that won't
hear" murmmed the dame, in no
pleasant humor, as she stepped
back to the table covered with a
maze Of butter, and eggs, and spi
ces, and preserye-pots, and likely
pies just rescued from the oven,
and others, rarely jigged and orna-
menteds standing ready to take
their places.
At that moment Betsy Bingle is.
sued from the cellar-way. She was
a lean lass, with protruding "shoy-
el' teeth, and propensity to hold
her mouth wide open, and listen TO
every word that was said, to the
great detriment of her work, at the
same time she grew singularly limp
whenever she was "beat' or
"struck" in her mind, or fell, as
she said, into a "quonderary."
Betsy bore in her hand the old
lady's Thanksgiving turkey, which
Goody's sharp eyes no sooner spied
than she let fall a live coal she had
drawn from the fire with a pair Of
tongs to light her pipe, and seized
upon it with avidity,
at don't heft as much as last
years, notify two pounds, 'muttered
she, ducking and rising the fowl by
its long, stiff legs; land there
don't look to be mossle of fat on
the breast bone"
However, the bird went into
Goody's basket, and was carefully
covered up with, a series OF ehoco-
late tinted clothes; and, scenting
pot pie for dinner with a nose as
sharp as her tongue, she settled
herself comfortably in her great,
roomy, splint-bottomed chair, and
let the blue smoke curl in little thin
wreaths about her head.
1t was the morning of Thanks
giving Day-as Novemberish a
morning as you would wish to see,
with a bitter wind blowing, and the
pale sun wading, as it were thro'
drifts of snow.
The Squire's wife looked out
over frost bitten fields to the edg-
ing Of timber land, were few warm
colors still burnt like dying embers
against a background Of evergreens
and then went back from the rat
tling panes to stir the fire into
brighter sparkles.
Betsy Bingle was "struck" with
the idea that she had never before
seen her mistress in such a "twit
ter" and so long as the handmaid
remained in suspense concerning
the cause of the furry she was to-
tally incapable of exertion. Truth
to tell, the dame had brisked up
wonderfully since the old Squires
departure, from the meecbing, tim
1orous, submissive creature she was
in his presence. A soft, huttering
rose color had come into her
cheeks, and her eyes looked bright
and moist
Two great turkeys were roasting
before The fire, and their unctnous
drippings fixed and sputtered down
into the pan. There we're loads of
good things on the buttery shelves,
and the dame was ornamenting the
biggest plum cake with frosting,
kissing it, crossing it, dabbing it,
and pattin it, and quirking her old
head this way and that like an eyed
robin.
"Its almost time they were
here" said she, skipping to the
window again, az if she had no
more than turned sixteen.
"Do you expect many of 'em 7"
inquired Betsy, putting in a ques-
ton at random, and letting some of
the eggs she was beating slip off
into her lap in little white pool,
"Let me see," said the dame, with
her cap turned awry in a very ra-
kish manner, and the specs just
ready to fall from the tip OF her
nose, while she counted upon her
knobby old fingers, Gone, two,
three. Yes, Betsy, there's eight of
them"
"My sudsr' exclaimed Betsy,
"What a raft. You never had more
than the parson and his vile, or
Deacon Hills folks"
"Some of them are little teenty-
TOTS" she went on, speaking glee-
fully, almost as if she had lost Bet
sys words; land to think that l,
their own grandmother"
Stars and gaytersl' cried Betsy,
with a jerk, letting the remaining
contents of the platter stream down
her dress. 'Yon don't mean to-
say, Miss Northrup, you've gone
end asked your daughter Lindy
over to eat Thanksgiving dinner Z
Mind what you are about" said
the dame, sharply.