Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-05-25
Selesfeo SstisfellnnD.
MY PRIVATE sCHQ0L.

~-At-'
the scissors, which, in falling, stood up
right in the floor.
II see. It's nothing uncommon, is it,?
''Did you ever know it to happen that a
stranger didn't come before the day was
out?'
Il never noticed; somebody-was always
coming for the matter of that.
81 tell you that sign don't never fail
Cmy grandmother always used double me-
gatives when she meant to be emphatic;)
''most others will, but that's true as book.
And another thing, there was stranger in
my tea tonight, long one-that shows
tbs man that's comm. Some folks set q
great deal b. that si5zn; bart ifain't to be
mentioned in the same day with the scis-
sors standing up in the floor"
'I hope he will come soon, for the storm
will be here before him." and with the
words the wind went wailing round the
house, and the first big drops beat against
the windowpane.
Three score years and ten had not taken
the first bloom from the romance of my
grandmother's character; it was fresh and
green as in her girIhood. Beggars heard
of her afar off, and ran to fall on the neck
of her charity.
She followed the advice of Lamb with
oct ever having read it. When poor crea-
ture came before her she staid not to IN
quire whether the 'sseven small children,
in whose name he implored her assistance,
had veritable existence but cast her bread
upon the waters and lived In faith.
In fact, she had cast so much bread upon
the waters in the course of her long life,
and so small proportion had come back
to her, that she had nothing lest for her.
self except the old farm and the gambrel-
rooted house.
Within its walls my father had first seen
the light, and lived till he went out to fight
the world. He fell early in the strife, and
my mother soon followed him; but not un-
til she had marked out my way in life, and
so fixed me in the groove of her ideas that
had no choice left. | went TO village
academy till I was old enough to enter the
ssNormal School," for my destiny was to
be teacher. My little income had to be
eked out in some way; and of all work to
which a woman may turn her hand, q
school, perhaps, divides the burden most
equally between body and mind.
When | graduated my grandmother er
left the old gambrelroof to see me do it,
and carried me home with her ''breathin'
spell'' las she said) before getting place
to teach.
AS to my future, I was neither happy nor
life runs on with very little friction; there
is excitement enough in mere youth to
make living pleasure.
The evening drew on with ever-increas-
ing gusts of wind, and the old house shook
to its foundations, but it clung gallantly to
the great central chimney, which, being
nearly as broad as it was high, could af-
ford to be indifferent, when wind and wea-
ther came to blows and made night of 1t.
81 hope you don't mean to sit up for that
somebody who is coming. All signs fall IN
wet weather.
The words were scarcely spoken when
we heard the tread of horse running at
speed down the steep hill above the house
then crash of the fence, and all was still.
We held our breath and listened. Soon
q mans step sounded low and heavy on
the walk, and my grandmother rushed to
open the door.
Don't be scarf, said the familiar voice
of one of our neighbors, and he stumbled
in, carrying man, pale, and lifeles7, in
his arms.
Lay him right on the lounge-get the
camphor bottle here's somebody sure
enough don't tell me again that sign ever
falls. Who is it, Job?"
81 dunno his name; city fellow, I reck-
on said he'd pay me most any price to
did we'll enough till we got to that ere hill
then flash scared her, and she never stop
ped till she brought up agin your fence
If he hadn't been fool and jumped out he
might q been as spry as / am; but some
folks don't know nothin'."
''That's so that the rest can get a livin'
out of EN- said my grandmother. Mean
time she was vigorously chatting his hands
and feet, while [ dashed the camphor in his
face. and bathed the broad white fol ehead.
which certainly promised we'll for the brain
behind it.
"He must be dead" said I: she don't
come to atall.
s.No he amt Folks can't be killed sc
easy. He'll give you trouble enough before
you're done with him. Now I'll go after
the doctor; faint noways likely he'll know
any more what the matter than we do
but he'll pretend to, and if the man dies it's
his fault, and not ourn.
The doctor found no bones broken, bH
the head was injured and he must be pu
to bed and kept as quiet as possible. Nov
was my grandmother in her element.
s'You couldn't work any harder, said I
''if he were your own son.
'she is somebody's own son, We musn'
never forget that. you know"
ting fit into a fever; and from morning til
night, and night till morning again, he tos
sed and turned with one continuous cry Il
drive faster for he must be in Meriden tina
night. My grandmother was nurse-in-chie
but she often made me her deputy whel
the labor began to wear upon her.
The doctor had found some cards in thu
notebook of our patient, with the mann
ss.J0h1a Jacob Dedae' engraved on them; bu
we had no other clew to his identity. 1t /
impossible to watch over patient, day ant
niGbt. striving to be both brain and hand
to him, without growing into q very stroni
feeling toward him of attachmen
or dislike 1t was so with me. though
scarcely dared whisper to myself to whic
order OF feeling my own should belong.
thought of him all TIE time, and if he ha
died il would have been a blow to me, a
belt / had never heard him speak cor
scious word.
1t was the tenth day of the fever, and h
had been motionless tor long time; n sue
den movement made me look up. HI
ewes were fastened on me with new e1
preston. / knew that he saw me for tn
first time.
"Dont leave me-" he said, family, as
was about to call my grandmother. lgav
him the cordial which had been kept tc
this crisis, and he revived at once,
Tell me all about it," he said. al wa
bound for Meriden. what them"
"You jumped from the wagon when th
horse was ruGning near our house, an
were brought in insensible.'
Last night, suppose; 1 must go on
Meriden to-day
we suppose it was ten days ago, an
vou could go to the moon as easily as
Meriden. The doctor says you must
Jupiter Tonansl ten days! Whose hou
" sIc T belongs to my granddaughter, Nh
Temperance Hale. | will call her TO 5
you" IA parbors Il
oioht of another stranger might fatigue
too much. !,
But [ thought he might safely be Il
alone for while. .,
"He ,oiu talk all the time, L SAID to II
Csfsa