Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-02-04
chance in the city. and thinks of tal1in'

Cn&r&GYs AuAbs We WOuAQs ana hG'll
miss the little ones, they pet him so.''
s'Then, suppose you'd wish to sell
the donkey and the cart. !"
s'That wen do easy there's plenty
within reach to take 'em of our
hands"
tFWhat do you charge for them ?''
ssI've iggered it up last night. The
donkey (he's lean to look att, We'II take
twenty for and the cart, twenty; and
the goat-therefs kid-we'd sell at a
barga1n.1
Tsto6d.in the doorway, across the
little hall, all this time, listening to
every word"
said Aunty would he charge any
thing for the lease, do you think?''
mot q penny; he'd be too glad to
go. I suppose he'll want bit of the
rent in advance, as a surety
''I think we could trade, said Aunt
Nancy.
s'WelI, that's as you say, 1na,am. I
think he'd agree bur then. if may
be so bold, yesye no man to do the
work, and it's power of work it
takes" ("
''No matter for thar. III dnd help
some way the thing Is to get there.
MY health is running down in the city,
and country air viii build it up. /
hope you have hens and chickens"
dYes, ind, ed; there's Bessie, the
brown, and Mottle, the black and
white, each with dozen apiece under
their heels. And the children IL break
their hearts missing of 'em but, of
course, we couldn't take them here.''
| 'tAnd Molly" said her sister, ttvou
can come right into the rooms"
.'Of course, there's house there, /"
said Aunt Nancy, little hystericalIy.
| AS good as ye'd wish, with three
rooms and a loft, all snug and light
savin' two or three little leaks, which
! we've niyer minded" !"
i Every we'll; I'll take the place.
When can I conclude the bargain ?''
''This day, ma a'am, as soon as Joe
comes home; If my man likes, you
| know" 2
Aunt Nancy came over into the room,
and we two sat down in silence and
looked at each other for some 1nonhents.
Nothing venture, nothing have,''
said my Aunt, evidently Iaboring un-
der strong excitement
s'But, Aunt!''
| "Don't worry me, child; the Lord III
| provide, if we just make q start. See
! here; you've got watch, so have Ii
| I've often said lit was my dear father's)
money couldn't buy it. I presume
| you've felt the same. You know we
needn't sell them-but I've an idea.
/ ''I'm sure Brother John would like |
| to help me, though Tye always been too |
proud to ask him; hut will see if he |
can lend me money On these watches, |
if you are willing to part with yours, |
say six months or year."
'tTake it, and welcome, for year, if |
it will do you any good, . I said; and |
drew mine out, an old fashioned gold /
watch.
'sI'II get a hundred dollars, and we'll |
make start" she said. tIt all fash |
ed over my mind like lightning, as if a |
good spirit stood at my elbow. Wen /
have our country seat, my dear, as |
In few moments she was ready to
go out.
"I'l sell everything but two chairs
and bed, but what I'll CO., she cried, I
laughing. "Keep up a good heart"
She got the money, and concluded /
the bargain that night; went out next
day in ricketty old cart, leaving me |
alone. And that was the last / ever |
saw of her in that house.
The man with whom Aunt had made /
the bar3ain came back shortly, with /
orders for me. He brought in his fur /
niture, his wife and his babies, all in /
two carts.-I was 10 Pack up cur goods /
and chattels. with his help and go out /
that night for LocRsYNlle. I was happy t
to my hnger-ends- Ine thought that i
we were to commence an INDEPENDENT /
life, with nobody to oversee, and no.
body to please but ourselves, set me |
that night to Locksvi1le, and was in
one of them.
Silvered by a glorious moon, how
clear and soft the landscape looked |
when we arrived at the house-and such
a house There stood Aunt Nancy at |
the door, rubbing her hands, and cry
ing out, 81 feel as if were in Paradise
my dear-a dirty one, though" she
added, under her breath. Then
she took me in and showed me the
three little rooms, sadly in need of the
scouring-brush.
sundry packages-f1our, sugar, and all |
sorts Of things. ''I took them at
HovIe's; and we're to pay him in eggs,
if we get them. I'm longing for the
morning, to find the soap and thing
Wen make this just the cosiest little
place you ever saw; but Nett1e, there's
work to be DONE"
I laughed in her resolute little face.
s'I'll do my part" !" said.
In the morning we were up with the
sun. No one to help us, then. The
poods were put down any how in one
room, which was filed. could not /
resist the temptation of an outlook.
$50 draw some water" said Aunt /
Nancy; land look as you go.''
There was charming old well; but I
the pole was heavy, and it was strong
ting for me to draw up the Shiny buck I
ct But I accomplished it. How beau
tiful and cool the trees looked, and the
bushes, the soft sweep of the distant /
fields and hills. the glorious color of
the sky! wanted TO dance and shout.
Then we labored all day; but with our
own hands we set the stove, ,eompl letely, /
amid showers of SCOT. put the bed up, /
got the furniture in place, scalded, /
Secured. ate and drank, occasionally /
taking short rambles over the place /
petting the goat and feeding the chick
ems. Everything took kindly to us.
Nv the end of the second day the walls /
a1aanp7q fh6 one Garnet faaIrnH 4
down: muslin curtains washed, ironed |
and hung at the windows, a neighbor, I
who came over with a child in her |
arms, entertained; pig offered us (de- |
clined); and our habitation in a charm /
ing state of forwardness. Our vines |
were planned, SO was the Whitewashing /
and the neglected patch in front of the /
wee-bit-house blossomed lin our i'm
agfnatfon] like the rose. And now /
came work in earnest. There were
drawbacks, rainy days, and all sorts of
discouragements. We had to put /
buckets and pals under hole in the |
roof to keep from being flooded. Aunt /
Nancy mended the hole with boards
and old canvass carpet-effectuaII
too. She planted the potatoes, kept /
under the weeds; we both put in corn,
and peas, and all the vegetables we
could get seeds of for love or money,
We worked early and late; and il
seemed sometimes as if things grew
hired the son of one of our neighbors.
boy of fourteen, to help us in mat
ters where ignorance delayed us. /
MIXED the goat, and watched for eggs.
and nearly cried with delight when I
found a great patch of wild straw ber-
ries. We shortened our dresses, and
made enormous sunbonnets and han
died the hoe like men. Aunt Nancy
even worked by moonlight; she was an
enthusiast. We bought a few rabbits,
and thGU N1auHfiv9Ifa6 and than h 1
nice dinners OF them. To this dav
rememb Der with pleasure Aunt Nannfe's
rabbit-pie. She was born a cook, this
independent aunt af mine, though abe
would never wash dishes or clean ket-
ties; that was my work.
I shall never forget the first time she
drove in to the city, nor the work we
had in Harvesting that donkey, who
had begun to fancy that he was to have
lifelong vacation. We had Eve doz-
en- eggs to sell, FIVE pairs of chickens,
two bushels of early peas, a little can
of COATS milk for q friend who had