Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-12-21

I IKE yellow NONeln Der bull5nlnC was
doing it's beat to brighten the old farm
[ house kitchen; the yellow leaves, blOtch-
ed and stained with scarlet, which had
eddied down at the touch of many a
/ fitful wind and midnight frost from the
/ big maple-tree by the door stone, lay
/ in pools of shaded gold, stirred by every
gust, and the gnarled Winter apple-tree
4 by the well had long since been ritied of
/ its weight of crimson streaked fruit.
/ Il do b'lieve the apple crop is the best
/ we've had this ten year, said Moses
| Jefferson, as he strobe into the kitchen
( with bag Of seed-cOTn over his should
( er.
1 Mrs. jefferson, a spare, wiTy-lOoking
woman, as different as possible from her
buTly, beaming husband, sat at the
I whitley secured pine table, shelling
! beans vigorously into pan. Agatha,
I the only child, was close to the window,
/ her pretty profile outlined against the
| blue cameo of the sky, inteutly busted
( in the uuTOmantic but useful occupation
of setting a thrifty patch on the elbow of
I her fathers brown cloth coat, with quick
agile fingers, and needle that glanced i'm
and out like flying shaft of silver.
/ The was pretty girl, with soft hazel
eyes, abundant brown hair, cOiled pic
( turesquely round her head, Il complex
ion which, albeit somewhat touched
with the too ardent finger of the sun,
was full of delicate reds and whites
Moses Jefferson and Clarissy, his wife,
were, to use the formers expression. 'as
humIy as hedge fences, without n grace
full line or a beautiful feature in their
whole composition; and how pretty
Agatha ever came to be their daughter
was as incOmpTehensible a riddle as 1t
L. l.
with It's leaves Of flame and heart of
scarlet fire, should ever spring from the
wrinkled old stick by courtesy called a
plant But so Nature manages her af-
fares, and as yet we humans have not
been able to improve upon her.
Mother and daughter were earnestly
talking together as the farmer entered,
and he could just catch Agatha's last
words:
I wouldn't, mother; [ wouldn't.
Wouldn't what?-What is it you're
talllin' about? And Moses Jefferson
looked questioningly from one face TO
the other
why, said Agatha, looking up with
n flushed, cheek, mother wants to sell
the old piles of newspapers that belong
Z to Uncle Philemon, up in the store clos
ct, and ii don't seem hardly right to
me-
The farmers cOuntenance grew grave;
he shifted the bag Of seed-cOrn on to a
chair, and shook his head.
'Agatha's right about it, he said 4
wouldn't sell 'em if I was you, CIaris-
syn
You don't know nothin' about it,
Moses jefferson, said his wife in sharp,
highpitched tone. 'Havin' the best
closet in the house all hampered ND with
mess of old newspapers! Why, there's
one. do b'lieve.
No there amt Clarissy-IIow you're
exaggeTatin.' Uncle Philemon has been
savin' 'em up for ten year, as ever I
heerd on
Well, there's more'n ] want lumber
in around, any how. 1t is all folly and
nonsense. As long as the old man was
able to 20 pOkin' about with his knotted
stick, cOuntin' on 'em, and straightenin'
the edges, and fOldin' down the crumpI-
ed corners, didn't dare to touch 'em.-l
But now he's bedridden and fighty, and
won't know nOthin' about it, Pm bound
to sell 'em y
But, mother, pleaded Agatha, breath
less and eager, suppose he We're to
want them brought up to his bedside 81
oh, he won't; and if he does we can
put BIN of with some excuse or other,
III venture, easy enough: Kiah Dar-
wins widow says paper is four cents
pound, and l calculated I could get a
new set o. milk-pans with the money.
Agatha wants the clbset to keep her
clothes in, now that she's home from
the factory for good.
4 can get along with it Just as we'll
mother said Agatha; 'and it does seem
wrong to go and sell all poor old Uncle
Philemon's papers when he is too i'll to
know of it,
Now you may just as well hold your
tongue, shortly, and with Unmistak-
able emphasis. I've made up my mind
to sell 'em-and sell 'em I will, if YOU /
and your father kept on talking until
the day of judgment! Miss Darwin says
there's a man comes round with @ sort
o. hand-baTrow, and a string o. jinglin'
bells, once in while, and gives four
cents pound for old newspapers. So, !
if any of you see him, stop him.
And Mrs. jefferson, having said her
say, flOunced out of the room to see if|
her pickles were nearly scalded. Hon !
est Moses, Whistling q melancholy psalm !
tune under his breath, uncOnsCiOusly |
thereby producing the effect of a high |
wind gTOaning down a lugubrioUs CHM |
ney, went up to the garret with his bag |
of seek-cOrn, there to deposit it with [
other agricultural treasures, and Agatha |
put on her little blue frilled sun-bOnnet |
and gray shawl, and tripped across the |
russet fields, to tell Hugh Darwin, her |
sweetheart, how very shabbily mother |
was going to treat poor old Uncle Phile- |
mOn.' For troubles ceased to be tr0ub- |
les when Agatha had whispered them |
into the sympathetic ear Of her true |
love.
Now Hugh Darwin and Agatha Jcfler- |
son had been engaged for three years, |
and were likely TO be engaged thirteen /
mere; for they were both poor, hard |
working young people, without five
dollars ahead in the world, and Moth
ing to look to but their own skilfull right |
hands and cheerful, hopeful hearts. For
even the trust Of true lovers can't af- |
ford to be married unless they have a
roof over their heads, and daily bread |
to eat, to say nothing of a possible |
chance of the attendant butter But, in |
spite Of all this, they derived infinite |
consolation from twilight walks, and |
snug freside gossips,. and confidential
talES over their respective wicllet-gatce, |