Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-30
acampered OF To- sa7o their marks for

| NlaiboI. mary Udu " uuulDeI VI lAbulDuA
bly-made dresses and, as old Mrs Free
man remarked, she had got the " very
latest quirk' in her pretty hair. She wa!
q good natured girl, and had lot Jane cu
the pattern of her visiie and her tabbeC
muslin cape, aud had shown her just how
to do the captivating twist. Now the two
girls were bending out Of The sitting room
window, which looked upon the orchard
with its gnarled b0ughs and cool, green
lights, and white clover heads dropped
upon the grass like unstruDg pearls
Aleck had come up from the garden, and
was leaning on his hoe handle, talking to
| thein.v He was q muscular, well made &
young fellow; and the fact that he had
once passed three years in city, and had
rubbed eff the rustic b1shfulness, told
upon him well. Now, there was half
quizzical, balf-pleased look peeping out
from his dropped eyelids. and old Mrs.
Freeman, sitting on the back porch, with
her glasses in the fold of a magazine
story, and the toe of one of her HUSBAND s
socks covering her knobby finger ends,
glanced at the group, and thought to her.
self thst Mary Lang, with all her fnery,
wouldn't be sorry to catch Aleck. Then
at the memory OF Hannah Ashley there
came little tWinge of anxiety; for Han
nah was her prime favorite and after the
manner of substantial mstrOns, she desired
her boy to marry practical wife, who
knew how to cook his dinner and make
him comfortable. The sight Of Mary
Lang's white nerveless hands, with their
pretty rings, caused the old lady to shake
her head and mutter something about
dolls and puppets"
Andy had come home from school, and
had let the low. spirited dog out Int the
back lot to bark st the hens little while
by way Of recreation. He was prepariD z
to go down to his squirrel trap in the
woods; and as he sat fussing aWsy and
whistling on the porch step, suddenly
he pulled paper out of his jacket
pocket, and scampered of with it 10 the
window.
Here's something Deacon Ashley
told ne to give you, sis. lie called it d
billy"
"You mean William" put in Mary,
chucking him under the chin.
"Why it's nothing but that sdver-
tisement Of Putfers Pills the Deacon
promised fatherl I thought Hannah
would be sure to invite us to her quilting" ,"
said Jane, in disappointed tone "Ssy,
Aleck, have you aud Han been quar-
reling?" and she gave him provoking
little thrust, such ss sisters arc Wout TO
administer.
Aleck turned round, ard set his elbows
squarely against the window sill, and he
began to whistle low TO himself.
"Let's take that ride over Saddleback
Hill promised to give you tomorrow
afternoon, Mary" said he, veering back
again and chewing en end OF grass.
Miss Lang expressed herself delighted
to take the ride; and everybody appeared
satisfied but Jane, who now would have
no opportunity to display the new twist
to the girls before Sunday.
Rannah's quilt had been put on the
frames the Gay before, up in tho spare
Chamber large apartment with q
carpet in Venetian stripe, high post
bedstead drsped in the whitest dimity, a
heavy mahogany bureau with respectable
brass knobs, and an Cld.fazhioned glass
adorned with festOOns of pink and white
paper. There were faded footstools,
worked by Mrs. Ashley when girl, in
chain stitch embroidery; and framed
samplers snd silhouette portraits upon
the wall of 8 cappy old lady aud a spare
old gentleman; and matronly punches of
life. everlasting and crystahZed grasses
filing the plethoIic vases upon the man
tel piece. Everything was In apple pie
order, from kitchen to parlOr. A
pleasant, moist odor Of Hannah's sponge
cake hung to the walls; AMI if you don't
know what Hannah's sponge cake WAS
like, it is useless for me 10 describe it.
Hannah had put on her prettiest lawn
dress-a pale green that became her
blonde beauty, and touched it up here and
there with bit of pink ribbon. Mrs. Ash
ley was pinning on her false puffs before
the glass, and fastening her collar with a
breach adorned with a daguerreotype
likeness OF the Deacon, which looked as
il il had been taken IN particularly bad
fit Of dyspepsia. Sac dearly loved young
company; and there was bright twin
kle in her eye, and pucker about her
mouth provocative of jokes.
When the girls had assembled, and the
kissing and taking off Of things was well
through with, the grand business OF the
afternoon begun. Everybody praised
Hanpsh's pretty quilt-pink stars drop.
ped on white ground. Miss TTesdwell
was champion quilter. She understood
all the mysteries of heTrin'- bOue and
feather pstterns; and with q chalk-line in
her hand, as the Deacon's wife expressed
it, "ruled the rOoet." Miss Treadwell was
a thin faced, precious Old maid, with a
kind of withered bloom on her cheek
most Of few skimpy locks.
beats all how young Ssliaa Treadwell
appears" whispered the DeacOn's wife 10
her next neighbor. "She's as old as I-be
if she's day, and here she goes diddliBg
round with the girls"
"Hannah, you ought to give this quilt
TO the one that gets married first" put in
Susan Drake, threading her needle.
81 know who thSt viii be-" said Mrs.
Ashley, winking hard toward Hetty
SpraSuc, a pretty, soft headed littlo
maiden, with checks OF the damRsk rose
and deWy dark eyes.
ooh, Miss Ashleyp cried Hetty, sim
pering sweetly, show can you talk so {?
You know never mean to get married
all my born days. Men are such deceitful
creatures |"
Miss Treadwell hesved deep sigh, and
snapped the chalkline sentimentally, as if
she too could a tale untold that would tell
OF the perfdy of the male sex.
81 don't Tor my part sec why eyery-
thing should be given to the married
folks" returned Hannah, tapping lightly
on the frame with her thimble and feel
ing annoyed because Jane Freeman and
her friend had not yet put in an appear
ance. When get TO be an old maid, I'll
stun everything soft with feathers and
wool, and keep sixteen cats, like Aunt
Biceps."
'' You an old maid y cried merry little
Nancy Duffy. "That's q likely story. 1
guess Aleck will have a word or two TO
say about it."
at looks as if Aleck had got a now
string to his bow" remarked Bliss Tresd-
we'll, who knew how to give sharp little
thrust of her own. "He appears to be
mighty thick with that girl from Hills
dale"
"Why, there goes Aleck now," cried
Hetty Spraguei aud the girls ran to The
window, upselting one end Of the Quilt,
just in time TO SEQ Alexis sleek chestnut
mare trot past with AleCk himself so ab.
sorbed in the companion by his sids that
he did rot appear TO remark the battery
Of bright eyes under which no was pass
ing. '}fl.
Hannah oolored and bithsr lips, but sho
recovered herself with light laugh.
Mover mind, girls" SAID sbo, "there
are as good fish in the sea ag ever have
heen caught. I1lshOw you Dr. Bihgham
a. "a