Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-12-02
MISS ALTHEA,s RUBBERs.


webs O. cloth out by this time. Eitht
you amt going to have another weddir
this fall, or mebbe the sheets and pillow
cases are all made said Miss Althe
Pratt, siding in at our south door in
halfway manner peculiar to her, as
she never could fully commit herself /
anybOdy's company.
Three weddings IN three years ough
to last a long time, said mother, nc
without dash of pride in the matter.
This IS such a dreadful marvin
family. Thought you might have foun
somebody for SyIvie by this time
q really haven't thought to look 70
anybody The other girls slid into MAJ
rage, and homes of their own, aImos
before knew ii. .
$50 Sylvie amt quite ready for he
slide maybe she needs little pushing
| thought I'd Just drop in to tell vo
that its the fashion now to make pillow
cases rather skimpin', and then havp
great square covers, rufied all around
and big letter worked in the middle
You have to take EN- of, and fold 'en
up very carefully, before you 90 to bed
When ] was in Boston, brother Liphalet'
wife had EN- with big P in the middle
Il
| couldn't say for a surety which, and
wouldn't ask her for no money
Miss Althea is perfectly aware that |
otherwise Sylvie, am standing at tn,
| pantry-window, out of her sight, bu
within hearing of every word she says
She knows, too, that Steven Frazar ].
leaning against the windowsill outside
taking eggs from my hands as | pas:
out to him half dozen at a time. He
always takes our eggs to market with
those from his own farm, because moth.
er is a widow, and has to depend on
neighborly kindness for such small lifts
toward living.
Steven IS very serious and business.
like counting over the eggs, but his lips
quiver little with merriment over. Miss
Althea's pillow-cases. He is truly very
handsome. have tried for years to
convince myself that he has the com.
monplace look of all the other men ]
knOw-my sisters husbands as well as
the rest. men that I don't care to look al
twice, but can never do it. Steven s
eyes have shining depth, his features
mobility and a STORYTELLING quality that
| can find in no other face. l think
Miss Althea is funny, too, and why can't
he look up and share his appreciation
with me ? But he never does look up
or look down when l expect it-he IS the
most disappointing of men.
''Sylvie, " said Miss Althea, putting
her head into the pantry like some long
necked bird, Il forget Just where you
come in the family. Is it you or Sophie
that's twenty-five p
Neither, said I. with a needless
snap in my voice. Sophie is the eldest
of us all, and she IS just twenty-four"
We'll, to be sure. you have all such a
mature look, so settled down like, that
its hard to guess your ages.
A little gust of wind banged the door
in Miss Althea's face. just at this point
of her discourse, and she seemed to
recognize the hand of fate, for she suf-
fered it to remain shut.
'By-the-way, said Steven, looking up
when he had laid the last egg carefully
in the basket. when shall we have ar
wedding, Sylvie p
A great lump rose in my throat, the
row of milk pans swan before my ewes.
Not till we have had the wooing, if
you please, / managed to say, in
steady voice, and rushed into the kitchen
without looking back.
and fainter in the distance, with a crush
ing sense of disappointment, though |
could not in reason expect him to leap
in at the pantry window, and insist on a
better answer to his question, in the face
and eyes of Miss Althea.
To tell the truth, there was very little
reason in the matter, anyway, when YOU
come to sift it.
IF Won will belia,-ai II cc+a,-s,, L.,5 ,,.,s,-
spoken word of love to me in his life,
and then sprung that nerciIess question
on me, all at once, about our wedding.
knew him well enough to be certain
that he was thoroughly in earnest.
1t was the condensed crystal of many
thoughts that he had uncovered before
my eyes so suddenly.
''Rou didn't keep him long, said
Miss Althea. 81 guess it was the wind
after all, thar shut the pantry door in
my face. / didn't know but YOU might
have done it with a long handled skim
mer or somethin', SOS to have a crack
with Steven, but could have told you
'twan't no use. There's no palaver
about him A gals gal to him, and
nothin' else
"a primrose on the rivers brim
A yellow primrose was to him,
And 1t was nothing more,
I muttered under my breath.
What's that ?" said Miss A1thea. 81
amt deaf, only you talk so thick"
"A bit of poetry, that's all.
"Oh, thought you'd heard about
them Primrose girls they do say that
Steven Frazar is kind of hankering after
Livy. She took the first premium, ten
dollars, for her butter at the last cattle
show, and she makes all her own gowns
and bonnets. -
"They look so = said l, spitefully, for
Miss Althea always did bring my bitter
streak to the surface.
Looks amt everything, Sy1vie, tho
it's done a good deal for your family
The Frazars always look out for wives
that can turn off a good days work.
Steven might have been kind O. senti-
mental when he was young, say sixteen
or thereabouts but he comes of timber
that hardens as it grows old. If you
could get him, Sylvie, you'd do better
than all your sisters"
81 hope you won't put any such no
tons into her head till after house-clean-
ing, said mother, with one of her low,
billowy laughs, which always exasper-
ated Miss Althea. She never showed
more than four teeth in wiry smile.
mo need to bUf EN- in; they're in
the grain with all your girls; but I'm
a-wastin' of precious time. / only run
over for a minute while them pillow
cases was on my mind
Don't be in haste; your cat won't be
lonely I said, with a pretty sarcasm
worthy of Miss Althea herself. 1 was
ashamed of it before her scant skirts
were out of the doorway.
you have too much patience with
her it ceases to be a virtue" I said,
answering the reproach in mothers eyes.
you don't even resent the Sights she
puts upon your girls.
That's because she has none of her
own it's the pity of it that smoothes
my feathers when they begin to bristle, +"
said mother, gently. 1--WE were girls to-
gether, Althea and I, and you don't
know what manner of woman I might
have stiffened into if J had lived on
toast and tea all these years, and lain
awake on winter nights to hear the wind
blow round lonely house.
rsWF- z u