Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-30
MISCELLANEOUS.
HANNAH,S OpILIING,

ehOheaub hlltW inc HbNVG OF
Aleck Freeman's heart She had trifled
with him little, and her own mind was
not quite made up.
She was sitting row In her chamber,
sweet and clean with whiteWash and new
buh paper, and bowery with green light
which fell from the pear tree bou9hs
through freshly starched muslin curtains.
Hannah wss q nice-loOking blonde maid.
en-, dressed In a tidy chocolate print with
blue bow nesting in her thick, wavy
hair. She had been writing note by the
stand, and was sealing it with one of the
motto seals then in fashion. This one
said, Come" and 1t was easy to see that
1t indorsed a note of inT itation,
She ran down staiIs in the fresh morn
ing air, where her father, Deacon Ashley,
was just ready to head old Charley to.
ward the village. Her mother, buxom
matron, was standing bare-headed beside
the democrat wagon, handing up the mo.
lasses jug, and charging the Deacon not
to forget the pound Of CASTLE soap and
the lsInpwicks. Hannah tucked up her
trim skirts, and ran out through the deWy
grass. =
See here, father" she called, in her
pleasant voice, "you must stop at the
school house and give this note to Andy
freeman. It's for Jane, you know, ask
quilting"
"Ain't there one for Aleck, too?" in
quired the good naturcd old Deacon, with
wink.
81 told Jane he could come in the
evening, if he chose" returned Hannah,
with slightly heightened color. "Dr.
Bingham will be here, and some other
young men"
"Aleck Freeman is worth the whole
kit" responded the Deacon, "and that
young pill.box, according to my way of
thinking, runs too much to hair dye and
watch chains, but Aleck has got good hard
sense and 7frst-fate learning. He can ap.
pear with any of 'em. If you don't look
out, Han, he'll be shining round that
pretty girl from Hillsdale."
1t makes no difference to me, who he
shines round" returned Hannah, with a
slight shade Of offense; but, nevertheless,
there was little pang at her heart as She
turned back toward the house. Haunsh's
mind was not quite easy about Jane Free.
mans visitor, the pretty girl from Hills.
dale, but she thought if she could see
Aleck and Mary Lang together she would
know in just what qusrter the wind was
setting.
The Deacon tucked the note into his
breast pocket, took the molasses Jug be.
tween his feet, and gave old Charley cut
with his lines preparatory to making
him begin to move, an operation of some
length, as Charley believed the Deacon
to be under his orders At last, how
ever, the two were trotting and rafting
pact the gOose-pond, and the big barns,
and tall elms, that csst some very cool
shadows across the brown dust of the
road, until with kind of mutual under
standing and sympathy they came out
against q stretch of post aud rider fence,
enclosing field of the biggest kind Of
clover, 1t looked like good farming to
the Deacon's eyes. He could calculate
pretty closely the number of tons of sweet
juicy feed there would be to the acre;
and yet this morning the fragrance and
rosy bloom, and the hum of insects
among the thick heads, brought him a
different kind of pleasure.
With the long sight of age he could
see the cows grazing in the back
pasture, and he thought Of the seattle
on thousand hills and whose they
were. His gaze wandered back lovingly
even to the old stone walls, with null
leins growing beside them, and the
shadows of the birds fitting over them,
and verythiDg seemed good, even the
May weed and daisies, and Canada thistle,
that farmers hate by instinct. He felt
gdsh of childlike thankfulness, because
the earth is the. Lords and the flllness
thereof"
Presently the Deacon and Charley came
across group of school children-brown,
freckled- faced. Little urchins, in calico
shirts, tow trowsers, and shilling hats
much the worse for wear. Then there
was tall red headed girl who had out
grown all the tucks in her dress, and had
shpr ~, fn1l 81
the wall after a chipmunk, and one or
two little tots, with very foppy sun bon
nets, whose short legs would not allow
them to keep up. They all carried dinner
psqs and dogs cared spelling books, and
at the very end of the string there was q
low spirited yellow dog.
"Whoa |" cried the Deacon setting his
two boot-soles, which resembled weather
beaten scoWs, against the dash. board, and
pulling in hard-an operation Charley
did not at all relish, although he at last
yielded, with shake Of his hOmely head,
which intimated it was done by special
favor, and could not be repeated.
Jump in, childrenr' cried the good.
natured old man; "Ill give ye lift as far
as the school house. Beats all how little
shaYers think of ketchin' ride. There,
don't crowd, boys. Let the girls in first,
and mind your manners;" and he lifted
IN a roly-poly maid, with pincushion
hands and very suggestive stain of wild
cherries, and seated her on the buffalo be-
side him. The others all tumbled in in a
triee.
"'Pears to me wouldn't eat them puck
cry things" said the Deacon, Ia his grand
tatherly fashion, pointing to some sug-
gestive smears on the little maids high
ginnghsm apron. "Theyll give you the
collie"
ayes, sir" replied the child, folding
her funny little hands contentedly in her
lap. '"Sissy had tho measles and didn't,
and my mother said l might have the
collie If wanted to-"
The Deacon leaned back and laughed,
and Charley shook his ears and turned up
at him an eye of mid reproach.
What little goose you aIep said q
bright'taced little boy who had been very
much squeezed In the legs, and had Just
administered several sharp punches in the
sue OF the squeeZer, as he leaned over the
back OF the seat to pinch the little girls
ear.
Bless me there's Andy Freeman, and
had liked to forgot the what,d'ye-cali.it
-billy-doo my Hannah sent to the girls
up at your house."
The Deacon veered half around, and
checked Charley, who by this time began
to consider the whole thing disgusting,
especially as the low-spirited dog had
mixed himself up with his feet
This must be IT," he went on, fun
bling in his pocket. "You see I've left
my best eyes at home the old pair
carry in my head don't amount to much"
Andy took the folded paper and prom
ised 70 be careful of it aud by that time
Charley aud his load mad arrived at the
stone school house, which looked very
much like juvenile peuitentiary. The
school mistress was standing in the door
ringing the bell, and the children scTam.
bled down the aide OF the wagon, aud