Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-06-02


, lonesome like"
Could ] believe my ears! 81
had said the 'littIe fellow" instea,
OF the "crittur," and size caret
whether he was lonesome.
No comments we're made on this
concession, (ah he was wise ole
man but he stepped out with bis
pet coiled up in his arms, as brisk
ly as ifhe were thirty instead ofsey-
enty year old. While he was gone
| ventured, "Grandma, isn't he a
real little beauty ?"
"He's well enough, l s'pose
| (tartly )but handsome is that hand
some does Come, child, fly round
and clear up the litter" I saw my
mistake, and kept still.
That night / won't deny there
were tears shed in the small cham
Der under the caves. How vivid
/ Iv the little creature, with its bright
frolicsome ways had brought back
the dear home faces and home
/ pets? How my heart ached for the
rude cottage over whose low roof
the vines clambered, for the low
ing, toiling father and mother, for
the brown-headed brothers with
whom l had SO often roamed the
beech woods, inspected the circuit
of traps for captured foxes and
woodchucks, and divided the spoil
ofnuts and berries.
Next morning l was up betimes.
Grandma was already at work in
the kitchen, frying pork and corn
fritterS for breakfast. And,-could
| believe my eyes this time There
was Master Curley, bright as a new
dollar, galloping across the long
room, violating the spOtless sane
titles Of the cuisine with profane
and audacious paws! And she let
him! Moreover, the impudent
rogue made frequent sorties on the
good woman herself, to the immi
nent danger Of her immaculate pet
ticoats, and nearly upset her just as
she was filling the coffee-p pot
from the hot tea-kettle. She, on
her part, not being well up in pup
py dialect, would cry out, "Scat,
git out, you sauce -boxg' and then
fall to laughing and scolding to-
gether.
These objurgations, however,
made slight impressions on his
cool, saucy temper, and the next
moment after an ear boxing, he
would spring at her from a new
ambuscade, as much as to say, 81
am not going to break friendship
for a trile."
After breakfast grandpa began
to tumble among his tools, saying,
Il guess l may as well fix that box
for the dog before | forget it. "
"a purity business, should
think" broke out his wife, ga fuss
in over pups, and the hayin' stand
in still,and the north pasture fence
half down"
"That's a fact" meokly chimed
in the other, and l never heard
anything more about the kennel in
the calves pen.
Things seemed to be uncommon
ly jolly in the quiet old house that
day, though Curley was guilty of
several grave misdemeanors, such
as gnawing the heel out of a new
mixed sock, dipping his brown
paws into a cream jug, tapping out
the heart of a custard pie, making
furious dashes at the big spinning
wheel, and breaking the rolls so oft
en- that he had to be shut up in the
smoke house.
Grandma didn't find much fault
with me, though broke the handle
to yellow mug, and skipped the
seam three times in knitting, be
cause l couldn't keep my eyes of
the little dog. She even got so
chatty rs TO tell me all about her
Welding, and how she rode to her
new home on pillion behind her
husband,
The next morning, as was turn
ing grindstone for grandpa, he con-
fided to me that missing my grand
mother from bed in the night, he
became alarmed,and went in search
of her.
"And where do you think she
was ?" said he, with a droll grim
ace. "Well she was out in the
woodshed, in her nightgown, ,stoop-
ing down over the little dog, and
trying to stroke it off to sleep =
She looked kinder sheepish when
she see me, and said The critter
wbined so she couldn't sleep wink
But it's my belief" added the dear
old soul, in whisper, as he felt
the edge of his scythe, "that she
was more plagued because she tho't
the little fellow was lonesome out
there all alone in the dark, and she
wanted to cosset him a little"
About a week after this, when
the dinner dishes were done up,and
my grandmother was taking her
halfhour's doze in her rocking
chair, my grandfather opened the
door on a crack and beckoned me
out.
ADO you know where Curley is ?"
"No, grandpa" I gasped, while
visions of open cisterns and vi
cious traps foated before me.
"Well, just come softly, Puss,
and I'll show you"
He carefully opened the door of
the cool, spare bedroom, and tip