The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-12-08
AGATHA'S FORTUNE.
A Story of old Newspapers.
From the Western Rural.

From the Western Rural
The yellow November sunshine was
doing its best to brighten the old farm
house kitchen; the yellow leaves bleached
and stained with scarlet, which had ed
died down at the touch Of many ftful
wind and midnight frost from the big
maple tree by the door stone, lay il pools
of shaded gold, stirred by every gust, land
the gnarled Winter apple tree by the well
had long since been rifed of its weight of
crimson streaked fruit
Il do b lieve the apple crop is the
best we've had this ten year, said Mo-
ses Jefferson as he strobe into the kitch-
en- with bag of seed corn over his shout
der
Mrs. Jefferson, a spare, wiry looking
woman, as diff, rent as possible from her
b1rly. beaming husband, sat at the white
ly secured pine table, shelling beans Wig
orously into pan. Agatha, the only
child, was close to the window, her pref
ty profile outlined against the blue cameo
of the sky, intently busted in the unro-
mantle but useful occupation of setting
trifty patch on the elbow of her fathers
brown cloth coat. with quick. agile fingers
and needle that glanced III and out like
flying shaft of silver.
She was pretty girl, with soft halle
eyes, abundant brown hair, cooled pic
turesquely round her head, and COM
plexlon 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, las humly
AS hedge fences, without graceful line or
beautiful feature In their whole COM
position, and how pretty Agatha ever
came to be their daughter was as incom-
prehensible riddle as it is how the mag
nifcent cactus blossom, with its leayes of
fame and heart of scarlet fire, should
ever spring from the wrinkled old stick
by courtesy called plant" But SC
Nature manages her affairs, and as yet
we humans have not been able to i'm
prove upon her.
Mother and daughter were earnestly
talking together as the farmer entered,
and he could just catch Agatha's last
words:
81 wouldn't, mother; wouldn't
"Woul0n't what ?-What is it you re
tallin' about2h And Moses Jefferson
looked questioningly from one face to the
other.
Why" said Agatha, looking up with
flushed cheek, mother wants to sell
the old piles Of newspapers that belong
to Uncle Philemon, up IN the store closet
and it 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.
II wouldn't sell 'em if was you, Claris-
sy."
You don't know nothin' about it, Moses
Jefferson. said his wife in a sharp, high
pitched tone. ''Havin' the best closet in
the house all hampered up with mass
Of old newspapers Why, there S a thou
sand on EN- if there one, do b'lieve.' -
No there ain Clarissy-now you re
cxaggeratin'. Uncle Philemon has been
sayin' 'em up for ten Yeas, and there
amt over 6fty-two weeks in year, as
ever l heered on"
"WelI, 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 go pokin' about with his knotted
stick, countin on EN-, and straightenin'
the edges. and foldin' down the crumpl-
ed corners, | didn't dare to touch EN-
But now he's beGsidden and Eighty, and
WOH kuON uOtHlu dDOuL lC. l. III
TO sell EN- -
"But, mother" pleaded Agatha, breath
iessly and eager. suppose he were to
want them brought up to Ills bedside ?"
'Oh, he won't; and If he does we can
put him Oft with some excuse or other,
I'll venture, easy enough. Kiah OAR
wins widow says paper is four cents
pound, and | calculated [ could get
caf mill With tho
Besides. Agatha wants the closet to keep
her clothes IN, now that she's home from
the factory for good. =
Il can get along withou; it Just as we'll,
mother said Agatha; ''and it does
seem wrong to go and sell all of poor
Uncle Philemon $. papers when he is too
i'll to know of it. =
Now you may just as we'll hold your
tongue" shortly and with unmstakable
emphasis. Il made up my mind to sell
'em-and sell 'em viii, if you and your
father kept on talking until the day of
judgement Miss Darwin says there S a
man comes round with a sort O. hand
barrow, and string o junglin' bells,
once In while. and gives four cents
pound tor old newspapers. So, if any of
you see him, stop him.
And Mrs. Jefferson, having had her
say, founced out of the room to see if
her pickles were nearly scalded Honest
Moses, whistling melancholy psalm
tune under his breath, uneonsciously
thereby producing the effect of a high
wind groaning down a lusubrious chin
ney. went up to the garnet with his bag
of seed-corn. there to deposit it with
other agricultural treasures, and Agatha
put on her little blue frllled sun-bonnet
and gray shawl, and tripped across the
russell fields, to tell Hugh Darwin, her
sweetheart, how very stability mother
was going to treat poor old Uncle Phile-
mon." For troubles ceased to be troubles
when Agatha had whispered them into
the sympathetic ear Of her true love.
Now Hugh Darwin and Agatha Jeffer-
son had been engaged for three years, and
we're likely to be engaged thirteen more;
for they were both poor. hard working
young people, without FIVE dollars ahead
in the world, and nothing to look to but
their own skiliful right hands and cheer
full hearts. For even The truest of true
lovers can't afford to be married unless