Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-10-14

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| the afternoon of the day appointed
Nancy had sent to say that she must be
| excused, on account of a bad headache.
| Job comforted Lucy by saying that
| Nancy would surely come to the husking-
bee; but Nancy, as she lay awake
nights, with the tears wetting her cheeks,
thought to herself that she would not go
and witness that girls triumph. From
| her place of vantage by the window,
with her face looking pale and her
breath coming fast, she had watched
Enoch pass by in the moonlight, with
Lucy clasping his arm and gazing up in
his face, and she almost despised her
self because she could not see it un-
moved
EnoCh was beWitched by Lucy but
the bewitching did not 90 very far. He
was young man who had very good
opinion of himself, and his constancy
had not been developed He liked to
have a number of girls fond of him !;
and he thought it was rather a fine
thing to cool off toward a fame as he
had. done toward Nancy Raynor. Still,
with all her innocent, pussy-like ways,
Enoch distrusted Lucy. He had caught
her sending billets privately to Middle
town by the farmland, Zeke and he
had not forgotten her adventure in the
stage-coach.
The preparations for the husking- bee
were almost complete, and Lucy was
quite wild with delight The big barn
was to be nicely illuminated, and the
supper of pumPkin-pie. doughnuts, and
cider to be spread in the kitchen after
the good old orthodox fashion. After
ward the great barn-hoor was to be
cleared, and black fiddlers, engaged at
Middletown, were to play for dancing.
Two days before the husl1ing-bee was
to come off, Lucy made Job an apple
plie-bed. Job meant to be even with
her, and the next afternoon he called up
the stairway
cousin Lucy, don't you want to take
a ride behind Brown Betty ?"
Lucy was, of course, delighted with
the proposition. So she stepped to the
window and peeped through the blinds
and there was Brown Betty hitched to
the sullzy-a light, airy thing, that looked
as if made of cobwebs, with the tiniest
of backless seats hung in the middle.
Lucy appreciated the joke, and, while
Job ran back to the carriage-house to
get his coat, she slipped down stairs,
unhitched Brown Betty, and was off
down the road like a flash.
20, massy to US p screeched Aunt
Dorset, running to the door. THAT
child will surely get killed. She don't
know nothing about driving, and the
mare is as skittish as a colt.
Job dashed out of the carriage-house,
looking crest-fallen enough. "She's a
plucl<y little piece of baggage, " said he;
''and there's no use trying to get ahead
of her. Don't worry, mother; Lucy is
able to take care of herself"
There certainly was a sweet little
cherub somewhere up aloft, who looked
out for audacious Lucy. In an hour s
time she came back, with a demurely
wicked CLEAN in her eye. Brown Betty
had evidently been put through her
PAGES. Lucy threw down the lines with
a professional air, and ordered Job to
give her nag some water, ''for she IS as
dry as a contribution-box, she added
land would like to know who is little
sullzy now
Lucy explained, later, that accident
ally she had met Mr.. Allen, the young
man who was polite to her in the stage.
In return for turning her horse round,
she had asked him to come over to- the
husking-bee.
The night of the husking-bee had
come, and Milton Raynor was blacking
his boots at the back door of the farm
house.
Aren't you going over to.Dorset's to-
night ?" he inquired of his sister.
No, am not.
Nov, l would, if was you, Nancy.
1t don't look well for you to stay cooped !
up here at home. Folks will begin to
say you are love-sicl."
II don't care what they say, returned
Nancy F.; and her voice sounded harsh |
and metallic in her own ears. She went
up to her room, and sat down by the
little window, that was festooned by the
Virginia creeper, burning with deep
autumnal crimson. The moonlight was
falling still and white on the stubble-
fields and belts of woods. 1t blanched
Nancy's face-not a patient or submis-
sive face. Her eyes might have read a
poem in that lovely evening, but they
were full of trouble. She wanted to
crush out the core of constancy and de-
votion in her heart but she knew not
how to do it. She was too restless to |
stay within doors so she wrapped her |
head and shoulders in a shawl, and
glided out into the shadow of the trees
along the roadside, until she came near
ly opposite to Uncle Dorset's house, |
where she could see the lights from the |
barn and catch the sounds of fun and !
frolic from the huskers. She was haunted !
by an irrational desire to spy upon
Enoch and Lucy, and to confirm what
she so much dreaded to find true.
Mr. Allen arrived early, and, with his
white hands, his want of chin, black |
and city-made clothes, quite !
captivated the rustic beauties of Stock |
burn. But Nelly Blake, a blue-eyed |
little blonde, received a much larger
share of his attentions than Lucy Nal |
com did although Lucy, in her scarlet |
spencer and black skirt, below which !
peeped the trimmest of ankles and |
tidiest of bus1in shoes, was certainly |
very charming. She was always with |
Enoch, laughing and sparring and fling
ing back her bright, saucy wit. Enoch |
had lust whispered to her that if he |
found the red ear she would have to suf- |
fer, when some one screamed that Mr.. |
Allen had found it. The dove-cote was
ruf1ed, and the girls scampered over the |
piles of corn and hid in the horse stalls,
trying to avoid the penalty of a kiss. At |
last the young man took after Lucy |
and the Iight-footed little mink gave him |
GlAdSC Ds4A anu lAASAA
away through the door into the moon
light, he after her, and the ring of her
silver laugh was the last that was heard |
of little Lucy.
In the confusion. nobody missed |
them. The whole company went to
supper pretty soon, and more than half
an hour had passed, wheR Enoch came
and took hold of Jobs coat sleeve. They |
outside the kitchen door togeth- |
er, and then Enoch said, in an agitated |
whisper:
For Heavens sake, where is Cousin
Lucy? That fellow Allen has disap- |
peared, too. Can it be she is playing |
one of her pranks7 Father has gone
to bed. Don't speak to mother yet. Get
a light and come up to her room with
me-"
The two brothers slipped noiselessly
up the staircase into Lucy's chamber,
where the moonlight was lying quietly
upon the carpet. Everything seemed |
just as usual, only note lay on the /