Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-06-24

/ promised to give Won tomorrow afternoon.
Mary" said he, veering back again, and chew
Miss Lang expressed herself delighted to take.
| the ride; and every body appeared satisfied but
Jane, who would have no opportunity to display
| the new twist to the girls before Sunday
| Hannah's quilt had been put on the frames
| that day, up IN the spare chamber-a large apart
| ment with carpet in Venetian stripe, high
| post bedstead draped i'm the whitest dimity
heayy mahogany bureau with respectable brass
knobs, and an old-fashioned glass adorned with
iestoons OF pink and white paper. There were
| faded footstools, worked by Mrs. Ashley when
| girl, in eha.n-stitch embroidery; and framed
samplers, and silhouette portraits upon the wall
OF eaPpy old lady and spare old gentleman;
| and matronly punches OF hfe-everlastipgs and
| crystalized grasses filing the plethoric vases
| upon the mantel-pieee. Everything was in ap-
/ PIe-pie order from kitchen To parlOr. A pleas
/ ant, moist odOr Of Hannah's sponge-cake clung
To the walls; and If you don't know what Han
nan sI0nge-cake was Like, IL is useless for me
10 describe IT
| pale green that became her blonde beauty, and
| touched IL up here and there with bit of pink
ribhSn. Mrs. Ashley was pinning on her false
| purs before the glass, and fastening her collar
with brooch adorned with a daguerreotype
likeness OF the Deacon, which looked as IL 1t had
been taken in peculiarly bad fit OF dyspepsia
She dearly loved young company; and there wa
bad twinkle in her eve, and pucker abou
her mouth, provocative OF jokes
When the girls had assembled, and the kissing
| ana taking on of things was well through with
the grand business of the afternoon began
Everybody praised Hannah's pretty quilt-kSink
stars dropped on white ground. Miss Tread
well was champion quilter. She understood al
the mysteries of herrin'bole and feather pat
terms; and, with a chalk-line in her hand as the
DeacOn's wife expressed it, Z" ruled the roost"
Miss Treadwel was a thin-faced, precise old
maid, with a kind of withered bloom on her
cheek-boRes and a laudable desire to make the
most OF her few skinny locks.
beats all how young Salina Treadwefl ap-
pears" whispered the Deacon's wife TO her next
neighbor. 'She's old as be, IL she's a day,
hnr Ectasa
"Hannah, you ought to give this quilt to the
one that gets married first, ~ put in Susan Drake
threading her needle.
know who that will be, said Mrs Ashley,
winking hard toward Hetty Sprague, pretty,
soft-headed maiden, with cheeks Of the damask
rose and dewy dark eyes. So
sweetly, % how can you talk so? You know /
never mean to get married all my born days.
Men are such deceitful creatures ~ II
Miss Treadwell heayed a deep sigh, and snap
ped the chaik-line sentimentally as If she, too,
could tale unfold that would tell of the per-
81 don't, for my part, see why every thing
should be given to married folks" returned
Hannah, tapping lightly on the frame with her
freeman and her ffiend had not vet put in an
appearance when get 20 be an old maid I'll
stuff every thing soft NTH feathers and wool,
lyon an old maidi' cried merry little Nancy
Dnffy That's likely story: guess Aleck
sit looks as If sieek had cot a new Nv string to
his bow" remarked Miss Treadwell, who knew
how 20 give a sharp little thrustof her own. aHe
appears to be mighty thick with that girl from
"why, there goes Aleck nowl" cried Hetty
Sprague; and the girls ran to the window,
upsetting one end Of the quilt, just in time to
see Alexis sleek chestnut mare trot past, with
Aleck so absorbed in the companion by his side
that he did not appear TO remark the battery Of
bright eyes under which he was passing.
Hannah oOlOred and bit her lips, but she
recovered herself With a light laugh.
Never mind, girls" said she; .there are as
! good fish in the sea as ever have been caught
| IN show you Doctor Bingham, tonight and
you'll all say he is perfectly splendid"
Then began, a little mild gossip over the
Doctor, as to who he was, and what had brought
him TO out-of-the-way Drastic-for the young
man was only visitor in the nefghborhood-
IN the elatter Of tongues before the second roll
ing, Hannah had slipped out To get tea At first
she did a very curious thing for sensible Young
woman to do. She got behind the buttery door
thing like a genuine sob shook her bosom.
| while some bitter teams were absorbed into the
crash The truth is Hannah was jealous. The
| Hi dale, whom she had begun TO detest woke
her p to the state Of her own feelings and per
| haps nothing but that would ever have done the
work.
Nevertheless, there was the sponge-cake to
cut, and the best dOyfies to be got out, and the
ivory-handled knives to be taken down from the
top shelf OF the closet. She had TO calculate how
much Of the strawberry preserves il would take
| to go round and not look skinny, and who
l SnOutQ SIT by the glass dish, and how many
tard pies would be required 20 I'LL the middle of
| the table. All these things Hannah performed
| with as much accuracy as il her heart had not
| been smarting with disappointment and vexa-
ton.
Mrs. Ashley was never more in her element
thar when she presided at a feminine tea-party
I'VE won't have any of the men folks round
to bother the girls" said she they settled like
flock OF doves about the table, which Hannah
had 10 temptingfy spread. cts busy times on
the farms now, and the Deacon likes a bit of
something hearty for his tea, 50 told him he
and the boys might wait. Ahem, Salna do YOU
take sugar in your tea?" as she poured out cup
OF the delicate green favored beverage that
diffused an appetizing fragrance through the
room.
"oh, Mrs. Ashley" cried Nancy Duffy,
"you'n tell our fortunes, won't you? There isn't
asoul here to know about it, and Wen keep as
| whist mice"
'Now, girls, don't make me appear simple"
said Mrs. Ashley, leaning back and yiping her
teapot ssIf Miss whitcomb should get hold oft
4Sensr mind Miss s whitooSbas T broke in
Susan Drake 81 She thinks she's arrived at
| perfection, and such folks are always Disagree
able. Here, do look at Salina Treadwell's cup.
Ii I'm not mistaken, there's an offer in it,
OF course there u, I" said Mrs. Ashley, taking
up the cup with professional interest. i.Donf
fnsideP And she's going to accept it. IT'S COM
ing from q hght-complected man; looks like
sile Winthrop, down at the Corners"
"Oh, Mrs. Ashley, how you do talk!'' cried
her eheek-bones. ~ -
"He amt a-going 70 live long, whoever IL is -
the Deacon's wife continued, twirling the CUP.
with the girls hanging over her shoulder, and
her eyes dancing with fun eyes, salins, you
viii be left widder."
what a sad thing il must be to lose a COM
paniop," put in sentimental Ann Davis. AZ
should hate 10 be left relict-"
"Never You mind, Salina, |" the Deacon's wife
continued with a wink. " II I'm not mistaken
you'll console yourself with number two. Look
there, girls, at the true-loyers knot and the bow
and arTers."
Miss Treadwell held up her hands in mock
horror and affirmed that she didn't believe a
word Of IL; but IL was noticeable, a. Mrs. Ashley
said, that she was ''chipperer all the rest Of the
evening. Fl p 81
''COme, now tell Hannah's," cried Hetty
Sprague.- So Hannah passed along her cup.
''Why, child. you're going to shed tears; and
there's little cloud Of trouble round you; but IL
will clear away, and you'll get your wish in spite
| Of every thing"
"Don't you see saddle-bags and piIl-boxes
there 2" inquired Nancy Duffy.
Go along with your stuff and nonsense,
| giTls!" exclaimed the Deacon's wife, waving
49,