Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1871-04-19
THOSE JEROME GIRLS.

Those jerome girls had piano, and
what Aunt prissy calls ''bristles carpet,
on their parlor floor They had lately in
troduced into their front door yard, a
game, which the good lady persist ted
in designating as 'crocket, with dim
notion that it was an invention made by
David Crockett, and therefore disreputable.
There was a little odd cornering window,
where Aunt Prissy sat at work; and from
there she could look over into the Jerome
place, which had been fixed and improved
until it was quite tasteful and pretty resi-
dence. The old squat farm house, with its
blinking windows and Overhanging caves,
faced by that admiration of the ancients, a
red barn, had been altered into tasteful
cottage. with piazza embowercd in honey
suckle and rose vines The barn had been
moved out of view, opening a prospect to
the river, with its fringy willows. A neat,
ornamental fence had been built, and trees
and shrubs planted and flower beds laid
out.
Aunt PriSsy shook her head ruefully over
she looked out of the little cornering win
dow: and she did look out many times
day, somewhat to the detriment of her reel
ing and knotting on little wheel, a remin-
iscence of her girlhood she had never given
up. For Aunt PriSsy sighed heavily over
the degeneracy of modern stocking yarn
and, if anything, to her mind, was an out
ward and visible sign of the approaching
end of the world, it was them tiimsy
bought things through which a person can
poke their finger.
Il don't believe Uncle Abner ever would
have thought of making such changes in
the old place" Aunt Prissy remarked to
her sister-in law, Mrs. Babbett, who was
fond of good old ways too, and loved the
store of nice, old fashioned things in the
Babbett farm house, and yet had thought
more and lived more in her time than Aunt
Prissy had, IF it hadn't been for the hec
torn' of them girls And the old lady
held up a long, cotton sock she was knitting
for her favorite nephew, Asa lshe always
knit Asa stockings three inches longer in
the leg thad she did the othersl and she
looked at it critically through her glasses.
1T does folks good to get stirred up once
in while. remarked Mrs Babbett, who was
stepping about in her bru uskins, TO brush up
the tidy room, with great patches OF sun
shine lying on the rag carpet and the braid
ed mats, and lighting up grain OF dust If
there had been Que and Uncle Abner has
appeared younger and smarter, she added,
ever since the girls got back from school.
The improvements have given him some
thing TO think about besides his rkeum-
atiz. "
There they are, crocketing again, cried
Aunt Prissy, putting her wrinkled old face
out between the dimity curtains with smells
OF southern wood and sweet clover coming
through the open window. Il cant for
the life of me see what sense there Is In
knocking them balls around. They'd a
sight better be Icing something useful. III
be bound Uncle Abner don't get his socks
mended once n month. Do hear EN- laugh
and holler Ike looms. l must say, Miriam
dy, that sounds brazen.
Its only a bit of fun" replied Mrs.
B2bbett, who was putting up her combs
now, before the glass. And for my part
l ike to see the young folks enjoy them
selves. 1t carries me back to my own young
days
There was no such goings on when We
were gals, - remarked Aunt Prissy, pushing
her cap frill more out between the window
curtains, and letting her knitting rest in her
lap. 1T makes me ache, most, when L
think how pertickler Miss Jerome was
about the house; and now look there at the
doors all stretched open, as if it was gen raj
trainin and the muslin curtins BLOWN
out Of the front room winiers. and the sun
streamin' right in on that bristles carpet,
and rything speckled with flies
'Sophy says she won't have anything in
the house too good to use every day. put
IN Mrs. Babbett, sitting down in her favor
Ite rocker, in one Of the patches of sunlight