Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1871-07-27

sensible to wear false wad on her
Uranium. She had been nut inst at
uightfall to attend to her chickens,
and TO see that they wero all in the
coops, under the feathers of the
clucking hens. a little invalid crca.
ture, pretty ball of down, with
spraiuel ankle, She brought and put
in warm basket on the mantle
There was shrewish wind blowing
outside, although it was May, with
blossoms from the apple trees whirl
ing down to the grass. A small wood
fire snapped and cracked on Miss
kcturah's hearth, and the llacs were
in bloom, and the yard gay with jon.
quins aud daty down-dilIies. The
dog and cat, sleek and well fed, as
dog and cat need be, were lying on
the hearth in their own appointed
places, and there sat Miss keturah
with a little round stand beside her
in the circle Of light from the genial
fire, sewing away on pair of unmcn.
tionables, for little Billy Shaw. Mrs.
Shaw, his mother, was poor, always
in hot water, with dreadful want OF
calculation and good Judgment in her
upper story. 1t was either feast or
famine in the Shaw establishment
all the time. The juvenile Shaws
had to 90 without their crust battered
six days in tie week; but if on the
seventh their mother happened 10
earn Collar, Just as likely as not it
was all spent in butter, aud eaten NJ
at one meal. Keturah despised such
shittIessness, but her hands never
stopped doing for the Shaws.
Now, az she sat there, in her cheer
fnl and contented lonliness, with the
big clock ticking in the corner, there
came knock at the door.
Come in, Johnny shaw" called
out kcturah, without turning round,
" There's the bag Of POTATOES | prom
ised your mother in the cellar way -
You can help yourself ! shall churn
tomorrow, and your mother may
send over for a pail of bnttermiIk.
"Ahpm! !"
K"turah turned around suddenly,
and there stood 'Lisha Bates holding
his hat, aud looking into it a. il he
expected to discover the profoundes,
wisdom in its depths.
"Sakes aIvc!" exclaimed Miss
Krturah, lyon gave me such n start
| thought {" be sure, it was Johnny
Shaw. Take chair fisher, aud
draw up to the fire. Gold. ain, it,
for this time of the year 2"
"Good for blue noses" said Usher,
he felt as he afterwards expressed it
afterwards, streake'i," much AZ a
man feels when he is about to break the
ice, and plunge into cold bath
However, he sat down on the edge of
a chair, carefully deposited his hat
under it. took out his rod silk hand
kerchlcf and mopped his face all
over.
There was little preliminary clear
ing Of the throat, and theE Usher
SAID with that cir"umlncutIon Of
speech habitlal to the born yankee
" | don't suppose Kyturak, you've
got any grass seed you'd he willing to
part with Tor n TAR price y
" Gong tn put down more Of yom
land to gras>?" inquired Kotnrah,
with slight accent of disapproval.
" was squinting that way" return
ed Usher, hcsitatlngly, almost wish
ing he could back ont Of the scrapc-
and 10 90 to grass himself but he
gave a hitch to hi. rh ,ir tn It brought,
him a i,lle nearer Ketnrah, on the
o,hcr side of the stand.
"Ins,ead Of seeding down any
more, if ] had your fran, ! shohId pat
a few barrels of lime on the triangle
lot, and SOW it with lover"
That's what mean to DO" res.
pended Usher. giving hIs chair an
other hitch, utterly torcgeltul of St
Paul's command, =" suffer not a
woman to teach" Your pasture
looks uncommon well this spring. he
added.
"Ycs, the feed is good" said Kc-
tnrah, sewing away calmly IN the
candle light.
The chair hitched little nearer
" Kcturah, that's a mighty fine Alder
ney ,earIing Of yours" The tone was
s"fr, persuasive, and melting.
Ketnrah raised her eyebrows. !
" Umph." She knew what Lish was
driving at now.
The chair hitchcd little nearer, the
ton" grew more coaxlng and oily.
" Ketnry, wonldn't you, couldn't You
be persuaded to sell me that crltter 2
The small unmentionables dropped
from Ketarah's hand the audacity
Of the request filed her with amaze
ment.
GLOW can you ask such quc,ion,
: Lisher Bates? You know ] wouldn't
part with the heiicr Tor any money"
Llsher had heard that where
there's a will lher's a way" and an.
other wise saw: faint heart never
won iair lady" Ilc determined upon
a strike. "Then, k"'urah," said he,
"you must marry me, for
I'm determined tp get lien on that
there cri'ter, some way or other"
II Lisher's unheard of temcrity
had stopped here, K"t0rah would
probably have thrown the small nm