Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-01-19

DtlnH hut OWn IillsGtss, WIN
scope for the exercise of that which Is
known in New England as faculty.
She was n woman of middle height, with
bright, frank, blue eyes, face fresh yet
with color, and dark hair, combed smooth
| behind her ears, and twisted in smallish
knot at the back of her head. None of
those chin-yarns, as Miss Keturah said, for
her. She was a world too sensible TO wear
false wad on her Uranium. She had been
out Just ut night-iall to attend to her chick
ems, and to see that they were all in their
coo y, under the feathers of the clucking
hens. A little invalid creature, with Il
sprained ankle, she brought In and put In
a warm basket on the mantle. There was
a shrewish wind blowing outside, although
| It was May, with blossoms from the apple
trees whirling down to the grass. A small
wood fire snapped and cracked on Miss
Keturah's hearth, and the lilacs were in
bloom, and the door yard gay with jonquils
and daffy -down-dillies. The dog and cat,
sleek and well fed, as.dog and cat need be,
were lying on the hearth in their appointed
places, ana there sat Miss Keturah with a
little round stand beside her, in the circle
of light from the genial fire, sewing away
on u pair of unmentionables, Tor 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. II was either feast or fam
inc in the Shaw establishment all the time.
The juvenile Shaws had to go without
their crust buttered six days in the week
but il on the seventh their mother happen
ed to earn a dollar, just as likely as not it
was all spent In butter, and eaten up at one
meal. Keturah desplsed such shiftlessness,
but her hands never stopped doing for the
Shaws.
Now, as she sat there, in her cheerful and
contented loneliness, with the big clock
ticking in the corner, there came knock
at the door,
Come in Johnny Shaw called out Ke-
turah, without looking round. There's the
bag or potatoes'I promised your mother in
the cellar way. You can help yourself I
shall churn tomorrow, and your mother
may send over for pail Of buttermilk.'
'Ahemr
Keturab turned around suddenly, and
there stood 'Lisha Bates holding his hat,
and looking into it as if unexpected to dis
| cover the profoundest wisdom in its depths.
'Sakes aliver exclaimed Miss Keturah
you gave me such start. I thought TO
be sure, II was Johnny Shaw. Take
chair, Usher, and draw up to the fire.
Cold, int 1t, for this time of the year?'
Good for blue noses said Usher, but
he felt as he expressed it afterward,
"streaked," much as man feels when he
is about to break the ice. and plunge into
cold bath. However, he sat down the edge
of chair, carefully deposited his hat under
| it, took out his red silk handkerchief and
mopped his face all over.
There was a little preliminary clearing Of
the throat, and then Usher said with that
circumlocuton of speech habitual to the
| born Yankee:
Il don't s'pose, Keturah, you've got any
grass seed you'd be willing to part with for
a fair pricef'
Going to put down more of your land to
grass? inquired Keturah, with slight ac-
cent of disapproval.
Il was squirting that way returned lii
sher, hesitatingly, almost wishing that he
could back out of the scrape, and go to
grass himself, but he gave hitch TO his
chair that brought him little nearer to
Keturah, on the other side of the stand.
Instead of seeding down any more, if I
had your farm, l should put a few barrels
of lime on the triangle lot, and SOW in with
clover
| That's what l mean to do responded
| ;uh ;vi, Ii obo i bar nj
terly iorgetful of ST. Pauls command, 81
suffer not a woman to teach" Your pas
ture looks uncommon well this spring., he
added.
Yes, the feed is good, said Keturah,
sewing away calmly in the candle light.
The chair hitched little nearer Ike
turah that's mighty fine Aldernoy year
ling of yours The tone was soft, persua-
sive, and melting.
Keturah just raised her eyebrows.
"Umph!' she knew what 'Lish was driv-
| ing at now.
The chair pitched a little neal err, the tone
| grew more coaxing and oily. 'Ketury,
wouldn't you, couldn't you, be persuaded
to sell me that critter?'
The small unmentionables dropped from
Keturah's hand; the audacity of the re-
| quest filled her with amazement.
| How can you ask such a question, lii
sher Bates?' You know / wouldn't part
with that heifer for any money.
| Usher had heard that "where there's
will there's a way" and another wise saw
"fhint heart never won fir lady" lie de-
termined upon strike. Then Keturah,'
said he suddenly, you must marry me, for
I'm determined to get a lean upon that
there critter some way or other.
II 'Lishers unheard of temcrity had
stopped here, Keturah would probably
have thrown the small unmentionabes at
him. but he did not wait for such disas-
ter-he got up made one stride over to
where the bewildered spinstor sat, and
gave her rousng kiss on her cheek. II Is
utterly impossible to predict what would
have happened II an unmistakable "snick-
or" had not sounded through the room.
The door had opened during tho love scene,
above described, and admitted Johnny
Shaw, just in time to witness the denoue-
ment. He had come for ''them potatoes"
Them potatoes" saved 'Lisher's bacon,
although suspect that Katurah had always
had a sneaking kindness for fisher. At
any rate, some months aftorward she gave
him the yearling and herself along with II
and he being good man, who knew the
use of door mat, was regular to his meals,
and was appreciative of an excellent wife,
whose price is above rubies. can safely
say that Katurah's last state has not been
worse than her first and as to the year
ling, II has grown to be famous COW, the
best mixer In the country, and lives In
perpetual clover. Revolution.
|
The Temperance Banner, of Attica. N. Y,