The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-12-27

ell hight, and ] had such a plor;ou
time--it was so lonesome and nice, afte
all the company I'd been with; tha
the old couple asked to stay and V;pi
with them, and did. staid there ,
week, all by myself, and | never had
such splendid time In my life. The,
wanted me 70 promise 10 spend Christ
mas with them, and l told them
would, If possibly couldj and / can
Just as well as .ot-so I'm going. Now
mamma" as the elder lady was about II
speak "you mi eht as wei! lst re 90
for. if ysu forbid it, III shub that horr;
BILE Old Marvin go that he'll never come
near the house again."
| Mrs. Avery knew her daughte,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS that when she said
thing. she meant it, and it was, proba
bly, owing to this knowledge that the
next morning found Miss Maud Avery
on the steam-cars, speeding along to-
ward the rambling old Conneetieut
! farm house.
II told you I'd come, if could and
here | arn,h she said to the pleasant.
faced. buxom old lady, who met her at
the door, with cordial handshak ke and
motherly kiss. "Were you expecting
me?" =
Swat" said the old woman, leadihp
her guest into the eheerrc. sitting-room,
where a wonderful iog-fire biazed and
crachlcd in pleasant RIGHTEOUSNESS, al
was speakin' to Hiram about 1t only
this morning, and he sorter thought YOU
wouldn't come. He said you city folks
alwus had your hands full about this
time of the ye.r; an 'twasn't likely a
young thing like you wauld want 70 run
Oft from the fun and frolic, Just to see
US, two cid folks. But Pm powerful
glad you've come and you won't be so
lonesome, neither, for my nephew's
comm either to night or tomorrow
morning; an he'll be company f r you.
He's as likely young man as you'd
wish to see"
Maud began to wish she had staid at
home! Farmer Seymour and his wife
Nancy, she really liked; but their
" likely young relative she had no de-
sire to cultivate. But her dissatisfac.
tion soon vanished under the influence
of the pleasant December sunshine, and
the strange quiet and peacefulness,
which was part and parcel of this New
England homestead.
The likely young man was not forth.
coming that evening, and Maud noted
his disappearance nth a sigh of re.
lief.
"One evening without strangers,
she murmured, in satisfaction. "And
that is considerably better than none at
all !" and so, at Uncle Hiram's" las
she he'd been desired to call him) re.
quest, she seated herself at the old
piano, and sang for hours the simple airs
which the old gentleman selected.
Bonnie Doon," and "O.d Hundred
Pop Goes the Weasel" and "Lennox," :"
followed each other in quick succession,
and she was just in the midst Of Hail
Columbia !" when in burst Aunt Nancy,
all of glow with excitement and exer-
else. e.------- ..---.----.---...-..-
whats the matter, wife ?" ask, d the
old farmer, breaking off from Heaven.
born Band" with suddenness which
caused Maud instinctively to follow his
example. Anything wrong?"
"Oh, dear yes" said the old woman,
energetically removing her woolen hood.
"Saliie Browns sick, and can't come to
help me tomorrow in my baking, and
there's nobody else in the neighbor.
hooi l can get, and what on earth ]
shall 90, it's beyond me to imagine. /
can get along well enough in the regu-
lar Christmas dinner; but one pair of
hands amt nowhere in the baking that's
got to be done beforehand" and the
poor woman very disconsolately gath.
cred up her wrappings, and rose from
her chair.
Mercy, Aunt Nancy!' said Maud,
cheeriiy, "don't worry about that l
don't believe but I'm just as good cook
as Sallie Brown and was going to ask
you, anyway, to let me help you to NOR
row. Mother laugh at me, because |
like the kitchen, and bribe our cook to
let me make a cake or q pie once in q
while, but tell her was born with q
knack for it, and ought to put it to
some account; but l don't get much
chance home, and I'll be perfectly de-
lighted if you'll play am Sallis to NOR,
row."
To this arrangement the old lady made
few objections, and the next morning
found Maud dulylinstalled as assistant
cook in the house of Seymour. Mrs.
Avery would have wrung her hands in
holy horror at the picture presented by
her lovely daughter, on that eventful
day. Her soft quilted rnerino wrapper
Aunt Nancy Immediately vetoed as TOO
nice for the "mussy" work on hand,
and for lack of anything else, brought
forth one of her own dark calicoes.
Three of tiny Maud Avery could have
occupied it comfortably, but, by dint of
a pin here, loop there, and a general
taking-in all over, she at last declared
it able to stsy on" This was then en-
veloped and covered by a voluminous
white bib apron, which, although serv.
ing.to hide supdry plaits, ETC., did not
take from the general dumpiness; her
abundant wsvy brown hair, concerning
whose reality there had been standing
disputes ever since her debut, was tightly
coiled round about her dainty little
head, and, altogether, Uncle Hiram's
criticism was just.
"You don't lock 50 citiGed; but, ac.
cordipg to my way o thinkin', you are
a good sight prettier."
Aunt Nancy was busy in an animated
lecture on pumpkin pies, a box Of ginger
in ono hand and box OF cinnamon in
another, when her liege lord hurried in
with the information that Hugh was
coming up the road. Both boxes were
dropped in a ,jifiy, and with hurried,
Now, child, don't forget! only half OF
th> ,,,, ,p,,lr;, Z, 70 ho eoaeOpeI with