The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-06-18


some blue silk dress, velvet cloak richly
fringed and braided, light silk hat with
feathers, and lace collar fastened with
snowy brooch. Gold bracelets on her wrists,
and lemon-colored kid gloves, completed
n costume which, though certainly becom-
ing, could hardly be called appropriate for
a stage-coach ride in muddy spring day.
Middleton's taste instantly pronounced it
and its wearer hopelessly vulgar. She talk
ed constantly, not only with the youth at
her side, who seemed to belong to her in
some way, but with all the other passen-
gers. Her voice was pleasant one, though
its tones, like her laugh, were SO loud as to
jar disagreeably on Middleton's ear. Ordi-
narily it would not have occurred to him to
be thus annoyed; indeed, his sense of hu-
NOR might have been pleased by the young
woman's shrewd and often witty comments
on the incidents of their ride; but to-day
he was i'll and nervous, and her loud tone,
her unpublished and occasionally ungramat-
ical speech and vulgarly snowy dress dis
pleased and disgusted him. He bore it as
long as he could, and then his impatienoe
broke out. Not loud enough, however, to
be audible to the object of it. 1t was to
his companion, the driver, that he exclaim-
ed, "Confound that woman's tongue Is
there no end to its Internal clatter?"
The driver looked at our friend with
surprised and half-offended glance; but in
moment he answered, in tone rather
patronizing and tolerant, as though the
person he addressed could really not be
supposed to know any better.
swell, stranger, guess you feel kind O.
out o. sorts this morning. You don't look
well, snum. Been sick, amt YEP"
eyes"
"Well, it beats all, how most anything
will kind o. hector fellow when he don't
feel just right. Now, for my part, I'd rath-
or hear Lymp Tucker laugh than to hear
preachin'; there's something heartenen' in
it; would cheer fellow up if he was blue
as Moxey's Mountain"
81 beg your pardon" said Middleton.
&C l did not know she was friend of yours;
and meant no harm any way"
"Oh, well, there's no ofense. Lymp
amt anything to me in particular; but
she's girl always like to have behind my
horses"
What did you call her?"
"Lymp Tucker-short for Olympia
Deacon Ben fuckers daughter; oldest of
six"
care they all like her?''
If there was any hidden sneer in his
words the driver did not perceive it. "Not
much," was his emphatic reply. "The're
as pindlin' set. She's as strong as thresh-
ing machine, and as smart as chain light
ning',"
"Indeed - what can she do?"
"Well, should like to have you men
tion any thing she can't do"
Mddleton's good buseding constrained
him to express an interest in the drivers
theme which, perhaps, he did not wholly
feel The latter went on confdentially.
Their seat being higher than the others,
the loud rattle of the wheels kept their
words within bounds.
"You see, sir, Deacon Tucker he haint
never been strong man, and was always
rather behind hand with his farming.
Then they've had sight of sickness.
Two of the girls died with consumption,
and Miss Tucker she fell down stairs and
hurt the spine of her back, SO she has
scarcely done days work since. One year
the deacon's crops failed, and the next he
had bad luck with his cattle dying; and so,
what with sickness and all, he'd had to
mortgage his farm, and it had only three
years more to run, and everybody reckoned
he'd have to lose it. Then Lymp she said
that never should be, for she should earn
the money to pay off the mortgage. She
was eighteen then, and had done all the
work at home pretty near since she could
run alone. She went out spinning till she
got money enough to pay her fare to Lowell,
and then she started for the factory. ] car
ried her down 70 the cars in my stage, and
happen to know that she hadn't but one
gown co her back when she went away.
"Well, she gotta good place, and she
worked straight along, and sent home
money--seven hundred dollars--and clear
ed off the mortgage, and took deed Of the
place In her own name 10 make sure against
accidents, That was six years ago or more,
and to-day you would never know twas tho
same place. The house is all fixed up, and
thers's new furniture In il, and the deacon's
as chirp as cricket and proud Of Lymp,