Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-13

porch, vanished inside of the hall door
So there was nothing to be done but to
turn reluctantly from the gate and take
the road homeward.
If you could have looked into the fam
lily sitting room at Squire Moore's short
ly before eight o'clock on the same even
ing you would have had CHEEKY picture
before you. The after-supper clearing
away was over, for tie sitting-room was
also the room where the daily meals of
the family were eaten. The leaves of the
old-fashioned dinner table had been let
down, and the table itself, covered with
bright oiled cloth, set back against the
wall. The crumbs had been carefully
brushed with a turkey wing from the
neat homemade carpet, and Armies
workstand was drawn mp in front of the
ample and blazing fire of hickory logs
which cracked cheerily in the old-fash-
toned fireplace.
A bountifully piled tray Of red checked
apples and a plate full of cracked walnuts
were on it, in close proximity to Annie's
coquettish work-basket, made Of pine
cones by her own deft little hands, and
daintily lined with blue silk.
On one side of the fireplace sat Mrs
Moore, fat, fair, more than forty, and at
peace with all the world She sat sway
ing backward and forward at intervals
in her low rocking chair, knitting as she
rocked and refreshing herself now and
then with mouthfu1 from a half eaten
apple which lay within easy reach, just
upon the corner of the table, or touching
in caressing manner with the tip of her
foot sleek, lazy-looking grey cat that
lay purring and blinking on the hearth
rug before her.
Annie sat on the other side of the
| table deity drawing her needle in and
out of long piece of white cambria, and
| with her head as busy as her hands with
trying to contrive some clever way of in
cidentally mentioning the visit, which
she was now momentarily expecting, to
her mother, without exciting the
sD aar sn hts S %anfa hape gTsn
a good deal to have been able to
| say in an off hand manner that she
wouldn't wonder if Mr.. Winthrop were
| to drop in, as he was in the habit of call
ing occasionally On Saturday evening at
about this time. But she recollected with
a twinge of conscience how hard she lad
| tried to persuade the old lady to accom-
| pany her husband on the promised visit
to Aunt Ruth's in spite of her forewarn-
ings of a coming spell of "neuralgy,'
which had inundated her from ventur-
ing out into the damp night air; and also
how she had plead headache as an excuse
for not going herself. She knew that
her mother was quite sharp enough to
draw her own differences from these two
| facts, and the additional one of her being
| dressed with more than usual care to
spend an evening at home.
~ shall not dare to tell her now" she
said to herself 'She'd be sure to think
| that | wanted to get her out of the way,
SO that might have David all to my
SELF So, like wise little puss, she was
| silent.
Tll venture my word on it, you would
not have wondered at our bashful young
| farmers desperate enthrallment, If you
could have seen Annie Moore as she sat
sewing by the fire that frosty night, in
November. She had, just before supper,
INDUCED in what a Western girl would
call fixing up" A neat-fitting, dark
chintz dress, looking as fresh as when it
had first come out of the village store, a
dainty white linen collar and cuffs, and a
| blue neck ribbon tied in cunning bow,
were the chief items of Annie's toilette.
| But she looked as sweet and pretty, as il
hours had been spent in DOMINIC satin,
| lace and jewels. Her rich, wavy, gold
brown hair was carried in shining folds
| away from her red cheek, and caught up
in the meshes of silken net at the back.
Eight O'Clock and past Worthy Mrs.
Moore was doing over her knitting. Her
about in gotesque mimicry as she nodded
to and fro-now crushing the voluminous
| white satin bows on her spruce CAP
| against the back of her chair-now
| almost falling forward, while her fat
hands at length dropped listlessly in he1
| lap, and her ball of yarn rolled down
upon the hearth. Pussy espying it, was
soon busy in unwinding and converting it
into all sorts of Gordian knots.
All at once came a double rap at the
edoor-an audacious double rap-which
said ''Let me in" SO loudly and impa
tiently, and in such a self-assured man
| ner that Annie, rendered nervous by sus
pense, started up with little scream,
and set her foot on Madam Puss' tail,
| to her amaZament and displeasure.
| All these combined or rather rapidly
successive noises, aroused Mrs. Moore,
and she started wildly into an erect pos
ture, rubbing her eyes, setting her cap
| border and eXclaiming:
"Bless my soul, Annie! What was all
| that? Somebody at the door? What time
is it any how, and who can it be- So late
as this, toor'
cit is not very late, mother. Only a
little after eight. I'll go and see who it
is" said Annie demurely, at the same
time taking the one candle from the table.
No! Here, Annie, you wind up my
ball and brush up the hearth while l 60
to the door. Drat that cat!'
| For the old lady's feet were all this
while struggling in the perplexing meshes
of the unravelled yarn.
In her hurry Mrs Moore forgot to take
the candle with her; and as she stepped
out into the small, unlighted front entry,
she unwittingly closed behind her the
door of the room she had just left. AL
most at the same moment she put her
hand On the handle of the outer door, and
opening it, she suddenly found herself in
tie ardent embrace of pair of stout
arms. A whiskered face was brought