Litchfield enquirer., 1873-04-24

the name klnd of stays.t Dy) c:Wldnt gel along with anybody. 1 WAS as happy as I cricket whilst they were by, though to speak the truth, I wasn't naturally SC chirpy as they were; took after father more, who was kind of Responding mad, down hearted, never thinkin' things could turn out right, or that he was goin' and mother see it, and fought sg'inst it like real Bunker Hill; but natur' is hard to root up, and there was always times when I wanted to sulk away into corner and think nobody wanted me, and that was poor and humbiy, and had to work for my living.
 l remember one tune I'd gone up into my room before tea to have one of them dismal fits. Miss Perrit had been in to see mother. and she'd been tellin' over what luck Nancy'd had down to Hartford; how't she had gone into a shop, and a tyoung man had been struck with her good looks, an he'd turned ont to be master shoemaker, and Nancy was a-goin' to be married, and so on, rigmarole as long as the moral law, -windid' up with askin' mother why she didn't send us girls off to try our luck, for Major was as old as Nance Perrt. I'd waited to hear mother say, in her old bright way, that she couldn't afford it, and she couldn't spare us, if she had the means, and then flung up into our room, that was lean-to in the garret, with winder in the gable end, and there l set down by the winder with my chin on the sill, and begun to wonder why we couldn't have as good luck as the Perrits. After I'd got real miserable, I heerd a soft step comin' up stairs, and Major come in and looked at me and then out of the winder
 "What's the matter of you, Anny?" said she.
 Nothing" says I, as sulky as you please.
 Nothing always means something, g says Major, as pleasant as pie and then she scroOched down on the floor and pull ed my two hands away, and looked me i'm the face as bright and honest as ever you see dandelion look out of the grass | "What is it, Amy? Spit it out, as John Potter says; you'll feel better to free your mind"
 Well" seys I, ''Major, I'm tired of bad luck"
 "Why, Amy? didn't know as we'd had any. I'm sure, it's three years since father died, and we have had enough to live on all that time, and I've got my schooling, and we are all we'll; and just look at the apple-trees,- all as pink as your frock with blossoms; that's good for new cloaks next winter, Amy" "Ta'n't that, Major. was thinkin' about Nancy Perrit. If we d had the luck to go to Hartford. maybe you'd have been as we'll off as she; and then I'd have got work, too. And wish I was as pretty as she is, Majorj it seem too bad to be poor and humbly too.'
 wonder she didn't laugh at ne, but she was very feelin' for folks, always. See put her head on the window sill along of mine, and kinder nestled up to me in her lovin' way, and said, softly,-
 "I wouldn't quarrel with the Lord, Amy"
 "Why. Major! you scare me! haven't said nothing against the Lord. What do you mean2 said flor was touchy, real touchy
 "Well, dear, you see we've done all we can to help ourselves; and what's over and above. that we can't help,-that is what the Lord orders, ant it? and He made you, didn't He? You can't change Anny's face, and Iwouldn't have it chang. ed mite: there'n always be two people to think its slightly enough, and may be more by-and-by; so I wouldn't quarrel with it, if I was you.'
 Majors happy eyes alwas helped me. 1 looked at her and felt better. She wasn't any better lookin' than l. but she always was so clfirk, and smart and neat and pretty.behaved, that folks thought she was handsome after they knowed her.
 We'll, after spell, there was railroad laid out mp the valley, and all the land thereabouts rig in price right away; and Squire Potter he bought our farm on speculation, and give good price for it; so't we had two thousand dollars in the bank, and the house and lot, and the barn, and the COW. By this time Major was twenty-two and was eighteen; and Squire Potter he'd left his house up on the hill, and he'd bought out Miss Perrit's house, and added on tot and moved down not far from us, SOS to be near the railroad depot, for the sake of bein' handy to the woods, for cuttin' and haulin' of them down to the track. 'Twasn't very pleasant at first to see our dear old woods goin' off to be burned that way; but Squire Potter's folks were such good nighbors, we gained as much as we lost, and sight more, but folks are greatly better'n trees,-at least, clever folks.
 There was whole raft of the Potters, eight children of lem all, some too young to be mates for Major and me; but Mary Potter, and Reuben, and Russell, they were along about as old as we were: Rus sell come between Major and me; the oth- CT two was older.
 We kinder kept to home alwas, Major and me, because we hadn't any brothers to go out with us; so we were pretty shy of new friends at first. But you couldn't help bein' friendly with the Potters, they was such outspoken, kindly creturs, from the Squire down to little Hen. And it was very handy for us, because now we could go to singin' schools and quiltin's, and such like places, of an evenin'; and we had rather moped at home for want of l such things,-at least had, and should have been more moped only for Majors sweet ways She was always as content ed as honey-bee on a clover head, for the same reason, guess.
 We'll, there was Q good many good things come to us from the Potters' mov- in down; but by-and-by it seemed as though I was goin' to get the bitter of it. I'd kept company pretty steady with Rus sell. hadn't give much thought to it, neither; liked his ways. and he seemed to give Tn to mine very natural, so't we got along together first rate. It didn't seem as though we'd evar been strangers. and wasn't one to make believe at stiff ness when didn't feel it. I told Rus sell pretty much all had to tell, and he was alters doin' for me and runnin' after me jest as though he'd been my brother. didn't know how much I did think of him, till, after a while, he seemed to take | s1x -R R ever stopped bein' clever to me, for he didn't; but he seemed to have kind of hankerin' after Major all the time. He'd take her of to walk with him; he'd dig up roots in the woods for her posy bed; he'd hold her skeins of yarn as patient as little dog; he'd get her books to read. We'll, he'd done all this for me; but when see him doin' it for her, it was quite different; and all at once I know'd what was the matter. I'd thought too much of Russell Potter.