The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-04-10
4 HOOsier Reality.

1t was as pretty country cottage
as is to be found in all the Wabash
| Valley, situated on a prominent bluff
/ overlooking the broad stretches of bot
tom land, and giving fine view of
/ the wide winding river. The windows
and doors of this cottage were draped
/ in vines, among which the morning
glory and the hOney-suckle were
most lUxuriant while on each side of
/ the graveled walk that led from the
| front pOrtieO to the door yard gate
| grew clusters Of pinks, sweet-williams
and larkspurs. The house was paint
ed white, with very green window
shutters, Old-fashiOned, to be sure, but
! coZy, hOmelike and tasty withal.
About the hour of six, one Monday
morning, in the month Of May, fine
| looking lad OF twelve walked slowly
Up the path which led FROM the old
orchard to the house. He was dress
ed i'll loose trowsers of bOttle-green
jeans, a jacket of the same, heavy
boots and well-wOrn hat. His face
was strikingly handsome, being fair,
/ Ihealthful, intelligent and bright,
| though now it wore an indescribable,
| family visible shade of grief, as of
innocent perplexity or possible sHr-
row.
The mistress OF the cottage was at
/ this time in the kitchen preparing for
the weeks washing. She was mid
dle-aged, stOutly built, healthy, blue
eyed and quick i'll her movements.
/ Usually smiling aud happy, it Was
painful to see how strongly she now
struggled to master the emotions of
sadness that constantly arose in her
! bosom like spectres that would not be
/ driven away.
A bright-eyed, golden-haired maid
| en- of sixteen was in the breakfast
room, washing the morning dishes,
and singing occasional snatches from q
mournfuI ditty. 1t was sad indeed to
| see a cloud of regret and halfsuppress-
ed anguish on that fair young face.
and dimming the earnest sparkle OF
! those usually merry eyes.
! Mr.. Coulter, the head of the family,
/ owner of the cottage and lands, stood
near the center of the sitting room,
gazing fixedly and sadly at the pic
! ture Of a sweet child holding 4 white
kitten in its lap, which hung on the
wall over against the broad fireplace.
| A look of sorrow betrayed itself even
/ in the dark, stern visage OF the man.
Occasionally he.drew his grizzled mus
/ tache into his mouth and bit 1t fierce
Ily. Evidently ne was chafing under
grief.
| The cottage windows were wide
open, as is the Western custom in fine
weather, and the fragrance Of the
! spicewood and sassafras tiOated in on
/ the fiood-tide Of pleasant air, while
| from the great locust down by the
yard fence, fell the twittering prelude
to the finch's song. a white line OF
/ fog above the river was plainly vlsi--
I BILE from the west windows, and
| through the fieecy veil fiocks of teal
and wood ducks cut swiftly in their
downward sweep to the wSter. A
golden flicker sung and hammered on
/ the gate post, the while he eyed a
sparrow hawk that wheeled and
dreamed high overhead.
The lad entered the kitchen and
said to his mother, in voice full Of
tenderness, though hardly audible:
"Mam, where's pap ?'
'In the front room, Billy" replied
/ the matrOn, solemnly.
Passing into the breakfast room,
/ Billy looked at his sister, and flash
of sympathetic sorrow played back
and forth from the eyes Of one to the
other when he went straight into the
/ sitting room and handed something
| to Mr.. Coulter.
The man looked at his boy proudly,
sternly, sadly, exultirg, heroieally.
/ It was living tableau no artist could
reproduce.
i'BiIly," said the father gravcly, 81
took your mother and sister to church
yesterday"
'rYes, sir"
"And left you to see to things"
"Yes sir" replied the boy, gazing
out through the window at the flicker
as it hitched down the gate post, and
/ fna ly dropped into the grass with a
shrill chirp.
"And you didn't feed tie pigs ?''
5000 ! Oh, sir GeerOOdy! Oh, mel
/ Lawsy, lawsy, me ~
The slender scion Of an apple tree
rose ard fell in the hand of Mr.. COul-
ter, and up from the jacket of the lad,
I like incense from an altar, rose a
cloud of dust, mingled with the nap
4 OF NEaLlSs IUML III NAlG , OuuA CAOH EA
of the meadow the lark and sparTOws
sang cheerfully. the gnats and flies
| danced up and down in the sunshine,
the fresh, soft leaves of the vines rus
/ tied, and all was merry indeed.
Billy's eyes turned up toward the
face Of his father in appealing agony ;
but still with sharp hiss the switch
cut the air, falling steadily and merci-
/ lessIy on his shoulders. All along the
green banks of the river the willows
shook their shiny fingers at the lift
| ing fog, snd the voices of children go
/ ing by to school smote the sweet May
wind.
"Oh, pap, Pll not forget the pigs no
more I'
'''Spect you won't neither"
The wind by sudden puff, lifted
| into the room shower of white
/ blooming petals from a sweet apple
! tree, letting them fall gracefully on the
| patchwork carpet, the while a plOw-
man whistIed plaintively in q distant
field.
"Outeh Crackee Oh, pap, Oh,
/ pap p'
"Shut your mouth, r Ill split you
/ to the backbone"
How many delightful places in the
/ woods, how many cool spots beside
/ the murmurIng river, would have
! been more pleasant to Billy than the
place he then occupied.
"Oh me, oh me ~ yelled the lad.
/ Still the dust rose and danced in the
/ sianting Jet of sunlight that fell across
! the room, and the hens out in the
barn cackled and sang for joy over
/ new eggs laid in choice places.
my land, amt Bill gitten' an aw-
I ful one ?'' said the gOlden-haired sister
Isympathetically
"You'Fe mighty right" replied the
mother solemnly.
/ Along toward the last, Mr. Coulter
tiptoed at every stroke The switch
/ actually screamed through the air as
I it fell. Billy danced.
ssNOw go, sir" said the man, toss
ing the friZzled stump Of the gad out
at the window, ego now; and next
time you feed them pigs"
And, while the finch poured out a
cataract Of melody from the locust, he
went.
Poor boyl that was ] terrible thrash
ing and, to make it worse, it had
I been promised to him the evening be-
fore, so that he had been dreading il
and shivering over Itall night. Now,
as he walked through the breakfast
room, his sister looked at him in q
cOmmiserating way, but, on passing
through the Kitchen, he could not
catch the eye Of his mother.
Finally he stood in the free open all
in front Of the saddle closet. IL was
lust then a speekled rooster on the
barn-yard fence, Topped his wings anc
crOwed vOciferOusly.
A turkey cock was strutting upon
the grass by the old cherry tree.
. Billy opened the door Of the clos
ct.
"a boys viii is the winds will, an,
the thoughts Of youth are long, Ions
thoughts"
= Billy peeped into the closet, sn'
then cast a glance around him, as
to see whether anybody was near.
At length, during a pleasant lull II