Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-05-14

How proud he would be to take her in to
the county dinner-the best butter-maker
in Briefly Center-for Tom appreciated
those things, and she had heard him de-
clare that he should be proud Of a domes-
tic wife who could turn her hand to any
thing, like Mrs. Kitchen; and the reason
why she had never striven for that pima
Gle was because she fancied that he would
be proud of her on any terms. Beaux
came by nature, but piano was differ:
ent affair. Still she had no faith in her
own handicraft, and every time that she
sent her butter to market she expected it
to return unsold. The fair was 10 be held
in Briefly Center that year, and the time
drew near, and Amanda got so nervous
over the prospect that she dreamed she
was pound of butter left to melt in the
sun; and her favorite nightmare was that
the premium was Tom, and Neli's butter
took it. She found out the days on which
Nell churned, and she always took care
to drop in and taste the butter, in order
to compare it with her own, which did
not in the least conduce to her comfort,
but left the bitter flavor of envy upon her
palate
What are you going to stamp your
butter with, Nell?" she asked one day,
Tom Briefly offered suggestions about
harmony in the color of the rags.
"Oh, always use that old stamp of
grandma's, the sheaf of wheat, " replied
Nell. "There, will this piece of scarlet
flannel be out of taste here beside the
strips Of my old blue delaine, think?"
"Who ever heard of taste in rag mat ?"
laughed Amanda, peevishly. "Do let's
tallv o p17+ tho fair T1yra b77++o,. or, +ba
brain"
"a fatty degeneracy of the brain, eh?"
insinuated Tom.
"NOw don't laugh; if you had pre-
MUM to take you wouldn't feel so easy"
Wouldn't l, thought"
"DO you send your butter to the town
hall, Nell, in your butter box, just as if it
was going to market?'
Exactly" said Nell, sorting her rags
-" this bit of orange wouldn't 60 in bad
" there ?-yes, with my name on card
in the box''
"Would you mind lending me your
stamp-the sheaf Of wheat-after you've
done using it?''
mot the least in the world"
/ broke mine last churning."
"I'll send it over" And that was now
it happened that Nell stamped her own
butter with a strawberry instead of sheaf
of wheat.
So far Amanda had been as honest as
the sun. Mother hadn't so much as
touched the churn -dasher, and it was not
till the evening before fair-day that the
father of lies or original sin, made sug-
gestiOn to her naturally not in accord
ance with honor bright"
The butter, cheese, vegetables, fruit and
fancy work were all displayed in the
town hall, ready for the morrow's judg-
ment, Nell's and Amanda's among the
rest and it had unfortunately fall
len to Mr.. Wheating's part-he be-
ing one of the judges on fruits and
vegetables, and the nearest neighbor
to lock up the hall and take the
key home, in order to make sure that
the products of the country were not
mOlested. Amanda saw him come in and
hang the key behind the keeping-room
door.
whats that, father?" she asked.
It's the key to the town hall, that's all"
And then her evil genius said his
say" and she wrestled with him till all
the house was asleep, and was worsted.
She threw a shawl over her shoulders
just as the click struck eleven, and took
down the key stealthily, looking over her
shoulder the while. q must have the
piano, at all Odds" her thoughts ran, land
as for the premium, I'll make it up to
Nell some day" The moonlight was so
bright she had no need of a lantern. She
hurried across the fields into the high
way, brushing the dew as she went
straight to the town hall and let herself
in. The moon, playing fantastic pranks
| among the strange assemblage there,
startled her at first A mammoth cab
| bage seemed to be shaking its head at
her; the eyes in the potatoes winked at
her knowingly; the air was rank with
the Odor of fruit. She knew exactly
where her butter box had been placed,
| and Nell's too; she remembered that the
boxes were cOunterpartS of each other,
both small and implanted. All she did
in the world was to put her own box in
the place of NelPs and exchange cards
with her. Then she slipped out again,
and the great door groaned on its hinges,
and the groan echoed throughout the
silent hall; and before she was fairly out
of its shadow somebody passed by on
the other side, whistling "The rose that
all are praising" She drew the shawl
over her head; for it was Tom Briefly,
who paused and looked after her retreat
ing figure. Where had Tom been at this
hour? AT Nell's, perhaps, looking at the
piano. She had seen it arrive that
night with her own eyes, and had
not plucked up heart enough to go in
and praise it. 1t seemed too bad that
Nell should have the piano and the pre-
MUM both; for the foolish girl hadn't
doubt but Nell's butter would be the best;
it had taken the premium once, and peO-
pie weren't apt to retrograde IN the matter
| of making butter. But then, if Tom
should find her out how he would despise
her! and at that thought, though she was
hurrying away from her misdeed, she
| would gladly have returned and made it
all honor bright again, but for fear of
meeting Tom and being detected.
The next day the roads were gay, and
alive with folks flocking in from the
neighboring towns, dressed in their Sun
day best. There was a blowing match
worth seeing, at which Tom Briefly
himself took prize; and, to crown all,
there was the grand dinner in the big tent,
to which everybody walked by twos to
| the music of the fife and drum from West
Briefly, and all the nobodies stood aside
and stared, and cOnsoled themselves with
sarcastic remarks on the toilets in the
procession, and then went and peeped
through the chinks of the tent till their
mouths watered.
Tom Briefly came in little late to the
| dinner, flushed and handsome from his
| plOwing, and Amanda's heart gave great
| thump when he drODDed into vacant