Middletown transcript., 1874-09-19

. hearing nothing Of the pleasantries 60
ing on about her. with no relish fo
cake or com6t, because Nell Eustis hat
+ taken the first premium on butter
) That bad been the result of her night
, work of exchanging cards and butte
boxes with Nell! To be sure it wa,
I Amanda's butter that had taken th,
! prize, in spite Of her want Of faith, bu
how could she make it known? With
what face could she declare it? Surely
her sin had found her out.
. Seems ter me you ain't got youl
usual sperits nor appetite. Miss Mandy, !
said the deacon. q In love, eh
Won't you hev drop Of this honey,
say? It'll make your checks red an
your hair curl. Patty Jones took th Z
premium on honey. did you see +? The
doctor he asked her. the wag, if she
made it. or the bees I s'pose Miss
~ y II - +
/ NelPs rather set up with her premium
on butter, amt she Young Briefly
is kinder sweet on her, eh 2"
/ At the other side Of the table Tom
Briefly was whispering to Nell, !" So I
see your rag mat took prize. If it
j was for sale should buy It.
Oh, I'll give it to you. if you want
it. Tom" +" said Nell.
There's something else I wish
you'd give me instead. Nell Have you
tasted these gilly flowers? What's the
matter /? You look pale. Any deadly
secret on your mind? Make me father
confessor, Nell. do! I'm afraid that it
doesn't agree with you to take premi-.
ums. Til tell you what, Nell, II you'll Il
marry me, and come up to the Hall to-
live, I shall think I've drawn the 6rst
premium in the country:
Oh, Tom. gasped Nell, under her
breath, don't know what to do ! I
must tell some ebody! I'm almost wild
II didn't take the premium for but
ter? Somebody had exchanged cards
with me. You see, should never
have found il It iisaeat 5ut I stamped my
butter with strawberry; and that
which took the premium has my card
attached to the box, but it's stamped
with-well, no matter what; its differ
.ent, that's all. 1t isn't my butter.
Is that all y cried Tom. You
gave me such start! / thought you
were going to tell me that your afec-
tions were engaged to the deacon, or
you'd been changed in your cradle
Now don't laugh at me. Tom.
! It's no laughing matter, / can as
sure you, when a fellow offers his heart
and gets nothing back.
Oh, Tom, what do you want more
than I've given you already?
You've given me the rag mat. and
now | want you. Give some folks an
inch, and they'll want Nell.
But what shall I do about the but
ter ?
'.I'll tell the judges there has been q
mistake made Il
And then she'll know that she has
been found out.
And she ought to know it.
Butiit'll hurt her; she'll never be
able to hold up her head again. And,
don't you see she has been punished
enough already7'
Yes. / dare say she is heartily
Of herself Perhaps you had
better let it 60, and give the money to
he poor!
But do hate to take credit that
doesn't belong to me. d
However. Mrs. Wheating herself /
,ame to the rescue. She went into the
own hall to taste the prize butter by !
means Of which poor Amanda had lost i
Ter piano. :
Bless my eyes! said she, that's q
ny Mapdy's butter, if was to die for q
t! There isn't another lot here stamp /
d with sheaf of wheat. and would '
axe an oath that Mandy's was, though b
was not fetched up to hear swearing
a my fathers house. I will jest go
nd get Nell Eustis, and see if she will F
wn it. And Of course Nell vas only o
90 glad to resign the troublesome honor I
t taking the premium; and the judges .
1ere informed, and it was finally re- ]
nnounced that Amanda was the suc- ii
essful oampetitor, and nobody dreamed f
ow the mistake had come about. La
They allus muddle and mix things r
, at them fairs explained Mrs. b
Vheating. o,
But when Amanda's father began to O,
llk abogt the piano, Amanda hung b,
re she would not hear to tit cost a,
10 much, she had not any gift at :,
usic-and SO the matter dropped. - SC
ut when Nell fulfilled her dream, and te
arried Tom, and went to live at
rierly Hall, she gave Amanda her v
cond-hand plano that had cost Of
manda so much.
And, after all. Tom Briefly thinks
at it was he who took the premium at in
e county fair. co