The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-12-24

young folks, for he liked dancing as
well as ever, and was amazing spry, too,
for his age.
Pretty soon they led onto the floor
for Four-hand Reel, and / saw that ia.
bez had Sally Wilkins, pretty girl
enough, but dreadfully disagreeable and
pert. / never liked her, but when she
looked at Thankful in the way she did
could have boxed her ears and enjoyed
doing it. ",
But, la! how Silas danced! The
ceilings were low in those days, and he
was as light as a top. When he was
casting off right and left, or going the Ia
dies chain, l can't just remember which,
his chin, some way, caught on string OF
dried apples, and he pulled down two OF
three yards of it right onto the floor.
They joked him, of course, and some one
said his heart and heels were very light.
Almira Bean-she was always saying
something -disagreeable-said she didn't
know about that, but his head must be.
l danced with the old Squire and Abel,
besides Silas and one or two others. ia
bez asked me, and although wanted to
refuse him, l didn't, because he was 50
handsome, and such nice dancer. He
never asked Thankful the whole evening,
but was very attentive to Sally, and you
may believe Silas was just as much SO to
Thankful.
"About ten o'clock we had supper.
Mrs. DoOlittle was an excellent cook, and
the beans and roast beef were done to a
turn. The chicken pie was delicious,
and so were the apple pies, pumpkin
and mince pies, dough-nuts, rye cakes,
riz bread and biscuits, sweet cakes, and
gingerbread, and ever 80 much besides.
But Mrs. Doolittle must be perlite, so
she urged every one to make out, and
she said that she hadn't much if any
thing to eat.
al hope you'll set up says she, and
take off the edge of your appetites, though
my victuals is jest as poor as they al
ways are. These beans are dreadfully
bad baked. Take some chicken, do;
maybe faint so bad. Thankful, do have
some beef; you haint eat a mouthfall,
nor you neither, Silas. Jerusha, child,
you can't find anything you can eat, can
you? Well, / don't wonder, when your
mother is such nice cook. Try some of
this sweet cake. It's dreadful heavy,
though. l declare you don't any of you
eat nothing
"Of course, we all did eat, and praised
everything, Just as much as she run it
down, and then asked for recipes, which
she gave, but our minds being so full of
the beaux and dancing we couldn't re-
member them, and so didn't try.
After supper We went back to dane
ing, and how light our hearts and feet
were. At least mine were, and so know
were Silas' and Sallie's. We didn't
dance in those days as you do now-fancy
dances you call them-but don't see
why, for to my mind Hull's Victory
and 'ROy's Wife, were deal prettier,
and more respectable certainly. We
were not so lazy about our dancing
neither, for Jacks arm flew like light
ming, and so did we, almost; and my !!
how the floor shook when all 'chassied,
and Jacks face shone like black bottle
with pride and perspiration.
"At last came the Virginia Reel,
where the gentleman bows to any lady
on the floor. When it came Jabez's turn
he went up to Thankful, made Il low bow
to her, and saw him give a kind of be-
seeching look, as though he wanted to
make up, but Thankful didn't appear to
notice it, but just darced her prettiest.
She looked 80 sweet and Jabez so manly
and handsome, that / said then to my
self / would bring them together if 1
had to sacrifice Sally and Silas, and my
pride altogether.
"This was the last figure, and then we
got ready to 60. The girls had on their
pelisses and the sparks were getting their
horses, when l thought l heard AbePs
voice. / rushed to the door, but saw,
when got there that it was Jabez wait
ing for Sallie. All of sudden it flashed
to my mind what to do, and went in
and spoke to Thankful, saying, Come,
your horse is ready She went out still
and quiet, and took Jabez's hand and
mounted up behind him. She never no
ticed that it was Jabez, but thought it
was Silas. Their horse trottcd off just
as Silas came up. How angry he was |!
and so was Sallie, and l just laughed,
but said not word. OF course they
went off together, though neither liked
the change very much, and mounted
behind Abel, but / shook SO when be-
gan to think it all over, that Abel
thought l was shivering with the cold,
and he hurried on as fast he could.
"We overlook Jabez and Thankful
just as we reached home, and they were
talking so earnestly that they hardly no
ticed us, so saw it was all right.
"Jerasha came home early, and was
already in bed, but Abel would make up
a fire, because, he said, I was almost
frozen, having shivered all the way home.
I went off to bed, and SO did Abel, and
left Jabez and Thankful in tn. keeping
room. They made up matters, sup
pose, for the next Sunday they were
cried in the old Brick Westinghouse.
"I always thought, and do still, that
Jabez knew all the time that it was
Thankful instead of Sallie; but never
dared to say much, for I thought ! had
said enough.
"Yes, and Ephraim and Jerusha were
married, and so were Silas and Sallie,
that same year of tie Junket at Squire
nnoI.ttIo,oO