Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-07-29

answered Amanda suggestiyely as well as
wisely, and tossing her head, as she bade
him goodbye.
at can't be that Nell would marry the
Deacon for his means musod Tom
-" Amanda's such little apple-blossom that
It's hard for a fellow to make up his mind.
Jehu what conceited ass am Per-
haps Nell wouldn't marry me any way
There's a look in her eyes, though, that
makes me feel sometimes as if there wasn't
anybody else in the wide world-and then
Amanda will throw one Of her saucy gances
this way, and raise the deuce 10 me !"
Z" I'm going to make some Of those raised
1oughnuis that father likes" said Amanda
that evening I'm going to surprise him
with EN-"
Waal, there's nothin ter hender," re-
turned her mother, "ouly the emptig is out
"Thats always the way, if | take no.
tion to do anything
Wa'al, you don't take notion often
enough ter hurt, but it you're sot on it,
you might toss up rolly-polyi he likes
that a sight better only it's apt to swell in
his stomach"
Dear me it stains your hands So, peel.
ing apples !" said Amanda, who was too or
nameuta to be very useful In fact, the
neighbors had asserted long ago that the
Wheatings were spelling Amanda and
she wasn't brought up as a farmers daugh-
ter should be she couldn't make up q
baking nor take of a churning more than
baby. These things had come to Farmer
Wheating's ears and had made them burn
So when he had come home to dinner, and
found the rolly.polly smoking hot on the
table, he smacked his lips, and said
"Jest see what a wife your mother is,
Mandy You'll never hev the sense to
make such a tit-bit for your husband like
this ere You'll hey to perk up and get
accomplished in your cookin', Mandy, if
you want to get married for they do say
as how a mau's hearts reached through
his stomach, and dunno but they're about
right"
al guess shan't have much trouble in
getting married when want to-" pouted
Amanda, with a toss Of her head " And
that's all the thanks | &c, for staining my
hands pecling apples, and blistering my face
over the oven :"
"Holloa, Mandy; you don't mean ter
say that you made it2 I'd as soon expect
the moon ter turn ter green cheese"
you're mighty encouraging Wher
Nell cooks up things just to please her
father, he always praises en- up to the
skies and it isn't so hard for Nell, because
she was brought up to it, sulked Amanda
"Wa'al, amt | a-praisiu' it, Mandy
Amt been helping to it twice2 Whai
better praise can you hev than that2'
"Nell's going to have piano, too,
pouted Amanda, who was hankering attel
something more substantial than praise.
"a pianuy What's she goin ter dc
with it2 Keep it fur the chickens tel
roost on? Old Eustis is a-sheliu' out
pears to me. s'poso you'll be wantin
one next ?"
"I'd give all I'm worth to get one first,
confessed Amanda. She'll be so high
falu,in you cant touch her, and it's dread
full uncomfortable to live beside neighbor
who put on airs"
"And | s'pose a pianny would make yoI
kinder humble.like, Mandy. Wa'al, if yol
was to take a premium at the county fai
for the best butter I'd buy you pianny
There's bargain for you!'
"Lor sakes never made pound il
all my born days. But mother could hell
me-"
"No, no mother shan't put finger to
honor bright. I'm goin' fur ter show tn
i folks how as you're equal to any of tn
farmers daughters | amt going ter hav
; it thrown in my face no longer that Nv
fetched you up above your station"
"Well, | don't care if try it. If
% don't take the premium, there won't b
|. any harm done; and if do, you'll buy IN
brand-new seven octave piano-honc
- bright2"
4 "Yes. | will seven octave, or sevent
. whatever an octave may be-
And so Amanda went to work with
. will; she was diligent at the weekly churl
ing Nell always sent butter to the count
fair, and had taken a premium only la
"a year. If she could only eclipse Nell An
there was Tom Briefly, too. How prou
a he would be to take her to the county dil
- uer-the best butter made in Briefly Cel
" tre-for Tom appreciated those things, al
she had heard him declare that he should
;, proud of domestic wife who could tut
her hand to anything, Mrs Kitchen au
n the reason why she had never striven fro
" that pinnacle was because she fancied thI
=, be would be proud Of her on any term
o Beaux came by nature, but piano was
different affair. Still she had no faith
her own handicralt, and every time that 81
II sent her butter to market she expected it
" return unsod. The fair was to be held
~ Briefly Centre that year, aud the tin
:, drew near, and Amanda got so nervous oy
90 the prospect that she dreamed she was
=, pound Of butter left to melt in the sum al
N IL her favored nightmare was that the pr
MUM was Tom, and Noll's butter took
=, She found out the days on which M
~ m churned, and she always took care to dr.
81 81 in and taste the butter, in order tocompa
~ ~, it with her own, which did not in the lei
Lo conduce TO her comfort, but left the bitt
nd favor Of envy upon her palate
an "What are you going to stamp your BIT
;g ter with, Nell ?" she asked one day, VIII
~ ~ Nell was braiding rag mat, and IL
ls Briefly offered suggestions about harmo
aa in the color Of the mat.
-, "Oh, l always use that old stamp
;, grandma's, the sheaf of wheat" repli
1 Nell. There, will this piece of scar
A; flannel be out Of taste here beside
~ 'as strips of an old blue delaine, think ?"
no "Who ever heard of taste in I
W, mat 2" laughed Amanda, peevishly. e"
VA let's talk about the fair. I've got but
Ia on the brain"
nd ra "a fatty degeneracy of the brain, eh
: insnuated Tom.
om Now don't laugh; if you had a P
sh MUM to take, you wouldn't feel so easy
nd Wouldn't |, though
81. ado you send your butter to the to
10 hall, Nell, in your butter box, just as il
ws was going to market3'
y" "o Exactly said Nell, sorting her r
ia -" this bit OF orange would go in ba
ido there yes, with my name on card
hic the box"
10 "Would you mind lending me y
,ho stsmp-the sheaf of wheat-after you
,ou done using it ?"
.hr mot the least n the world"
,nS 81 broke mine last churning."
u