The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-05-23

z1uYErurt :srEs1snI;,T 'GzTzr =
she was dligcnt at the weekly chmm ~
Nell always sent butter 10 The county ail
and had taken premium only Last year !
she could only eclipse Men. And there W.
Tom Brcrly tool low proud ne would h
to take her in 10 the county Ginucr--thc be,
buDlcr.malior in Briefly Ccncr-for Tom mp
prcCiatcd those things, and she had hear,
HIM declare that he should be rOud OF 90
nestle wife who could turn her hand to any
thing, like Mrs Kitchen; and the reason whl
she had never srivcn for that pinnacle Nu
because She tancicd that he would be prOuC
of hcl on any terms BcauX came l. uatur,
but piano was different affair. Still sh,
had no faith in her own handicratt, and every
time she sen; her butter TO market she expect
ed it to return unsold The tair was to be
| held in Briefly Center that year, and The
! time drew near, and Amanda got so nrryou,
over the prospect that she dreamed She was q
pound OF butter left to melt IN the sun; ana
! her favorite nightmare was that the premium
was Tom, and NclIs butter took it, she
found ont The days on which Nell churncd
and always took caro- to drop in and taste the
butter in order to compare ii with her own,
which did not in the least cOnducc 10 her
comfort but left the bitter flavor Of cnyy up.
on her palate.
"What are you going t. stamp your butter
with. NcllY" she asked one day, while Nell
was braldng rag mat, and Tom Briefly Of
frrcd suggestions about harmony in the color
Of the rags.
con, always use that old stamp Of grand.
mas. the ,hcai O, wheat" replied Nell
"Thcrr, will this piece Of scarlet flannel he
out of taste here beside the strips oimy old
blue dclalnc, think?'
"A fatty degcneracy Of the L,alu, ch" in
situated Tom,
"Now don't laugh, if you had a premium
to take you wouldn't feel 50 easy"
"Wouldn't |, though?'
"Do You send your butter to the town hall,
Nell, in your butter box Just as i, il was
going to Market
Exactly" said Nell, sorting her rags
this Bit Of orange wouldn't 20 in badly
thcre!-scc, with my name on card in the
box
Would you mind lending me you. stamp
the shcat Of wheat-atter you've done using
it,"
Not the least in the world"
~ broke mine last Churniny."
"I'll send it over And that is how il hap
)encd that Nell stamped her own butter with
. strawberry instead of a shcat Of wheat
So far Amanda had been as honest Us the
un. "Mothcr" hadn't 50 much rs touched
he churn-dasher, and it was not until the
ycning before fair day that the father of lies, /.
" original sin, made suggestion to her
not in accordance with "hunOr
fright"
The butter, cheese, vegetables, fruit and
ancy work were all displayed in the town
all, ready for The morrow's judgment, Nells |
nd Amanda's among the rest; and it had UNI
)rtunately fallen to Mr.. Wheating's part-he
eng one ef the judges on fruits and yege-
lbcs, and the nearest neighbor-tO lock up
ne hall and take the key home, in order to
lakc sure that the products Of the country
ere not molested. Amanda saw him come
and hang the key behind the kecpingroOm
DOR
whats that father"
"It's the key that belongs to the town hall,
ats all"
And then her evil genius said his say"
Id she wrestled with him till all the house
as asleep, and was worstcd. She threw a
lawl over her shoulders just as the clock
ruck eleven, and took down the key stealth
y, looking over her shoulder the while. II
iSt have the piano, at all odds" her thoughts {
IN, "and as for the premium, I'll make it up !
Nell some day The moonlight was 50
irrled across the fields into the highway, a
ushing the dew as she went straight to the p
wn hall and let herself in. The moon, +
aging fantastic FRANKS among the strange :
semblage there, startled her at first a .
ammOth cabbabe seemed TO be shaking its :
ad at her; the eyes OF the pOlat )cS winkcd
her knowingly; the air was rank with the .
or of fruit. She knew exactly where her !
liter box had been placed, and Nell's too; :
c remembered that the boxes were counter ;
rts OF each other, both small and unpaint-
B.. All she did in the world was TO put her ,
* in the place of Nell's and exchanged -,
rds with her. Then she slipped out again !
id the great door groaned on its hinges, and
c groau echoed throughout the silent hall .
id before she was fairly out of It's shadow +
melody passed by on the other side whistl- /
Z The rose that all are praising." She /
ew the shawl over her head for it was Tom I
ricrly, who paused and looked after her re- =
eating figure. Where had Tom been at this +
'ur? At Nell's perhaps, looking At the pi- Y
10. She had seen it arrive that night with :
n own eyes, and had not pluckel up cour- y
,e enough to 60 in and praise IT. 1t seemed y
o bad that Nell should have the piano and 7
c premium both for the foolish girl had ;
It doubt but Ncll's butter would be the
81, IL hiu NdN'h tlic prem UNI bHCC, anu
oplc weren't apt tr rctrograde in the matter r
making butter But then, if Tom should ',
I'd her out, how he would dcspisc her. and u
the thought, though she was hurrying away !,
)m her misdced she would gladly have re-
rncd and made it all honor bright again,
1t for the fear Of meeting Tom and being u
tcctcd.
The next day the roads were gay, and alive u
it'll folks ilocking in from the neighboring
WINS, dressed in their Sunday best There ;
rs IA blowing match worth seeing, at which =
Dn Briefly himself took prize; and, to &,
own all, there was the grand dinner in the i,
g tent, to which everybody walked by twos ;
the music of the fife and drum from West
rierly, and all the nobodieS stood aside and =
lred, and cOnsolcd themselves with sarcastic :
marks on the toilets in the procession, and /,
en- went and pccpcd through the chinks of T,
C tent till their mouths watered. :
Tom Briefly came in a little late to the din !
r, flushed and handsome from his blowing, I
id Amanda's heart gave great thump when y
dropped into vacant seat beside Nell, y
hIlc she sat opposite, with nobody but Dea- r
-. II IL, IL.