Litchfield enquirer., 1875-10-07

| lOtS tO See 106. auO Sud Wa8 H<4&Ab 4uu
 handsome as g red hollyhocE. She threw
 my little bundle of storin's inp my lap,
 and said, ''They threw in som darnin'- needles extra, Hattie" and thn she went
 on talkin' to me and ma, wEo was a. sittin spinnin' and reelin. togahew and
 most the fust thing she said vs. S .Ab'- gail Grifith's boy has come hS S2 xei- cester, and Toms sent me 6 Idfk 1his pay, and 8 slip of a new kindpf eranium in pot. He says it has real pxetfy flow
 CTS. but it isn't tough, thought looks so. and must n't let it freeze. Ana ns's sent
 word to buy the Wilder Tkcmpson's farm, and the money to pay for nt is in the Bank of Worcester, and I'm going to get the house ali ready against rIa coming home in the spring. l gse
 .'S'pose you calkilate to .gck msnied then, spoke right out 9-V7 sss !
 'sTom says so," and she blusled real pretty about it. We'll, the farm was bought. and she went to work, and how that girl did workl She made raQ-car- pets for every room in the hous to De sure there were only four on 'ess. but it takes lot of rags when you cut md dye and weave every bit on lem with your own hands, ,--and she braided hRs. and she picked and cured live geese feathers enough for two beds and four pillows {: and she was just as chirk and sa up as she could be. 7Ass And this here oleander grew aad erev. She covered it up every night Tom the frost, and allus put pail of watF by it every night through Janoary to ksep it from freezin, and it throve fust<nte.
 In the spring Tom come home. And he wanted to be married right of, nd they I sa1 m1xr~A' 4Nn vwx*A11c~ - Katy had some apple-blows in her hair. and looked splendid but no good comes of weddin' in May any more than.on a Friday, and you'll see it's so afors I've got through. Tom meant to stay h hum and farm 1t for the summer, and thu % voyagin' again in the winter, aft& the crops were got in. You see they was dreadful ambitious, and wanted to nst on fast. o
 Well, when TLanksgivin' was ova. Tom went of. It was tough parting, aid he seid if he haen't give his word he would have stayed to hum. You see neitbsr of lem thought just how it would be. and that it wasn't just right to leave Kat all alone in the dead of winter, with fo1F feet of snow on the ground, and she not quite so able to get about as usual. He wzrted her to go and stay to his or her fakher's while he was gone, but she said no. She'd | got plenty of sewin' to do afore spring. and the cattle to fodder; and she quoted the Bible. and said that she would abide by the stuff"
 guess he felt awful to. leave her, thsugh he expected to be back afore her trouble was on her. but sbe kep' up and talked brave to him. 1 went over there the axter- noon of the day he went the went away of Thursday morninC, and her eyes were as red and stuck out like lobsterses. and she kind O choked when she fust see me. afore she could tell me to set down and take chair, and take my calash of and stay to tea.
 Well. I used to go over and see her as often as I could. She kep' busy <5s RHa tfe aRA aTaae md abather S and laid t d.
 April One day abe said to me- s.1naRz. I'm not so iight-footed as was, ss-$ J m thinking that I'll take the new school ma am to board, so's to have her little brother help me outdoors. He can fod- der the COWS and do the milking, and drive them to pasture, and can keep more in- doors and do the housework." Elviney Skinner was very glad to come, cause Katy was fust-rate cook, and as neat as new pin, and felt kind O easier about her after they come, cause she'd always have company. I wanted to go and stay with her myself, but ma said wasn't big enough.
 One mornin' I see the doctor go by,and Miss Mariner with him, and knew Katy's time had come. Ma had brought ne over piece of the groanin' cake 8 week afore. felt dreadful bad to think of poor Katy. and Tom not back. ran out to the gate to see the doctor when he come back, and he said, Hattie. tell your ma there are two peradyentures this time. Katy Mariner has got twins two big twin boys" never was so sot down in my life, and ran right in to tell ma and ask her if mightn't go over and see them. She wouldn't let me go that day, but as soon as could she sent me over there to see the twins, and likely children they for fear of worryin' her, she lay So calm, I spoke to Miss Mariner, Toms mother, and she said she was kind O troubled. for Tom had said he would be back ia March sure, and now it had got to be May.
 And it got to be June, and nothing was heard of Tom. Katy went right to work as soon as she was out of bed, and sowed corn and oats she had the plowin' all done afore she was sick and she sad the little lad planted garden, so she'd have garden sass through the summer She had her hands full, what with her babies and her farm, but they were such good babies, and jest as contented as kittens. l She used to tie lem one in each end of the cradle, and give lem each tin pan and an iron spoon, and they'd make music till they went of to sleep, and she'd jest 60 round and do her work. She seened pretty contented too, and took up with the babies and her farm, and I guess she worked too hard to fret much. But when fall come and the farm work was mostly over, and Thanksgivin' -woaId be along pretty soon, and Tom nos back and no word of him, she couldn't stand it 1 no longer One day she come overto see me while the babies was asleep. Sue call ed lem Romulus and Remus, cause, she said, she was kind of wolf mother to them, and she said something about Ieep- l in the wolf from the door and sucklin' them at the breast of poverty; but I didn't know what she meant then, and don't nov, for that matter, except fast she'd do her dooty by 'em. Says she 70 me. says she, "Mattie, can you go over 10 my house tomorrow to see to things, | Wnlie go 70 VI OxCesteE anu tEF H ctu find out something about Tom? cart wait no longer. must find out what h,s become of him, or my heart will break 1" and she most broke down and, eried, ard 50 did I. St aA
 Iwent over early in the mornin' and found her all wrapt up, a-waitin' for me. She was going to take one baby with he,
 and leave the one that had learned b drink out of a cup at hum with me.
 "Land,s sakes. Katy" says I, chow well you do manage ! jest as the Iniuns do with their pappooses :" for she sl6ng tAe
 baby on her back with . shawl, So tlnt
 both her hands were left free for the reius; and her horse vas dreadful gentle. Issw
 her start of once more through tkem
 same pine woods.
 Agood while arter, she told me ever so
 much about her feelin's on her two rides.
 She was 90 happy when she went afGe
 she got married, a-planin' about it asd
 her home with Tom. She was so proud
 to work for him and make him comfora-