The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-12-09
THANKSGIVING BEGGARS.

LoR, your Thanksgiving beggars amt
nothing new! We used to rig ourselves
up in old rags when l was CURL, and
many's the good laugh we've he'd when
some of the neighbors was took in by US
and filled our baskets with THANKSGIVING
fare. Your spelling matches amt moth
ing new, neither. We used for to hev em
out to Pixies Clearing, jest for recreation
like; cold winter evenings they warmed
you up bit and begot many a heart
burning, III warrant. In the summer
time. you see. we could hev ffgger in
the barn, if Ben he'd his violin mended;
but winters there want nothing we could
do but jest get together and cultivate our
minds with the spelling book, for we
couldn't dance in the school house on ac-
count of the seats. Seems to me can
see Sibyl Jones now waiting on the sittee
for to be chose on one side or t'other; for,
you see, Jack Rhett, Square Rhett's son,
studying with Parson Paul to keep up
with his class at Yale The year he was
rusticated; and the way of it was, he al
ways led one side of The spelling match
and Matthew Morris, Farmer Morris
Matt, led the other; and there sat Sibyl as
still as Il mouse, only her hands working
together under her shawl-for the school
house want always as warm as love-and
her two soft eyes a glittering, glittering;
and p'r'aps it wouldn't be till there wasn't
nobody left to choose that young Rhett
would say, saucy enough:
"Wel., now I'll take Miss Sibyl Jones"
Last, but not least" Matt Morris
would call out. For the truth was, Matt
would hev chose her furst himself but he
knew that she wouldn't do anything A.
spelling against Jack Rhett, and that she d
sooner be last with Jack than first with
anybody else. That's what call self-de-
NAL, or else never came across the thing
But, you see, Jack was playing sort of
fast and loose with Sibyl he hankered
after her pretty face and pretty manners,
but he couldn't quite bring himself to
overlook the distance between Square
Rhett's son and Farmer Jones daughter,
specially as Farmer Jones was ne'er-do-
we'll, and loved his own cider barrel bet
tern all the rest of mankind. Now with
Matthew Morris it was different. as every
body knows. He loved Sibyl jest for her
self, and it didn't make no odds to him
who or what her father was so long as she
was nobody but herself. But then he was
only farmers son himself, and p'r'aps
he didn't know no better. Well, we kept
up the spelling-matches pretty much all
winter, and sometimes Rhett would choose
Slbyl the very furst, and then again he'd
contrive not to choose her at all, and she'd
be that cut up by it-for Sibyl never he'd
much proper spirit-that she d be the furst
to miss on words that a baby could spell,
and Rhett would be sure to laugh and
chatf her till the tears was jest ready to
guSh out of her two dove eyes, for the
lypoxxy oil hic 1,-nrE
only knows why she cared soumarkee
for the young saucebox. He wasn't so
handsome as Matt Morris, but he he'd the
Hall and the Square behind him, to be
sure, and he wore store clothes, and he'd
such airs as women-folks take to. You
see, he'd carry your shawl and hold
your umberell and quote pretty verses to
you if you was young and pretty your
self; and he he'd a mustache that sort
of dropped at the ends and gave him a sad
look, which was quite contrary to his feel
ings. I've always noticed that gurls take
tOa mustache as a duck takes to water.
lie was full of mischief, too, and that's
what gurls don't object to in the leastest;
the kind that gets rusticated and expelled,
and that proper sort of mothers don't
countenance, is Jest the kind the daugh.
tiers mostly lose their hearts to. Not that
Sibyl was one to like fast young men; she
was so innocent herself that she didn't as
much as suspect anything about the wick
edness of this wicked world, and she
thought Rhett was all that fancy painted
him, and maybe good deal more. His
fine airs was so many virtues, and she be-
lieved him if he said black was white
Sibyl was good and pretty enough for &
Dukes son, and she he'd bin sent tC
school By her greataunt Cover to the
seminary at Great Guns, and want ne
ways lacking in book learning; she coulC
pass any word in the language, and sht
didn't murder the kings English as I've
heerd some do that's he'd more chances
and she was master-hand at reading
and could tell you all about furrin parts
and do the biggest sums in the arithmetic
Nobody needn't bin ashamed of Sibyl, sh,
of Heaven. But the trouble was, she het
set her poor heart on Jack Rhett When h
neglected her all the light in her worlt
become darkness; when he was kind tn
darkness divided and it was day. Many
the time I've seen Rhett lettering in tn
bit of wood near the school-house waiting
for Sibyl, " no taught the district schoo
that summer; and then, when the schol
ars d come t.udsing out, he'd seen
to happen near al by accident, ant
raise his hat and kiss his hand and wall
along with her. and it didn't need specta
clcs to see that the longest way round wa
the shortest way home at such times
Well, when he went back to college he'
used to correspond with Sibyl, and whe
he come home on vacations he'd contriv
to meet her either by the trout brook G
the Witches Pool-a pretty puddl
enough, that didn't seem to lead nowhere
nor to come from anywhere, all overhun
with trees that reached across and kn
together and darkened the place wit
shadders. 1t was such a lonesome plac
that you couldn't hire a CURL in all Pike
Clearing to go there alone, yet it was
favorite spot for young folks a-keepin
company; such as amt afeard of ghosts
it amt anything but rivals as will max
their hair stand on end. One time JAG
come home and didn't go a-nigh Sibyl ft
several days, and she set in the porch
her best pink gown, with sweet pease
her hair, and watched the road stretchin
out to Square Rhett's, and grew rosy an
'trembled when team or man hove
sight, and fidgeted in school hours, an
bank of clouds. On Sabbath day there l
was Ill IaiO AoAAly po" 40 INV a. oAin,
kid gloves and patent-leather shoes,
holding a hymn book along Of a strans
CURL, who he'd on morey antique gov
and blue bonnet like a flower gardini
and was all a. glitter with beads and bugl
and things. She he'd plaguy ugly fac
for all her good clothes, and she WI
a-singing off Of Rhett's face instead of Il
hymn book; and when meeting was ov'
he give her his arm, and never looked
Sibyl no more'n she'd bin post. "
was at singing school the following Sa
urday night, and somebody says:
Il rec kon how that there'll be we
ding at Pixies Clearing afore a hundre
year" - 49, a. &. = - j. !.
II should hope Sc" says Lucy Ladd.
And it won't be Lucy's nor Sibyls,
says Ben.
;, "Time enough for that" said Lucy.
II joked Rhett about it myself O. Fl
day." put in John Piker. asked WI
he needed to be going abroad for wi
w mr. rY1vs1c