The Morning herald., 1875-12-25
Uucle silas. went off chuckling over his lit

Uucle silas went off chuckling over his lii
| tie joke.
Of course after that Polly was not goinI
to be in hurry to speak. Perhaps Johl
thinks she can't hold her tongue, too sh
will show him! And Polly bites her lip
very hard and tries to look very resolut
indeed. But John had been busy repentinl
for ten minutes; he got up as his fathe
shut the door and said quite gently, "I'n
sorry, Polly, for what said a while ago
didn't mean it. dear" No answer-unles
big tear that dropped on Polly's iron JUS
then might be taken for one.
"Well, Polly, never mind, I'll try to ge
ever, being fond Of you, if it makes yeu &C
unhappy, you need not cry about it; I hope
1t is net 80 bad as that" And with tha,
John went out to his wood-chopping and
Polly finished ironing and nobody was any
the wiser. That is, nobody but Paul Pry,
the parrot, who had heard every word and
startled Polly dreadfully that same evening
by calling out suddenly at the supper table,
"Hillo Polly, never mind never mind
never mind Poor Polly! Pretty Polly
don't cry!"
However, neither Uncle Silas nor Aunt
Debby paid the least regard to Paul Pry's
rather personal and slightly impertinent
remarks; but they made Polly so nervous
with dread Of what he might say next, that
she could not eat and thereby attracted
Aunt Debby's attention to herself.
"Be you sick, child You don't seem to
have no appetite and your face is red as a
beet this minute. do hope to goodness
you amt going to BE- took down with fever.
Simon Brown says it's drefful bad over to
Rockaway."
"Polly's cheeks is a1lus like pink holly
hocks," said Uncle silas, with glance OF
afectionate admiration in Polly's direction.
"Some folks admire to see red ch seks,
aud then again some doesn't. There's Alice
Brown, now; she amt got no more color
nor static; but most folks lows she's
dreftul hansum; that young painter chap
from York was allus drawin' of her pic
ter. For my part, I think red cheeks is
healthy" and Aunt Debby stirred her tea
nsditatively.
"Alice Brown amt no more to be com
pared to our Polly for looks nor them
bleached potato sprouts down cellar is ft to
be put in posy along o. pinks and gilly-
flowers, said Uncle silas Indignantly.
"Well, father, dunno; last Sabbath
to church when I look up in the core
and see Alice in her white frock and with
all them yellow curls hangin' round her
face and singin' so sweet-like, why couldn't
help thinkin' of the angels"
"Polly amt no angel, surely. But don't
you be down-hearted, Polly; pretty girls
amt going out % fashion this year. No nor
next year, nuther."
"La p! father, how you do talk! As i'll
Polly didn't know better nor to set store by
her good looks. Why, there was Clarissy
Hunter, when I was girl; all perfect wax
doll, all pink and white, and hair the color
o. sunshine; well, she went down to Fal-
bridge to visit her mothers relations, and
took smallpox, and that was the last of
her good looks. But that want the wust
Of it; she was promised to Hiram Barber.
and when he see she want bit like her
self he up and married Kitty Gibson. III
lad been me I'd ~ ruther had Clarissy, if
she was humbly, for she was sweet-tem-
oered critter, and mighty neat house
Keeper; but Kitty Barber-Kitty Gibson
lat was-was Tartar and slattern to
'oot; which amt common. For you'll
Mostly see slack, easy-goin' woman amt
rot no more snap in her nor a dish-clout:
while woman that's suthin' of spitfre
apt to be mortal spry and generally has
wo cleanin' days to week."
Polly, who had begun to clear off the sup
er table, stopped midway to the pantry to
ear the last of Aunt Debby's reminiscent
es, and she could not help wondering if it
'ould make any difference to John if she /
hould lose her good looks ; that is suppos- ,
,g they had been engaged like Clarissa and 6
[iram. Of course as things were John c
ould not care if her eyes should suddenly .
I'm crooked in her head, or if her pretty
tile nose were to assume gigantic propor- G
ons on the instant. "
John was what women call "handy'' y
bout the house and often helped Polly wash "
shes and peel potatoes and on wash days Il
very cold weather he had even been
nown to hang out the clothes; all of "
hich his mother and the neighbor woman d
1t down to the score of Johns kind heart, r
ID they were all agreed that he would |,
axe model husband. ii
Perhaps it was all abstract goodness on b
,11n5a rf lint; ,,,bx, - A. |