American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-11-27

RUTH HUI was the niece of Farmer
Hill, - wild and pretty q housekeeper,
the neighbors said, as an old man would
care 70 have, whose own sons and daugh-
wife was in heaven. She was good
at churning, baking or weaving, however;
her cheeses were the pride of the county,
her bread had passed into q proverb. She
made nothing or skipping down the slip
perry sides Of the well if the bucket
dropped in, and she would catch the colts
in the pasture by the name, and leap a
fence bare-backed, enough to make ones
hair stand ON end She had moved a
. wager, and won il, too, and had looked
~ bcwifching a. Maud Muller herself ut
the task She was both hoyden and firt
ut once, but 90 capable and high-spirited
that everybody forgave her. Many of the
young men in the township had paid
court to her, only to find it time wasted if
they dared put the question, though it
must be owned that she carried things
with . high hand and gave them plenty of
or their offers, but just because she
couldn't help it-because it was natural
to her to shine in their society and to love
their admiration rather than themselves.
% Whom does Ruth Hill expectto marry"
the old people would say, shaking their
heads at her wild capers. "She may go
through the woods and pick up crooked
stick ct last. 1t didn't use to be thus and
% in our day. II girls would marry they
had to take such husbands as were going
and not hout their bettersi' And when
these things were repeated to Ruth, as
they were sure to be, she would only
laugh "Wh0m do expect to marrys ?.
Why, none Of their country pumpkins,
tell them. haven't seen the man yet
who's made my heart beat, and mean to
wait for him till I'm gray
a. Maybe she's waiting for him of the
Ridge Farm" was the favorite sarcasm
launched at Ruth Now the owner of
the Ridge Farm was as mythical per-
sonage to the residents ct Greenside as the
Grand Lama Of Thibet or the man in the
moon 1t was, indeed, q we'll authenti-
Gated fact that . farm of that name existed;
that its owner carried off the county
quaintances remembered having seen
him. Nobody in those parts had had the
happiness to meet him in highway or
markettow but when q son of Green
side was to be especially commended 70
the good graces of any of its daughters
he was declared I" as good catch as him
Of The Ridge Farm" or if q neighbor
raised an ambitious crop of gram or
grapes, or yoke Of steers remarkable in
my 1c1I<C4, 4c WIS ICPutc4 W hovC DCol-
en- the Ridge Farm hollow. As this hero
was understood to be a bachelor, the girls
joked about him. Every stranger driving
by was "bim Of the Ridge Farm - when
their scissors stuck in the floor, he was
coming TO call; and every letter among
the tea grounds in their cups was written
by him. To be mistress of the Ridge Farm
was almost equivalent, in their regard, to
being Queen Of England.
I'm tired Of this eternal litter about
the Ridge Farm and its owner,r said
Ruth, on one occasion al suppose he's
made of clay like other folks"
"Like his farm, too" put in her uncle
Isaac.
L don't care for him nor his farm,
either,n averred Ruth.
"Wait till you're asked, Ruth"
"I'd show him there was one woman IN
the world he couldn't have for the asking;
he'd ask in vain, / promise you"
Perhaps, a. rumors Of the Ridge Farm
travelled to Greenside, 30 Ruth's scofiing
may have reached the ears of its master,
since dog that brings bone will carry
one.
One winter Uncle Isaac was overreached
by rheumatism, and though he fondly
trusted that spring would bring him round