The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-01-06
POLLY'S MISTAKE.
AN IDYL OF THE HOLIDAY
BY Z. A. MATTERS.


. Not in that way, Polly7 / only know
one way Of being fond Of people"
"0nly one way Why, there are doz
ems of ways"
Well Polly, just say you'll marry me
and you may be fond of me in your Owl
| way, or in dozen ways, I'm not particu
: lar"
But that was just what Polly would not
do. All Johns eloquence could not in
duce her to utter that simple little word
yes" At last Johns stock of patience
never very large, gave out, and he told
Polly that she was a finty- hearted littls
flirt to pretend to be fond Of him in any
way when it was plain to be seen that
she did not care button for him. That
was too much to be called a hrt, and a
flinty-hearted fiirt and by John Polly 8
eyes sparkled and sharp retort was on
the tip of her tongue, when the kitchen
door opened and Uncle Silss entered.
BE you two holdin' Quaker meetin 2
said he, as he was going out after filling
and lighting his pipe at Polly's ironing
place, 'or be you savin up for the singin'
tonight? Don't over-do it. tho, Polly,
or maybe your tongue ii get stiff in the
jints. Queer things is woman's tongues" :"
And Uncle Silas went off chuckling over
his little joke.
OF course after that Polly was not GO
ing to be in hurry to speak. Perhaps
John thinks she can't hold her tongue,
! too She will show him And Polly
! bites her lips very hard and tries to look
very resolute indeed. But John had
been busy repenting for the last ten min
utes; he got up as his father shut the
door and said quite gently, I'm sorry,
I Polly, for what / said a while ago. l
! didn't mean it dear" No answer-un-
! less big tear that dropped on Pollys
/ iron Just then might be taken for one.
well, Polly, never mind, Ill try to
get over being fond of you, if it makes
you so unhappy; you need not cry about
it; | hope il is not so bad as that" And
with that John went out to his wood
chopping and Polly finished ironing and
nobody was any the wiser. That is no
body but Paul Pry, the parrot who had
heard every word and startled Polly
dresdfully that same evening by calling
out suddenly at the supper table, "Hillol
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 nerv-
Gus with dread Of what he might say
next that she could not eat and thereby
attracted Aunt Debby's attention to her
self
BE you sick, child You don't seem
to have no appetite and your face is as
red as a beet this minute. ! do hope to
goodness you amt Soing to be took down
with fever. Simon Brown says its drefful
bad over to Rockaway.'
"Polly's cheeks is allus like pink hol-
lyhocks," said Uncle Silas, with glance
of affectionate admiration in Polly's di-
rection.
Some folks admire to see red cheeks,
and then again some doesn't There's
Alice Brown, now she amt got no more
color nor a stattoo; but most folks lows
she's drefful hansum; that young painter
chap from York was allus drawin' of
her picter For my part, | think red
checks is healthy !" and Aunt Debby
stirred her tea meditatively.
Alice Brown amt no more to be com
pared to our Polly for looks nor them
bleached potato sprouts down cellar is fl
to be put in posy along o pinks and
gillyhowors," said Uncle Silas, indig-
nantly.
"well, father, | dunno; last Sabbath
to church when 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 downhearted. Polly pretty
gals amt goin' out o fashion this year
No, nor next year nuther."
la! father, how you do talk As i'll
Polly didn't know better nor to set store
by her good looks Why, there was
I Ii
perfect wax doll, all pink and white,
and hair the color o sunshine;
well, she went down to Falbridge to visit
her mothers relations, and took small
pox, 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 herself
he up and married Kitty Gibson. If it
had a been me I'd a ruther had Clarissy,
if she was humbly, for she was a sweet
tempered critter, and n mighty neat
housekeeper; but Kitty Barber-Kitty
Gibson that was-was a Tartar and
slattern to boot; which amt common
For you'll mostly see a slack, easy goin'
woman amt got no more snap in her nor
a dish-clout; while woman that suthin'
of spitfire is az 1 to be mortal spry and
generally has two cleanin' days to
week"
Polly, who had begun to clear oil the
supper table, stopped midway to the pan
try to hear the last of Aunt Debby's
"reminiscences, and she could not help
wondering if it would make an, differ
ence to John il she should lose her good
looks; that is supposins they had been
engaged like Clarissa and lIirajl or
course as things were John wou not
care If her eyes should sudden. turn
crooked in her head, or ii her ~, ;fy lit
tie nose were to assume gigantic !-opOr-
tions on the instant.
John was what women call andy
about the house and often helped Polly
wash dishes and peel potatoes; aHL on
wash days in very cold weather hp had
even been known to hang out the clothes;
all of which his mother and the ncishbor
woman put down to the score OF Johns
kind heart and they were all agr.r''i that
he would make a model husband
Perhaps it was all abstract gooGn on
Johns part but il so, why was il that
nobody had ever known him to show the
least concern about old Mrs. Moss's
rheumatic hands when she took PDllys
place at thS washtub? though hp has
been seen to hold Polly's rosy di gifts for
five minutes just to warm them, you
know, and then send her indoors while
he battled manfully with wet, dipping
sheets and stringy towels
As time went on, however, no seemed
to lose all his little helpful ways about
the house; the water bucket might stand
empty half the day without his pcrceiv-
ing it-Polly might reduce her fingers to
pink jelly driving nails To- train her roses
John never seemed 10 know it or to
imagine that any assistance was needed
N.sVu 80
ally unkind, but there was difference;
ha did not ounronriaie Polly a. he used