Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-05
How Toms Ring Was Lost and Found.

tue corner. Father was sick with the rneu-
matism, and we were so full OF company that
we were well nign distracted. II WAS Sptel-
did summer weatheT-late in July. The sea-
side meadows looked like green velvet. Toe
VIII at fields TuStled IN the breeze, the birds
sang I'm the trees, and you never saw any
thing so handsome in all your life As my bel
OF plnks and geranlums under the south
windows. The east Greenfield minister said
that il was like little slice ont oil tle gar
den OF Eden. But had not a m Dm snJ of
time 10 enjoy all this lOveiiness. There
never was any help 10 be mai for love or
money I'm conference time, for the girls
wanted To go TO the meetings them selves, as
wei as anybody, and their folks had COM
pany then with all the rest We don't have
any Irish trash for hirei girls in Plumiield
as you do in cities, you know, but re al neat
sensible bodies, whose fathers are kind of
shiftless, and let their farms run out or have
poor luck in fishing; so they are obliged to
do something for themselves if they want
anything decent to wear, or to save up any
thing against they get married. Mother was
poorly, she never enjoyed good healtu-and
that year the spring bitters didn't work as
well as usual, and she was all run down be-
fore haying time was half through, so all
she could do was TO tend TO father, and L had
the whole of the housework on my shoulders.
Dear me, and isn't Il hard work to cook for
ministers? Mother was SO afraid that they
! wouldn have everything just SO nice, and
made me put three eggs into every one of the
CuStardS, and frost g very bit OF the sponge
cake. Tue. ministerial appetite is some
! thing amazing. Why it should require so
| much more food to support piety than sin,
can't imagine, but was obligei to provide,
! certainly, three times the quantity for those
reverend gentlemen as for those good for no
l thlng, dance going, swearing hired men OF
ours. There was one widower among them,
as woe begonc "a he was hearty, and mother
was delighted because folks said he took
great liking to me. and was going to ask me
10 take the place of the departed. But
tnongh q minister's wife may hold a very
nigh station in life, and Tom BabSOn was
only second mate of the schooner Mary Ann
Id rather have had Tom than dozen solemn
races like ParsOn Hibbard, though | was
sorry 10 diSappoint mother and tue rest of
my folks, who groaned because was dread
fully wanting in ambition. But | was will
ing enough 10 DO my best in the way of pro
NiulnS Ior Inc poor soul, who was as thin AS
ran; anu broIied chicken, and cream bis
CUTS, and cup custards seemed to be the only
light in the midnight ofhis aflliction.
y our pie crust is heavy" remarked
mother, dOlefully, one bright hot morning
when was AS usual baking for dear life.
wen, can't help 1t, If 1t is" replied,
energetcaliy. 81 do wish father wasn't
deacon so that we needn't keep a ministerial
boarding house; I'm tired Of devOting my
life 10 ministers. What a happy world it
would be If there wasn't a minister In IL.
ings either"
Mothers mind was diverted from the con
dltlon OF the pastry TO my impiety, ana she
held up bo.h hands in horror. She doubted
II either repentance, or prayers, or good
works could save me after utterlng such
heresy as this. And TO tell the TRUTH [ was
Il
tired, and il was very hard for a young girl
ike me To be shut in the Kitchen, while
every body else was having good time. Tom
BabsOn, my lover, was going to sail again
10 morrow, too, and had found no time 10
get any more than glimpse of him while
ne had been on shore. But last night he de-
!alned me little while on the dOOrstepS
though Mrs. Deacon Layne was in the WIN
dow listening TO every word that was said
and gave me beautiful ring with a stone
IN II, when shifted It's colOrs like the rain
ffr1I 10
bought 1T across the seas OF some JEWS
trader, he said, and whispered in my ear that
II would wear II at the social tomorrow
evening, he should take il as a promise Ia
be his wife He knew that there was no
cnance OF seeing me at any other time-I was
always SO busy-and bad told him that
should certainly be at the social winch was
10 be held at Uncle Ethau'S, the next door In
our house. II was no wonder that my pie
crust Was heavy, for my heart wasn't in my
Work a all. / was thinking OF Tom All the
time, aud wondering If we couldn't manage
TO speak to each other at the social some way.
or II couldn't see him early in tue morning
before he left the village.
dear me, the butcher can't be coming To-
uay, after al, and what in the world shall
we 90 Tor dinner? L suppose he got out of
every thing before he got here; there are so
many people In town 10 be fed just now"
sald mother, brea king into my happy
thoughts again. ut is enough TO xiii apv
body outright TO have so much company
under such circumstances"
80 have been saying and thinking
said quietly; ''but then / think we can do
Wen enough for dinner. Seth can Kill some
csS than no time"
II don't see how we can spare any more
chickens; we have ouly the cropple crowns
lett now, AMI they're So good for LAYING
san suppose we must for there's nothing
else to be mai, and you cant set a picked up
dinner before ministers. But there isn't
Sign OF vegetable fit TO De cooked in the
garden. Setn brought in the last cucumbar
yesterday, the peas are all too large, the
squasheS aren't ripe, aId those case knit,
can eat them"
"Wel, perhaps l can find some corn that
Is large enough, saw some in the fir.l thai
was pretty well grown, day befor. Yesterday
anu can make some nice sauce OF those to
matoes Uncle Ben sent over" / said conso-
nngiy. "Leave the dinner to me; III man
age 1t some way"
You're great comfort, Ruth said mo
tner: with Frightening face; and she lief: the
Kitchen with sigh OF relief, and never
glanced INTO 1t again until the dinner was
After the chickens were in the pot and
cooking briskly, had a little moment to
rest, and going up stairs took that pr ,cions
ring from Its case, and placing 1t on my first
hnger watched it sparkle with bliss which
Is not uncommon to foolish young souls
under such circumstances. Tom and had
been lovers ever since we were children but
ne bad never spoken until last night, ana L
had been somewhat troubled that ne did not
DO SO, for could not help doubling some
Il
cared for him, and L knew that it would
break my heart If he should 90 aud marry
another now. Girls in books always go on
through tier courtshipS with the most de-
ngntlul Inconsistencies. aud never dream
that they are In love until they are Skei
ana then the knowledge that they are faith
oms deep In this bliSSful state comes to them
like magic, and they fall into their lovers
arms as easily as il they had always been
in9ir abiding place. But some way the girls in
Plumfield are different, and when Tom sing
ied me out from all the rest, and went home
with me from the church and singing school,
ana came TO our house nearly every evening
III the week when he was Oh shore. and ma Ie
SOFT little speeches TO me, supposed that he
would ask me TO marry him some day, and
Knew mat loved him with all my heart.
forgot the dinner, ministers aud every
thlDg and everybody but Tom for as many
as fifteen blessed minutes; then IL suddenly
occurred to me that ii was b gh time that the
corn was on the fire, and IL was still rustling
on It's stalk in the back field. 50 without re-
moving the ring. hurried out of doors and
succeeded in finding a number of ears that
were large enough, though l felt Inside the
hGsks OF whole rows OF those tn at were lust
beginning 10 show their tiny, milky kerr
GelS The dinner was altogether a success,
ana the ministers seemed likely TO be well
IoTtlhed for their afternoons work. Mr..
Hubbard grew almost jocose over it, and
Uncle Reuben's wife. who came from the
a GT4hg In a lf.,lg