The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1876-01-06

he has gotten over being fond of her-a:
he said he would endeavor to do-she is
quite sure that he has Though why she
should cry about it is not quite so clear
to Polly; but she does, neverthe
less, and the briny drops fall slowly and
mournfully into the dish-pan. When she
has dome up" the dishes and wept hel
little weep" she bathes her face in cool
spring water, and without even one tiny
peep into the little cracked looking glass
goes into the sittingroom.
Uncle Silas was enjoying his pipe and
the newspaper together, and Aunt
Debby was counting off the loops on her
knitting needles preparatory to "settin.
up the heel in a gray yarn stocking,
whose dimensions proclaimed that it was
| intended to warm and comfort, during
/ the storms of the coming winter, one of
/ a pair of feet at present reposing inside
of Uncle Silas's far-from Liliputian slip
pers John is not present so the room
/ is very still; it is worse even than the
great empty kitchen, for the crickets
keep that from being utterly dreary, but
| the ticking of the tall clock in its dim
corner only makes the sitting-room
seem more lonesome. Polly takes her
work and sits down in her little sewing
chair, and wonders what ails herself and
everybody and everything She longs to
throw her work into the fire and herself
on the floor and cry her eyes out; but
what would Aunt Debby say to such do
ings? All, il the Aunt Debby's could but
look beneath the surface, oftentimes,
what an uplifting Of hands ard eyes
would take place, to be sure But Aunt
Debby "set-up" her heel undisturbed,
and. getting into plain sailing she re-
marked how quiet every one was. This
eliciting no response, she next supposed
it would be late before John got home
then Polly asked where John was ?
Hes gone to Deacon Browns to core
meetin'; Simeon cum along this arter-
noon and gin him notice. / think you Il
a better went too. Polly; you don't seem
pert there's nuthin' like bit o COM
pany to 'liven young folks up, or old
ones either"
Polly did not say anything, but a pang
shot through her heart and she wanted
to cry worse than ever-what could all
herr
Uncle Silas laid his paper down and
cast shrewd glance at Polly over his
glasses, then hemmed and said Mother,
do you think it's the singin' and nuthin'
else that takes our John to Deacon
Browns so oft'n Of an eyeuinY
why, what should it be E? You don't
think he's under conviction, do your /
shouldn't wonder, though. now that you
mention IL. il he was Them's powerful
sarmon's Parson Hammond's been
preachin' lately-most enough to wake
the the dead specially in the graves un-
der the meetn house winders. Well, IL
it's the Lords will TO call him, il would
be = 'mazin comfort to me to see him
brought into the fold afore | die Not
but what Johns allus been a good son as
things is-tho' ruther fond o fddlin'
and dancin' maybe and carin' less for
prayer meetins than could wish-still
| dunno as he's much differ'nt to most
young folks that way; | use to be ruther
clipper myself when ! was a gal.
You're on the wrong track. mother.
entirely. How would you like the Dea-
cons Alice for darter 2
ia, SUI T. and Aunt Debby dropped
her knitting and stared at Uncle Silas
with wide-distended eyes for the space Of
thirty seconds; but nothing short Of
paralysis could longer deprive that ex-
cellent woman OF the use of her tongue.
"Deary me- well Ito be surel but why
not2 Alice is a good sensible gal as well
as a hansum one, and not a bit split with
bein' an only darter as gals is apt to be.
his medder jines ourn. Well, father,
considerin' everythsn', John might go
further and fare wus."
80 think, mother; not that Alice
would be my eh ce-she to still and white;
but then it's not me that's going to mar
ry her; ii John fancies her it's all right
II shan't ask him to look at her thro'
my glasses No, No let him please him
self aud he'll please me"
Polly tried to say something 10 keep
her silence from being observed; but If
her life had depended on the articulation
of a dozen syllables she could not have
spoken them. Poor Polly she had
found out at last what allied her; she
loved John with all her warm little heart,
and now he would 90 and marry
Alice Brown and-a lump got into Pol
ly's throat just here and threatened TO
choke her, and before she knew il a sob
escaped and Polly took refuge in de
ceitlul fit Of coughing, which like all
falseness carried its own punishment
with it-for it distracted Aunt Debby's |
attention from her future daughter-in-
law and concentrated it on Polly's self
why, child, you've caught a drefful
hard cold all to onct! you must take a
Of hoarhound balsam right
away. / never hear a drieT cough nor
that of yourn-it sounds just like Gym
thy Besom's did the winter she took the
gailopin' consumption, and was dead and
buried all inside OF six months" And |
Auut Debby hustled about and got out
the big bottle from the chimney cupboard, |
and measured out a dose OF the hoar-
hound balsam. Polly knew that remon-
STRANGE would be worse than useless, so
she swallowed the bitter-sweet mixture
without protest Then she was sent to
bed with directions to 90 to sleep right
away, and with the comforting assurance
that if the cough did not succumb to the
balsam before morning John should 20
for old DR.. Drugen first thing after break
fast.
Polly's mistake was one that is often
made by young girls who are too much /
taken up with the pleasant story of their |
own lives to stop to ask questions of their
hearts. We are none OF US much given
to introspection in our salad days" and
when at last we do take to soul-probing
it is usually too late to benefit by our dis
coyeries.
.Polly-the orphan child OF a far-away
been adopted by Uncle
Silas and Aunt Debby when very small,
so she and John had grown up together
like brother and sister and she had really
never once thought of John as lover,
or a possible husband, until his rather
abrupt proposal had startled her into the
declaration that she did not love him,
when the truth was she had been loving
him every day of her life without in the
least suspecting it. Polly did not go off
in a galloping consumption like Cynthia
Bosom, nor did she pine away and die OF
a broken heart-healthy people never do
either-she just lived on from day to day,
as we all do and must in spite of .disap-
pointment and heartbreak. She did not
even droop, but held up her head like